{"id":35838,"date":"2018-05-10T22:57:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T21:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=35838"},"modified":"2018-06-16T13:49:30","modified_gmt":"2018-06-16T12:49:30","slug":"janis-ian-talks-to-us-about-music-science-fiction-and-godzilla-ahead-of-release-of-remastered-albums-and-cambridge-folk-festival-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2018\/05\/janis-ian-talks-to-us-about-music-science-fiction-and-godzilla-ahead-of-release-of-remastered-albums-and-cambridge-folk-festival-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Janis Ian Talks To Us About Music, Science Fiction, And Godzilla Ahead Of Release Of Remastered Albums And Cambridge Folk Festival Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Janis
Janis Ian – photo credit: Lloyd Baggs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In high school in Australia, I had a very untypical English teacher. Mrs Pickering was about 4’11” (possibly shorter) and used to have to stand on a box to reach the top of the chalkboard. She was super-strict, and nobody dared say boo in her class. “Old School” had nothing on her. She was ancient school. But she taught well. We learned grammar and we learned why it was important. We learned to spell. We knew what we were getting with Mrs Pickering.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Then one day she came in and announced we were going to be disecting some popular songs. This was the 80s, so we hoped for Duran Duran, or Wham!, or even David Bowie. Instead, we got ‘The Boxer’, by Simon and Garfunkel, and ‘At Seventeen’, by Janis Ian. Much as I enjoyed ‘The Boxer’, it was ‘At Seventeen’ which touched me most deeply. It showed me that regardless of what I looked like, or whether or not I was popular, or whatever was deemed important then as a teenager…ugly ducklings were potential swans. <\/strong>I lived for the day when <\/strong><\/h4>\n
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‘Small town eyes will gape at you<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In dull surprise when payment due’.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Therefore, when I was offered the opportunity to speak to Janis Ian, I leapt at it. I felt (nervously) sick to the stomach at the prospect, but I knew I had to speak to this woman who had made such an impact on my teen years. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

JI: Hi this is Janis!<\/p>\n

EP: Hello Janis! This is Lisa Hafey from Essentially Pop!<\/strong><\/p>\n

JI: Hey Lisa! How are you!<\/p>\n

EP: I’m good! Thank you! I have to come straight out and say thank you so much for talking to us, your song, ‘At Seventeen’, was my go-to song as a teenager, and I’m sure you’ve heard this loads of times before.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Janis