Dreams of a Kitten by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Dreams of a Kitten

Page 220

Janis Ian, who attended the “High School of Music and Art” in

New York at the same time as Nyro, discussed her friendship with

Nyro during the late 1960s in her autobiography, “Society's

Child.” Ian described her as looking like a "Morticia Addams"

caricature with her long, dark hair, and called her a "brilliant

songwriter" but "oddly inarticulate" in terms of musical

terminology. Ian was a fan of Nyro's work with producer Charlie

Calello and chose him as the producer of her 1969 album “Who

Really Cares?” on the basis of his work with Nyro.

Comedian, writer, and singer Sandra Bernhard has spoken

extensively of Laura Nyro as an ongoing inspiration. She

dedicated a song, "The Woman I Could've Been" on “Excuses for

Bad Behavior - Part One,” to her. She also sang Nyro's "I Never

Meant to Hurt You" in her film “Without You I'm Nothing.”

Rickie Lee Jones's album “Pirates” and songs such as "We Belong

Together" and "Living It Up" are reminiscent of early Laura Nyro

songs, and Jones acknowledged Nyro's influence. In her memoir,

“Last Chance Texaco,” Jones describes discovering Nyro's music

in the summer of 1970, saying "Somehow, the moment I fell in

love with Laura I loved myself just a little more. I believe an

invisible cord came out of me and attached itself to Laura Nyro

that summer. Or vice versa."