Janis Ian Auction - Memorabilia & Miscellaneous Items

MEMORABILIA & MISCELLANEOUS

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097. LIVING ROOM CONCERT:
A private show for you and your friends in your own living room, which you can record and videotape for your own use. Open-ended, free-form, a great chance to show off and an absolutely fabulous present. Just so you know, the last person who bought one of these gave their NPR station $3,500 for the privilege. Minimum bid $2,500.00. * Show to take place within 1 year of purchase, date to be coordinated with Janis' schedule. Offer limited to the continental United States. Purchaser may not sell tickets to this or charge participants in any way; purchaser must be willing to sign a contract to various effects before this event can take place. A maximum of 50 people may be invited, including those living in the household. We reserve the right to allow Windham Hill Records to coordinate this with your local NPR station, who may wish to record and broadcast the show later, and to take appropriate security measures to ensure the safety of the artist. * I've done a few of these for charity and really enjoy them; I get a chance to play with no lights, speakers, or razzle-dazzle, just me & a guitar sitting around, and you get a chance to ask all those questions and hear your favorite songs (instruments and voice permitting!) in a one-on-one concert.
***(all monies for living room concerts will be kept in an interest-bearing escrow account until the concert has been given; after that they'll be turned over to Goddard)

397. LIVING ROOM CONCERT:Dublin, Ireland
A fan writes that she will bid $5,000.00, plus two airfares and two hotel rooms for a living room concert at her home in Dublin, Ireland. We have accepted this bid.
BIDDING CLOSED

098. BROADSIDE ISSUE # 56 MARCH 10, 1965: Janis' first published apearance; contains the second song she ever wrote, "Here's To". Janis is listed as "Janis Fink" on the cover; a real piece of vintage '60's print. With vinyl record of Janis Ian; minimum bid $75.00. Broadside Magazine was started by Sis Cunningham & Gordon Friesen, two Okies who migrated to New York and spent the rest of their lives making the lives of songwriters better. Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and myself were all published first here. When I submitted this song (after stealing a sheet of music paper from my father's notebook and writing out a very amateur lead sheet), they called my home to say they were going to publish it and asked if I'd sing at a "hoot" at the Village Theater in a month. They spoke with my father, who explained that I was only 13 years old. Sis said "Okay, that's fine, can she come?" and my career was born.


099. GOLD RECORD FOR BETWEEN THE LINES: Framed, with RIAA certification; minimum bid $125.00. Out of sentimental reasons I've kept Mom's gold record for this disc; this copy is my own.


100. PLATINUM RECORD FOR BETWEEN THE LINES: Framed, with RIAA certification; minimum bid $175.00. This is my own platinum record, which I've carried around with mE from state to state for years. I hung it in the closet for a while, slightly embarrassed and feeling like it would be "showing off" to put it anywhere visible. One day Gary Nicholson (Nashville singer/songwriter) was visiting, and he chided me for keeping my gold and platinum records out of sight. He said "Heck, let 'em know where you've been!" It's been hanging in the hallway ever since.


101. GOLD RECORD FOR AFTERTONES: From CBS/Sony Japan, framed. Aftertones is a wonderful album because it was the album I made after Between the Lines. It was also, unfortunately, rushed through so CBS could make their quarterly report. I've always regretted listening to the people who insisted I was ready when I felt I was not. Nevertheless, it gave me a #1 record in Japan (see Discography and Awards for more information), and started my career there, so I'm grateful to it and Sony for the chance.


102. BETWEEN THE LINES ALBUM COVER PROOFS: Front & back, 13"x13" each, made from the original color negs and used for UK reissue, marked and corrected by Janis. The worst thing about album covers, outside of doing the photo shoot, is checking them. Color goes awry, eyebrows are suddenly arched, even hair changes color and style. These proofs were well-done and aren't too marked up; the color's great.


103. STARS ALBUM COVER PROOFS: Front & back, 13"x13" each, made from the original color negs and used for UK reissue, marked and corrected by Janis. When I got back the original proofs for Stars, some over-zealous art editor had decided a female artist needed long fingernails - and added them to the front photograph! I had a long meeting with him, explaining that whatever his preconceptions were, female guitarists could not have long fingernails. It actually took three days to convince the record company that the original was fine.


104. BILLBOARD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 20, 1975: Another vintage magazine, this issue has Between the Lines at #1 on the charts and "At Seventeen" at #3, along with a full page CBS ad congratulating Janis. Signed by Janis, with vinyl album of Between the Lines. How strange to read a Billboard from the days before CD's existed, when there were only a few charts instead of the incredible proliferation we have now. Disco was just beginning to take off, and there were only 10,000 albums a year being put out instead of the current 200,000+. My Mom had three copies of this, in addition to the many she proudly gave away to friends - must have bought out every newsstand in New York!


105. TWO SMALL JUICE GLASSES USED AS SHOT GLASSES BY NINA SIMONE & JAMES BALDWIN IN 1978: It's a long story... Nina, Mom and I were sitting around backstage at the Village Gate on a long Friday night; Nina was in her cups and talking about how much she missed her mom. I said "Why don't you come to my mom's for brunch Sunday?" Nina readily accepted, but Mom was furious I hadn't checked with her first, and informed me that if I could invite guests without permission, I could handle the brunch as well. So I got up early Sunday morning, hit Zabar's when they opened, and trucked loads of smoked salmon, whitefish, bagels etc. back to Mom's house. I set the table and waited. Nina showed up around 10 am in an enormous fur coat with James Baldwin in tow. When Mr. Baldwin asked for a drink, I brought him a glass of orange juice. He took a sip, grimaced, smiled at me and said "No, girl, a drink!". I didn't understand, so I asked Mom (who was happily watching me work as she hid in the kitchen) what to do and she sent me out with a big bottle of vodka, which he and Nina proceeded to drain before lunch. I don't remember much about the rest of the day; we talked a lot about American and African history, my ex-husband's experiences with writer Richard Wright, France's tolerance of the arts, other languages.... Mr. Baldwin left around three o'clock and Nina fell asleep on the couch around six; we eventually loaded her, along with the gigantic fur, into a taxi, giving the driver $50 with the promise of another $50 if he'd return after delivering her safely. My Mom saved the glasses, thinking it was one of the funniest, coolest things that had ever happened at her home.


106. TOUR LAMINATES: Japan Kyodo tour '78, Europe '81, Japan '90, Japan '93, World tour VIP '93, Subscriber Service laminate, Revenge Staff pass '96; all used by Janis & Pat. With Revenge CD. There is a classic Nina Simone story that says Nina flew back from France to play a sold-out Carnegie Hall concert sometime in the early 1980's. She took a cab directly from the airport to the backstage door, where the guard told her there was no admittance without a pass unless her name was "on the list". Furious that he hadn't recognized her, she got back into the cab, went back to the airport, and took the next flight back to France. Now, I don't know if this story is true, but it is in keeping with Nina's imperial diva-ness - to which she has every right, since she's one of the best singers, songwriters, and pianists we've produced.


107. TOUR LAMINATES: Europe '81, Japan '90, 2 World Tour '93, 2 Subscriber Service laminates, Revenge '96; all used by Pat & Janis. With Revenge CD. Pat and I usually share laminates, although she collects them and I don't (I figure I usually know what I look like without checking).


108. TOUR LAMINATES: Japan tour '90, 2 World Tour '93, 2 Subscriber Service laminates, Band laminate Breaking Silence tour, Revenge tour '96; all used by Janis & Pat. With Revenge & Uncle Wonderful CD's. When I'm on tour, particularly in another country, I have to wear a laminate like everyone else. Otherwise I run the risk of being denied access to my show!


109. RED & BLACK URUSHIWARE LACQUERWARE VASE: @ 10" tall, by Inachu Japan; with 2 stands, in original box, from Wajima Nuri. The design on the vase is two Japanese cranes, gold & white. The lacquer craft of this company began in the Muromachi period, @ 600 years ago, and each piece takes 75-124 coats to complete. A gift from Toshiba Japan in 1990, commemorating their purchase of the song "Love Is Blind" and the rest of Janis' Mine Music catalogue; with first edition out-of-print Japanese songbook. Minimum bid $100.00 and worth much more. As noted in other areas of this auction, "Love Is Blind" was the number one single in Japan for over six months, a record unbroken to date by a Western female artist. When I was financially wiped out by a rogue accountant in the 1980's, left with promissory notes he'd signed in my name and a ridiculous amount of unpaid taxes and penalties, I lived like a criminal for a while - no credit, no bank accounts, no mailbox, only cash and barter. After six years of this I decided to sell twelve year's worth of my copyrights. Toshiba EMI were the highest bidder, and gave me this gift when they flew here to sign the final papers.


110. JAPANESE GREEN ANDO CLOISONNE (SHIPPO YAKO) VASE: A stunning 10" tall vase with silver (or sterling silver) rim & bottom, flowers hand-drawn and lacquered on side, a gift from Isao Atsumi of Toshiba EMI Japan to commemorate their purchase of the Mine Music catalogue of songs; original card enclosed. With first edition out-of-print Japanese songbook. Minimum bid $100 & worth considerably more. Around the time I sold my catalogue I became very depressed. I'd managed to own my songs most of my life, and here I was having to sell them. No matter how nice the people at Toshiba EMI were, it still hurt. I took solace when I looked at this vase, remembering that artists create, and go on creating. Losing copyrights is nothing next to losing your talent and your will to survive.


111. JAPANESE GOOD LUCK BOX: Carried on tour throughout the '70's and '80's for good luck. A small Japanese box with wooden doll, red and gold inkstick, red ceramic head, small metal jug for ink water, miniature tops, and a heart in it. With out-of-print Japanese songbook. Strange things happen on the road. I walked off a plane into the Nashville airport and thought "I'm home now", even though I hadn't seen the city yet. I walked off the plane in Japan for the first time in 1975 and thought the same thing. I've always felt a particular affinity for Japan and her people, and they've responded in kind. A fan gave me this box on my first tour, filled with little good-luck charms, and I carried it around for almost twenty years.


112. WINNIE-THE-POOH & EEYORE BEDSIDE LAMP: Pooh riding in a cart drawn by Eeyore; genuine plastic. Minimum bid $100.00. The first hard-cover book I ever owned was a copy of Pooh my Uncle Bernie gave me when I turned seven. I loved Eeyore's pessimistic view of the world, in such sharp contrast to Pooh's surety that everything would work out just fine. The yin-yang of my own personality, I suppose. I've used this on my desk and by my bed for decades.


113. ANTIQUE SILVER & CUT GLASS DRESSER SET: 5"x2" perfume holder with jeweler's markings and 3.5"x3" jar, both with silver/pewter tops. Minimum bid $100.00. These were a gift from my ex-husband in 1977 (and old already then); they've been on my dresser ever since. I've used them for everything from holding cotton balls to coins to pens.


114. LL BEAN BRIEFCASE: Eggplant with IAN embroidered on the side, loads of pockets, used on & off since 1996; still looks new. Writers and briefcases. Briefcases and writers. And even though I own several lovely leather cases, I always end up going out on tour with an inexpensive, lightweight canvas case like this one. You can stuff an amazing amount in here - stage clothes, makeup, song notebooks, pads, passports, a small dog - I've used it for all of those.


115. SILVER DESK FIGURINE: A tiny silver seated nymph who's been sitting on my desk for years. Completely useless but pretty to look at. Very small, like most nymphs.


116. PERSONAL PHOTO AND MIDNIGHT SPECIAL CONTACT SHEET (1977): A personal photo of Janis playing a 1958 Strat while singing a duet with The Babys on the Midnight Special, along with a contact sheet of 38 black and white shots from that show, both 8x10; with vinyl record of Aftertones. One of the things that irritated me to no end through the '60's and '70's was how hard it was for a female artist to be taken seriously as a player. The guys all got to sit in with one another, soloing with other bands and singing along. The women were somehow relegated to dressing room duty most of the time. The Midnight Special listened to my pleas and finally paired me as co-host of the show, along with The Babys. We got to sing one song together, and I got to play my (now gone) '58 Strat.
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117. PERSONAL PHOTO OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, BILLY JOEL, JANIS AND DJ ED SCIAKY (1975): An 8x10 of the three artists mugging while backstage at Philadelphia's Academy of Music. Minimum bid $75.00. Bruce and I knew one another from our days playing The Main Point, and also because we were both recording at 914 Studios (he took nights, I took days). Billy and I had met one another in passing for years. Since all three of us were on CBS at the time, it seemed like a good idea to work together. For years we traded opening and closing slots, figuring two or three of us together was worth more than one of us apart. This shot caught us backstage just before a show, with local DJ Ed Sciaky (who'd been instrumental in breaking all of our records on the East Coast) standing by.
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118. TWO PERSONAL PHOTOS OF JOAN BAEZ AND JANIS (1994): A 5"x7" photo of the two long-time friends, on-stage together for the first time. Also *NEW* an 8x10 color photo of the two friends backstage in Amsterdam. Offered as a lot - old bids are still valid. When the NGLTF asked me to do a civil rights benefit in San Francisco, and mentioned that they'd contacted Joan as well, I was thrilled. Although I'd known her since I was sixteen, and she'd recorded a number of my songs, we'd never worked together. I wrote a special song for the occasion ("We Endure") and got to sing it with her that night. A very classy lady.
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119. PERSONAL PHOTO OF JANIS WITH STEVE GOODMAN: At the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Steve grinning as Janis, with arm slung over his shoulder, plays his guitar with her right hand (while he's wearing it). A charming 8x10 photo. People often ask me about artists I knew who have died since, and I rarely speak about it. As I said to one reporter, "To you these are just questions about famous people. To me, they're intimate details of my friendships." Stevie was a good friend from the time we met in the 1960's until his untimely death. A generous soul, wonderful writer, and pal par excellence, he was one of the people I always hoped would be sharing the bill. Because if he was there too, it meant we'd get to spend some time together.
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120. PERSONAL BACKSTAGE PHOTO OF JANIS HOLDING HER FIRST GRAMMY AWARD (1976): It's funny what you remember of your life's highlights. I remember that no solo female had ever gotten so many nominations (5) before, that my parents were both present, that I'd ordered a leather suit which had been altered way too short in the leg and was unwearable (I had to dig through my stage clothes to find something suitable, and finally settled on funereal black), and that when I stumbled backstage clutching my Grammy there were dozens of photographers, all yelling at me to get my attention. I finally found a familiar face among them and focused on him; this picture is the result.
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121. 2 PERSONAL PHOTOS OF JODIE FOSTER, ADRIAN LYNE, AND JANIS: Taken at the premiere of Lyme's film FOXES (for which Janis and Giorgio Moroder wrote "Fly Too High"); sold as a lot. With Dutch single of "Fly Too High" b/w live version of "Here Comes the Night", recorded in Den Haag 1991. I'd wanted to work with Giorgio since hearing the first Donna Summer record. When I finally got the chance, he sent me a track with a stunning Steve Madeio trumpet solo running through it. I wrote the song around the track, we recorded it, the record was #1 in every country but my own, and I finally got to go to a movie premiere. That was great fun. In this photo Jodie and I both look remarkably poised and uncomfortable, lining up with lots of other people to have our photos taken.
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122. POSTER ADVERTISING ISRAELI TOUR, IN HEBREW: Multi-colored 13"x20" poster, unframed; with Dutch single of "Fly Too High" b/w live version of "Here Comes the Night" recorded in Den Haag 1991; slight crinkling in upper right. I've only toured Israel once, but it was fantastic. I took my band, which at the time consisted of one mulatto Protestant drummer, one Italian-background Catholic guitarist, one Oklahoma bassist, one Jewish road manager, and myself. None of us thought we'd have much reaction. When we got up the next morning and looked out our hotel windows, all of us had the same thought: "The desert. It's huge. Wait a minute - it's not the desert, it's THE desert. The same one they talk about in the Bible. Oh wow, THAT desert." I've hoped to go back ever since.


123. TWO POSTERS FOR BREAKING SILENCE ALBUM: Two beautiful four-color black and white posters, unframed; photo by Lisa Powers. Sold as a lot. When Breaking Silence was finally released, after we'd mortgaged our house to make it and then had to hunt for a record deal for another year, we were ecstatic. The record company printed up loads of posters for record stores and venues, and actually gave us some. These have been sitting in my living room ever since.


124. RESTLESS EYES COLOR SLIDE SHEET #1: 20 outtakes from the cover shoot, with Janis' gradings on the slides; head shots with and without guitar in all different changes of clothing, including final album cover clothes. With vinyl record of Restless Eyes. Georgina Kavelas did this shoot - I believe she was a protege of Anthony Scaduto's at the time. She managed to convince me, after years of solemn shots on my covers, that audiences might enjoy seeing the other side of me. It did make me feel a little schizophrenic, trying to laugh and be happy with kleig lights overhead and cameras in my face, but the cover ended up being one I really liked.


125. RESTLESS EYES COLOR SLIDE SHEET #2: 20 outtakes from the cover shoot, with Janis' gradings on the slides; head & body shots in electric blue and black striped shirt with no guitars. With vinyl record of Restless Eyes. I hate album cover shoots. Absolutely loathe them. Hate getting made up for hours, choosing clothing, spending a full day under hot lights or in freezing weather trying to look pleased to be there. From the start of my career I've made sure I had full control of my covers, mainly to make sure my irritation didn't show!


126. RESTLESS EYES COLOR SLIDE SHEET #3: 20 outtakes from the cover shoot, with Janis' gradings on the slides; head & body shots with and without guitar in clothing from final cover, black leather jacket, assorted other clothes. With vinyl record of Restless Eyes. Since I maintain creative control over my photo shoots, I get to reject any photographs I don't like. And believe me, there are a lot of reasons to dislike photographs of yourself! These slides are all marked (by me, who else?) with notes and rejections.


127. RESTLESS EYES COLOR SLIDE SHEET #4: 20 outtakes from the cover shoot, with Janis' gradings on the slides; head & body shots indoor and outdoor without guitar. With vinyl record of Restless Eyes. Given my hatred of cover shoots, this was actually a pretty pleasant experience. I had a guitar I liked, no one was yelling at me, I didn't (deliberately) bring any clothing with me for the shoot so I got to rummage through the photographer's closet and steal a shirt from her.


128. RESTLESS EYES COLOR SLIDE SHEET #5: 20 outtakes from the cover shoot, with Janis' gradings on the slides; head & body shots, only one with guitar, in green and red shirts. With vinyl record of Restless Eyes. All of these slide sheets contain nice work, but were rejected by me for various "artisty" reasons - "funny expression", "I look like a jerk", "won't rack well", "why are my eyes shut?"


129. TOURBOOK: JANIS IAN IN JAPAN 1977: 10"x14", 24 pages, with big poster, photos; in Japanese. One copy only; with out-of-print Japanese songbook. When I began going to Japan I asked Peter Cunningham, a dear friend and photographer, to come with me. He'd always been fascinated by Japan and jumped at the chance. Lucky me, it gave us tons of photos to use for tourbooks and songbooks!


130. TOURBOOK: JANIS IAN IN JAPAN 1978: 10"x14", 16 pages, with big poster and photos shot specifically for this book; in Japanese. Six copies available, each with copy of Aftertones CD; one each to the six highest bidders. After my first tour I began going to Japan yearly, eventually adding Australia to the tours. These books are strange compilations of huge color photos (of me, who else?) side by side with odd ads for things like Coca Cola.


131. TOURBOOK: JANIS IAN IN AUSTRALIA 1977: 7.5"x12", 14 pages, with photos, tour and band info. One only; comes with CD of Aftertones. Talk about cool countries, Australia has to beat them all. My first trip there I did everything from hugging a koala to going to a topless bar. It's still high on my list of places I need to go for a year.


132. TOURBOOK: JANIS IAN - MIRACLE ROW: 8.5"x8.5", 12 pages, with photos, bio, interview. A booklet made up by CBS Records to promote Janis' release of Miracle Row. With out-of-print Miracle Row songbook. By the time I released Miracle Row, CBS were worried - Between the Lines was platinum, Aftertones was gold, and Miracle Row needed to put me back into platinum to justify their investment. Unfortunately, that was also when record companies and cocaine became good friends - not to mention the other problems detailed in books like Hit Men. This booklet was used in lieu of the standard biography package record companies send out, with my own record company hoping to revitalize what they perceived as a flagging career. VIEW THIS ITEM


133. COMPLETE SET OF STARS (1974), BETWEEN THE LINES (1975), MIRACLE ROW (1977) AND AFTERTONES (1976) SONGBOOKS: All vintage and out-of-print first editions, with guitar & piano parts edited and/or transcribed by Janis. With copy of each album on CD. I was thrilled when Warner Publishing released a "Best Of" songbook on me in 1998, because my music had been out of print since 1980. These songbooks were all hidden away in my mom's closet, are all out of print, contain loads of pictures and miscellaneous stuff, as well as the complete songs on each of these albums.


134. STARS SONGBOOK (1974): One only of this vintage out-of-print songbook, featuring guitar and piano parts transcribed and/or edited by Janis, 64 pages; with copy of CD Stars. I couldn't belive anyone would actually put out a songbook on me when this album was released - there were no hits on it (unless you count Roberta Flack's "Jesse"), and I was still playing 12 shows for $500 a week in the clubs. Nevertheless, we were given carte blanche to do one, and Peter Cunningham and I had a wonderful time putting it together.


135. AFTERTONES SONGBOOK (1975): Three of this out-of-print first edition songbook, featuring guitar and piano parts transcribed and/or edited by Janis, 72 pages; each comes with copy of CD Aftertones. All in excellent condition; one to each of the three highest bidders. As my fortunes improved, so did the songbooks. I got more pages, better color, more room for the transcriptions. I also began having arguments with editors (gee, what a surprise) - I firmly believed any fan should be able to pick up my songbook and play along with the record. Editors wanted to simplify guitar parts, or ignore them completely. I won.


136. MIRACLE ROW SONGBOOK (1976): Two of this out-of-print songbook, featuring guitar and piano parts, transcribed and/or edited by Janis, 96 pages; each comes with copy of CD Miracle Row. Some very slight binding wear from storage, one to each of the two highest bidders. This was the last songbook done until Warner Brother's "Best Of" in 1998. It's a lovely book, with great transcriptions and photos in color and black & white.


137. JAPANESE SONGBOOK: Two of this out-of-print songbook, 64 pages, contains You are Love, All To You, Fly Too High, The Other Side of the Sun, Memories, Lay Low, Love Is Blind, At Seventeen, In the Winter, Bright Lights & Promises, Jesse, Page 9; guitar & piano transcriptions by Janis, with lyrics and parts in English. Both mint condition, one to each of the two highest bidders. Although most people don't know it, I continued to have number one hits in Japan, racking up four in a row through the 1980's. "You Are Love", co-written with Teo Macero and the theme for a strange film called "Virus" (or "Deadly Virus", depending on which version you find), was one of those hits.


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