An apparition of Janis Joplin appeared in my bathroom several weeks ago in a homemade bar of soap gifted to me. Gazing at it while showering has brought back memories of another era. I’ve postponed using it, instead hanging on to the dreg of the last bar, allowing me to contemplate the past.

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH JANIS JOPLIN

During my freshman year at University of Texas, I saw Janis perform at UT’s Gregory Gym on October 17, 1969. Honestly, the concert was terrible. Sipping her Southern Comfort and screaming rather than singing marred the performance. Nearly a year later, she was dead of a drug overdose.

My roommate and I remember listening to Janis in the dorm via vinyl that year, but we aren’t sure which album. Must have been Cheap Thrills.

However, her Pearl album, released after her death, electrified me. Those songs got me through college. Then, when I began writing my textbook, Human Relations, in the early 90s, she was constantly playing in the background along with Carol King’s Tapestry.

My younger daughter fell in love with Janis and, on high school skip day, I took her to the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Author, Janis’ hometown. We saw the replica of her psychedelic Porsche, and my daughter bought a piece of brick from the musician’s childhood home.

JANIS JOPLIN SONG CLOSE TO MY HEART

I know this song by heart and sing it on occasion:

I’d like to do a song of great social and political import
It goes like this

 Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So, oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

 Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me
I wait for delivery each day until three
So, oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?

 Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?
I’m counting on you Lord, please don’t let me down
Prove that you love me and buy the next round
Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?

Everybody

Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So, oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

 That’s it

When I was a kid, Dialing for Dollars was on the local television station. A code word would be announced at the beginning of the show, and then TV hosts would make random calls out of the phonebook. If you had the codeword, you won. (FYI—color TVs were just taking off.)

JANIS JOPLIN APPARITION VIEWING

If you would like to view the apparition in person (there will be a modest service charge), contact me at tribe@mariewatts.com. I’ll be happy to arrange a tour provided the bathroom is clean. But hurry, the soap dreg is on its last leg. But never fear. If there’s a line out the door, I’ll preserve it for posterity because, just like Janis, I’m still waiting for Dialing for Dollars to find me.

And, Janis, thanks for being with me while I wrote this, courtesy of Amazon Alexa!

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