Janis Joplin's Last Laugh by Sue Molyneaux (2009)

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Description Janis Joplin is an icon, and this portrait of her, titled Janis Joplins Last Laugh, is based on a story around her death. But before I tell you that story, let me tell you another.I have been a Janis fan for years. Back when vinyl was easily available, I collected her LPs. Not just one of each, but one copy of each cover (both Canadian and American). Right down to the pressing numbers. I have dozens of versions of her LPs. And I collected albums which included a song of hers (mostly K-Tel and similar types of companies). Many are original pressings. I have dozens books that have merely a mention of her, as well as a half-dozen versions of Peggy Casertas biography, Going Down With Janis. I have David Daltons biography complete with red vinyl record (and a couple of versions without it).For 3 years I ran a fanzine, called Pearl, before computers really took off. I had to cut-and-paste and photocopy it. I went to Port Arthur and visited the Museum of the Gulf Coast. I bought bricks they were selling from her childhood home. I did it all. I am, I admit, a Janis Joplin fan. And so, on to the story behind the painting.After Janis died, a group of her friends gathered together to commemorate her passing. They had a bottle of Jack Daniels they passed around. If I remember the story correctly, it was Wavy Gravy who agreed they should all take a slug and spit it into the campfire around which they had gathered. They did, and huge sparks flew up (it is alcohol after all!). Wavy Gravy said the fire cackled just like Janis, she was having the last laugh.

Sue Molyneaux
Member Since April 2009
Artist Statement