The Real Janis Joplin: Her Brother Michael Sets the Record Straight

What's it like to grow up in the shadow of a rock and roll legend...and then spend your life protecting her legacy? This week, Chris sits down with Michael Joplin, younger brother of the incomparable Janis Joplin.

Michael was still in high school when Janis died at 27, learning of her passing from a classmate before his own family could tell him. In this warm, funny, and surprisingly intimate conversation, he pulls back the curtain on the Janis the press never showed: a close-knit Port Arthur, Texas family; parents who ran a "debate society" at the dinner table and taught their kids to think for themselves; and a big sister who stood up against racial injustice in South Texas long before anyone called it activism.

Michael shares the family's memories of watching Janis on The Ed Sullivan Show, the San Francisco scene through Chet Helms and the Avalon Ballroom, her explosive "coming out party" at the Monterey Pop Festival, and the famous fallout with promoter Bill Graham. He also opens up about the weight, and the honor, of being the "backbone" of Janis's estate alongside his sister Laura, and how he still asks one question before every decision: would this fit what my sister would want?

It's a rare, personal portrait of one of music's most iconic voices, told by someone who knew her before the world did.

🎶 Janis: The Musical is on tour now: find dates at JanisJoplin.com.

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