# Joni Mitchell called Miles Davis and Picasso “monsters”. She also loved them to death

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/joni-mitchell-called-miles-davis-and-picasso-monsters-she-also-loved-them-to-death/
- Published: 2026-10-30T01:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T01:34:41+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/joni-mitchell-jazz-artist-that-she-loved-to-death/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Horror

## Key points

- Mitchell named Miles Davis and Picasso as artistic inspirations.
- She admired their restless creativity and originality.
- Their example resonated with her own musical approach.

## Summary

Joni Mitchell admired Miles Davis and Pablo Picasso as restless, original artists whose work transformed their influences into something unmistakably their own. She saw that creative independence as a model for her own music, especially as she moved beyond folk and rock into more complex arrangements.

Mitchell called the pair her “patron saints” and “monsters”, saying she loved them “to death” for their constant creativity. The article links their approach to her later work, including the album *Hejira* and the song “Amelia”, where she pursued the sound and perspective she wanted rather than simply imitating Davis.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.