It’s Emma’s (belated) birthday! For her first episode of the season, she’s showcasing her “birthday twin:” the one and only Janis Joplin. Though her career lasted just four short years, it was no less transformative; feeding the nation’s appetite for blues rock and making a bookish girl from Texas into a generational icon. Everything about Janis, from her big heart to her fiery soul, embodied the spirit of the counterculture 60s. It’s a story of pain, passion, and a woman’s sheer power. “Janis Joplin: Piece of Her Heart” is available NOW wherever you stream your podcasts ❤️‍🔥

(Episode starts at 4:43)

Materials used for this episode:
Ellis Amburn, “Pearl: The Obsessions and Passions of Janis Joplin” (1992)

Myra Friedman, “Buried Alive: The Biography of Janis Joplin” (1992)

Holly George-Warren, “Janis: Her Life and Music” (2019)

Jack Whatley, “Went Right To His Head: the moment Janis Joplin fought off Jim Morrison with a glass bottle” (Louder Sound, 11/12/2024)

Songs in this episode:

Big Brother and the Holding Company - “Combination of the Two” (Live at Monterey Pop, 6/17/1967)

Janis Joplin - “What Good Can Drinkin’ Do” (1962)
Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen - “Hesitation Blues” (1964)

Big Brother and the Holding Company - “Ball and Chain” (Live at Monterey Pop, 6/17/1967)

Janis Joplin - “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)” (Live at Woodstock, 8/17/1969)

Janis Joplin with Jerry Garcia - “Tell Mama” (Live at McMahon Stadium, Calgary, Alberta, 7/4/1970)

Janis Joplin with Clark Pierson - “Happy Trails” (1970)

with samples from “Woodstock: 25th Anniversary Edition” (dir. Michael Wadleigh, 1994), Janis’s 1969 and 1970 appearances on the Dick Cavett Show and an untitled interview she gave in England in 1969

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see photos and clips from this episode!