Rock Docs continues its sequence of episodes about legendary singer/songwriters with a look at one of the most influential folk artists of the 1960s. Joan Baez—activist, singer and songwriter—is the subject of Joan Baez I Am A Noise, the 2023 documentary directed by Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor, and Maeve O’Boyle.
The documentary covers the life of the folk music legend from her early days as the middle daughter of a globetrotting academic to her rocket to stardom as a late teenager, through her involvement with various activist movements (about which she says “I was addicted to activism”), her fraught relationship with Bob Dylan, up to her farewell tour in 2019—with a brief stop in the ’80s when she attempts to cover Tears for Fears’ “Shout.” Joan is exactly as thoughtful and insightful as you’d expect her to be. The movie features great footage, riveting music, and, of course, some very funky dancing.
This week’s guest is music writer Allison Rapp, host of Big Yellow Podcast, a new podcast about Joni Mitchell. Give it a listen! Listen to the full episode of Rock Docs below and check out the trailer for the film.
Joan Baez is featured on our list of the 150 Best Albums of the 1960s. Joan Baez I Am a Noise is now streaming on Hulu.
