THE NOTORIOUSLY ELUSIVE JONI MITCHELL OPENS UP ABOUT HER INCREDIBLE NEW UNDERTAKING, AND WHY SHE’LL BE THE ONLY ONE WHO TELLS HER OWN LIFE STORY

Before I can dive headlong into a conversation with Joni Mitchell, there are a few things that the 71-year-old icon needs to clear up. “You aren’t going to call me a folksinger, are you?” she asks. “You aren’t going to say that I’m like the female Bob Dylan—or worse—a singer-songwriter, are you?” It’s a jarring way to begin an interview, but in Mitchell’s case a totally understandable one. Although she is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century, Mitchell remains deeply misunderstood. Some will always see her as the sunny-haired, dulcimer-playing folk naïf of “California” and “Both Sides Now” but Mitchell’s body of work—a back catalog 19 albums deep—is unlike any other in popular music. Her sense of harmonics, innovative song structures, and uncanny take on jazz remain totally singular. Given the scope of her influence, Mitchell has earned the right to be a little thorny when it comes to the subject of her legacy. “I’m liable in interviews to get frustrated and become stupidly boastful,” she says. “I just want things to be acknowledged. It’s like, don’t make me say it.“