Kate McGarrigle, of the McGarrigle sisters, writer and singer of many a great song, died yesterday of liver cancer. Linda Ronstadt, who recorded some of the sisters' songs (and had a monster hit with their "Heart Like a Wheel") had a very nice quote about them in the Los Angeles Times:
"They had a vibe when you went to see them," Ronstadt said. "You felt privileged that you were invited into their living room -- it wasn't like they had gone on stage and they were performing. It was like you were invited inside this secret world they shared together. It felt like they were just continuing the conversation they'd started while they were doing the breakfast dishes that morning."
That's exactly right. My wife and I were fortunate to see the two sisters and some of their friends and relations perform in Los Angeles about twenty years ago. The two had an almost unconscious relationship to the audience -- as if they were performing as much for each other, as they always had. Fascinating.
And Kate's Talk to Me of Mendocino is surely one of the most beautiful pop songs ever written...
