For many, many years now, people have been talking about doing a proper big-screen biopic of Janis Joplin. Just about every actress in Hollywood — from Bette Midler in her youth to Amy Adams — has been touted as the next person to play Janis.
Still hasn’t happened. One thing I always wondered about these efforts: Would the actress playing Janis sing in her own voice, or would they use Joplin’s recorded tracks? Big question. Because nobody sounded like Janis Joplin.
A new documentary, Janis: Little Girl Blue, narrated by Cat Power, gives a reminder of the storytelling possibilities in Joplin’s saga.
Continue reading at The Herald (may face paywall)