The trope of the high school underdog returning to their class reunion as a successful star in their professional field is a trope for a reason. The idea is inspiring, speaking to the inner critic in all of us who hopes people notice we’re cool or funny or talented. Countless people, famous and non, have bought into this fantasy, and that included rock icon Janis Joplin.
Videos by American Songwriter
The raspy-voiced, boa-clad blues singer from Big Brother and the Holding Company graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1960. Luckily for her, she had reached the peak of her fame by the time her ten-year class reunion rolled around.
But given the tragic trajectory of her career for a few short months after the event, looking back on Joplin’s tongue-in-cheek reaction to attending the reunion—and her demeanor while she was there—is all the more bittersweet.
Janis Joplin’s Bittersweet Reaction To Attending Class Reunion
Life changed drastically for Janis Joplin from her high school graduation in 1960 to 1970. By the middle of the decade, Joplin joined forces with Chet Helms of Big Brother and the Holding Company after dominating the San Francisco vocalist pool for years. With a voice like Joplin’s, it didn’t take long for hers to become a household name. In a testament to just how far her career skyrocketed in that time, she took an interview on the Dick Cavett Show two months before her ten-year high school reunion, complete with feather boas in her hair.
When Cavett asked Joplin about whether she would have a lot to say to her former classmates, she replied with a smirk, “I’ll laugh a lot.” With her smile dropping, she continued, “They laughed me out of class, out of town, and out of state.” Then, a change in expression: “So, I’m going home.”
Go home, she did. Joplin arrived at the Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 1960 Reunion with large pink and blue feather boas in her hair and trendy, oversized pink sunglasses. Archival footage of Joplin walking around Port Arthur, Texas, showed the rock ‘n’ roller in high spirits. She was laughing, joking with the reporter asking her questions, and even sent out a call for everyone to go to San Francisco, and said, “I’ll buy you a drink.”
The Brazen Blues Singer Looked Uncomfortable in Her High School
If Janis Joplin wanted to prove to her high school classmates just how successful she had become in the ten years since they graduated, a press team, bright lights, and cameras ought to have done the trick. Joplin answered reporters’ questions at Thomas Jefferson High School, and her responses ranged from cheeky and hip to somewhat introspective and sad, almost as if she were physically uncomfortable to be back in her high school stomping grounds.
When asked what she remembered the most about Thomas Jefferson High School, Joplin’s demeanor noticeably fell. Awkwardly laughing and waving her hand, almost as if she were pushing the question away, Joplin said, “Uh, I don’t really…uh…no comment.”
She went on to say that she was a “painter” and a “recluse” who only entertained her classmates “while walking down the aisles.” Her face fell further when the conversation shifted toward football games and prom nights. Looking down and choosing her words carefully, Joplin said she didn’t go to prom. A reporter said, “Oh, you were asked, weren’t you?” And she replied, “No, I wasn’t. I don’t think they wanted to take me.”
The rock ‘n’ roller quickly brushed off the somewhat vulnerable moment with a joke, pretending to cry and redirecting the conversation to her phenomenal career since those trying days in high school. Still, her reaction to her school reunion is a heartbreaking reminder that not even fame and fortune can offset the feelings of discomfort and inadequacy that childhood bullying can plant deep within one’s psyche.
Photo by David Fenton/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.