Janis
—-I’ve continually gravitated toward the naughty girls.
Well, not actually naughty, but perhaps unconventional. Yeah, that’s the correct word.
In high school, I was one of those chicks that you’d find hanging out in the parking lot smoking Marlboros, cutting class, & yes, smoking a bit of weed.
(Andrew & Alex, if you’re reading this….Don’t Judge Me.)
I wrote poetry.
I read Plath & Jong.
I wore melted black Madonna eyeliner and VERY big hair.
Madonna
If I were in school now, I’d most likely be considered a little Gothy.
I never fit in.
I never belonged.
Yeah, I’d definitely be walking around the halls of Denfeld with dark lipstick & charcoal black hair.
That’s probably why I have great compassion & empathy for the peculiar, weird, odd, forgotten, and unusual.
For the addicted, depressed, & the lost.
For the misplaced souls.
So when somebody like Gaga comes along, I recognize her weirdness, her wildness, her nonconformity, and mostly, her gift of reaching out to the other eccentrics trying to find their places in the world.
Gaga
When Amy Winehouse erupted on the scene with her long cigarettes, fantastically bluesy tone, inflated hair, and 60s leopard liner, I understood.
Winehouse
I identified.
I was like, Oh, I love this strange woman!”
Another oddball I could relate to.
But then the heroine.
Then the compulsion.
The needles. The alcohol. The devil.
There is NEVER room for the Devil.
The world was not enough. The art was not enough.
And I’m so damn sorry about that.
I want to fix the world.
I can’t
I am so utterly, unbelievably flawed.
I recognize imperfection & limitations.
And Lonliness.
That’ s why I’m writing this blog.
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54 Comments
Vidya Sury, Freelance Writer & Blogger
July 24, 2011 at 9:35 amJanis rocks.
So does Joan Jett.
This is nudging MY inner chick now.
Hugs to you. What a lovely tribute!
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 9:41 amYou Rock, Vidya. 🙂
Love Jett.
Irene
July 24, 2011 at 9:46 amHonestly, I don’t like Janis Joplin.
I love Madonna though. She’s gutsy.
I also like Lady Gaga. Another gutsy woman.
I didn’t particularly care for Amy’s style of singing. I’m not a blues/jazz lover. Her’s is a sad story. She could have been SO much more if she could clean up her act.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 10:08 am–Irene,
Winehouse had so much, Yet nothing at all.
What a sad story.
& How can’t you like Joplin? What a wild woman she was. xxx
mercy
July 24, 2011 at 10:03 amlove you like a white tiny cat.
Xxxo
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 10:08 amLove you like a leopard. 🙂 My Kenyan Queen.
elizabeth
July 24, 2011 at 10:09 amgood girls go to heaven – bad girls go everywhere. I want to go everywhere. all of these women are very talented – some didn’t really know it and their fragile souls lost out on their fight to be themselves.
Amy – RIP.
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 10:23 am———-I knew you’d understand, Elizabeth.
That’s why I love ya. xx
Ann
July 24, 2011 at 10:11 amI was so sad to hear about Amy Winehouse…. I’ve always been the invisible kid in school. Nomt a nerd, not popular, not a rebel. A bit of a conformist, but I’m okay with that….I like who I am.
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 10:24 amAnn,
Me, Tooooo!
Being different is very Cool indeed. xxxx
Theresa Sonoda
July 24, 2011 at 10:14 amOh my lovely Kim, i can so relate to this post! Being one of those misfit women for most, if not all, of my life, I identify. Even with the young ones. I understand their need for expressionism. I understand lonely beyond tears. I don’t understand abusing your body to death, though……but I haven’t walked in these people’s shoes, so I don’t judge. My heart hurt when I heard about the ending of this young woman’s life.
In high school, you were the one in the parking lot, smoking weed. I was the hippie in the parking lot, taking off in my car, getting high and skipping the afternoon classes. I am not saying I’m proud of that, but it’s part of who I am. A Rebel.
That’s one reason you and I click. Rebels. Friends.
Love you friend!
Terri
xoxoxxx
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 10:26 am–I have no regrets.
I am who I am now because of it.
I love God. But I do not Conform.
My kids laugh at me.
Just wait until they read this blog!! ha ha
Love you, too….My hippieFriend! 🙂
Renee CK
July 24, 2011 at 10:45 amI knew you’d have the words to speak to Amy’s death that would be so much better than any I could use considering my ignorance about the body of her work. I still contend that GaGa is unoriginal and Madonna is the original, but even in her need for acceptance via the outlandish, she is a misfit and therefore a treasure for you.
I know that when we cross over the river, Amy, Janis, and probably Madonna (by then) will be there waiting for us playing to a packed house of misfits including Sylvia and Anne. If you get there before me, don’t try to contact me, okay? It’ll just freak me out even more. 😉
xo to the umpteeth degree
CK
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 11:14 am—Renee,
You recognize the s0-called-Stangeness. Don’t you?
This is why we both appreciate Plath so much. & Sexton.
My heart fills up for these tragic Creatures.
Perhaps, because I am one. (Minus the substances.)
When I get to the other side…I shall not call you.
I will wait. And we shall recite poetry together w/ Sylvia.
Luv U.
Classic NYer
July 24, 2011 at 11:16 amThis is a gorgeous tribute. Amy was a kindred soul for me as well…
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 11:19 amI feel so much for the tragic creatures past & present.
I loved Amy.
Too bad she couldn’t have been saved.
xx Kiss NY.
Lady Fi
July 24, 2011 at 11:52 amI hated school and never conformed either.
We rock!
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 12:25 pmYou most definitely rock, Lady Fi. xx
Katherine
July 24, 2011 at 12:44 pmAmazing post, I love the uniqueness of each artist you talked about. I was so sad about Amy’s passing even though she joined a great but tragic club, the 27 club.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 3:01 pm—Katherine,
I know: Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison…How utterly ironic and oh-so-sad.
Thank for popping by. xx
Lola
July 24, 2011 at 2:07 pmWow! I love love love your blog! And at the same time I’m so very sorry for your loss. You are an amazing champion for women everywhere! Keep on rockin! I’ll be back regularly!
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 24, 2011 at 3:02 pmLoooola, What a great name.
Thanks for stopping by my strange world.
I loved that you visited!
Love. Peace. Xx
Totsymae
July 24, 2011 at 4:17 pmI completely identify with you, Kim. I’ve always been a misfit myself. In part, because I have a low tolerance for BS. I love and embrace my oddities now. My attitude now is, ‘This is it.’ I love Lady Gaga, Madonna and the others you named. Loved Amy Winehouse’s video. What a talent gone way too soon.
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 4:56 pm–I had a feeling you would, Tots.
I’ve always loved the misfits.
They are the poets, great writers, and artists.
xxx Kiss
Tia
July 24, 2011 at 5:23 pmLove you!
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 5:29 pm——–Not more than I love U. xxx
Wild Child Mama
July 24, 2011 at 7:16 pmWurd, sistah! I can totally relate to unrelating. We woulld have been bumming smokes from each other in school.
And my heart always goes out to those who lose the battle against drugs. It’s so heartbreaking.
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 8:12 pmWild Child—Such a sad story…. & unfortunately, the story never ends.
My heart always fills up for the lost creatures like Amy, Janis, all or them!
Yeah, we would have been bumming smokes and smoking bongs. HA ha.
Alison@Mama Wants This
July 24, 2011 at 7:19 pmThe passing of great talent always saddens me, especially when they *could* have been so much more.
I love that you’re unconventional. There are too many normal types out there!
kim sisto robinson
July 24, 2011 at 8:14 pmUnconventionality & Eccentricity is so interesting….isn’t it, Alison? xxx
What a talent. What a waste.
That really saddens me.
Sandra
July 24, 2011 at 10:41 pmExcellent post! There seems to be such an outpouring of sympathy at the death of Amy Whinehouse. She really was a great talent, and her eccentricities, I think, made her talent that much more valuable. It’s such a shame…
kim sisto robinson
July 25, 2011 at 6:33 am—Yeah, Sandra,
it is the eccentricities that makes one
so very iteresting & intrriguing.
Wasted lives cause me to cry. xxx
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
July 24, 2011 at 11:40 pmI was so sad about Amy. Although I know people said that they weren’t surprised I was. I thought she’d outlive most of them based on sheer talent alone. How sad it was to hear that she didn’t 🙁 xxx
kim sisto robinson
July 25, 2011 at 6:35 amL.–When Hubby called me into the frontroom to tell me
that they announced her death on TV, I was not surprised.
But oh-s0-Sad.
What a GREAT talent.
xxx
Heavenly Housewife
July 25, 2011 at 5:11 amHer passing was so sad :(, why does it seem like the most talented people die so young?
*kisses* HH
kim sisto robinson
July 25, 2011 at 6:36 amSO true, H.H.
Jopin, Elvis, Morrison, Hendrix, Marilyn, and now Amy.
All DRUGS.
Sad. Wasteful.
xxx
Mandy - The Complete Cook Book
July 25, 2011 at 7:47 amAbsolutely LOVED this post!!!
Great loss and tragedy.
🙂 Mandy xo
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 25, 2011 at 7:53 am–Such a Loss. 🙁
Sometimes I wonder if dying is the only way some people
get the PEACE they desire.
xxx Thanks for stopping by, Mandy. xx
Dad
July 25, 2011 at 8:32 am, Jim Morrison, Kurt Corbain, and now Amy Winehouse, how sad, all so talented, but they all had
something missing in their lives.
Love You
Dad
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 25, 2011 at 8:44 amSO true, Daddy.
SOmething missing.
Always something missing without God.
xxxxxxxx Luv U.
Blond Duck
July 25, 2011 at 9:09 amShe was so talented.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 25, 2011 at 9:11 am——–BD,
what a damn waste of a beautiful woman & talent. xxx
Brenda
July 25, 2011 at 11:23 amKim – I always knew there was a reason I liked you… this line is a favorite…., That’s probably why I have great compassion & empathy for the peculiar, weird, odd, forgotten, and unusual. I never fit in EVER.. I still wear my hair long and color it off normal colors, I wear eye line and lashes ( I am somewhat of a fashionist, but not the typical type) and I love looking for funky clothes .. still. It makes me smile when I see woman who are still working to fit in. Why? This post reads like prose. You are a poet my dear.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 25, 2011 at 11:53 am——-Dear, Unconventional Brenda,
From one oddball to another…
You Rock 🙂 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Flying Chalupa
July 25, 2011 at 3:49 pmPoor, poor Amy – isn’t that just the saddest story? What a voice! Loved her music.
And the unconventional oddballs out there are the interesting ones – the others? Boring!
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 25, 2011 at 4:11 pmDear Flying,
Isn’t that the truth? The oddballs are always a bit
more interesting & exciting, aren’t they?
Winehouse was VERY different.
I wish I had the guts to wear my liner like that!!
btw, love your blog. 🙂
Jessica
July 26, 2011 at 12:04 amIt is very sad when a person’s life is taken over by drugs.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 26, 2011 at 7:10 am—Jessica,
and the worst thing– is when
that person is judged harshly by
the self righteous. How Insensitive!
thanks for popping in..
Adriana Iris
July 27, 2011 at 11:43 amit feels as if some are just born tortured souls… souls that are so intense and with such thirst that nothing or anyone can quench… Here’s to all the bad girls…
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 27, 2011 at 12:56 pm—-Adriana,
beautifully & eloqently said. xxx
Unknown Mami
July 27, 2011 at 3:31 pmI love the weird and eccentric. I celebrate non-conformity.
Sad to lose yet another talented eccentric far too soon.
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 27, 2011 at 4:01 pmMe, too, Mami,
I have always been attracted to the so-called-unconventional.
Madonna was Huge for me. Gaga. Plath. Winehouse.
Oh, Janis. Love her.
So sad the Art could not save some of them.
xx
Bella
July 29, 2011 at 8:46 pmKim, I too read Plath. There was a time in my growing up years where all I wanted to do was shut myself out from anyone and everyone. I always rebelled at having to fit in; to belong to a specific group or click. I blame my nana for making me believe there was absolutely no reason I had to blend in when I was born to stand out. 🙂 Thank you, nana! Nowadays, I continue to admire individuals who fight the norm, who think outside of the box and who don’t crave acceptance from everyone. How utterly liberating!
Kim Sisto-Robinson
July 29, 2011 at 9:23 pm—Yes, So Liberating…
To Finally be YOURSELF!!!!
No apologies to anybody. 🙂 xxx