Gary Reeder
Janis was too good to last long. I met Janis years ago when
Tuesday, August 13, 2024, 12:23

she was a member of Big Brother & the Holding Company. I was working at a radio station in Paducah and she and her band were playing across the river in Illinois. I had no idea who she was but she was a good singer.
Later on I talked to a member of her band and he said the same thing that she was too good to last. Janis' problem was she wasn't good looking, even if I was half drunk, she was still homely. On a scale of 1 to 10 she rated a 6 but only if I was drinking. And being homely she did things to get people to like her. That included drugs. She mixed booze and drugs and as they had less and less effect on her the doses got larger. She was still great on stage but was a mess in her personal life. She would jump in the sack with anyone that acted like they cared for her.
When I heard that Janis had over dosed it hurt because I sort of knew it was coming. She didn't deserve that. We lost more than a singer when Janis died.