Keep On Truckin’
In her 1999 expose, “Nothin’ Left to Lose”, Kim France vividly described the audacious persona of the legendary Joplin. Once catapulted to fame, Joplin adopted a language peppered with expletives, as colorful as a trucker’s. She rebelled against the norms of wearing undergarments, and was almost always seen clutching her faithful companion – a bottle of Southern Comfort. Joplin reveled in playing the tantalizing role of a sexual predator, adding a deliciously wicked charm to her character.

In 1970, Janis, a free-spirited bisexual, confronted her old comrade Richard Hundgen, the Grateful Dead’s San Francisco-based road manager, about a rumor circulating in the city. “Richard,” she declared, “someone’s spreading tales that I’m a lesbian. Get back to San Fran, find the culprit, and share this juicy tidbit – Janis has tangoed with a few thousand gentlemen and a couple hundred ladies! Let them chew on that!”