Janis Joplin Builds a 'Mercedes Benz' in Westchester County

I got to do a fun story on how the Janis Joplin song "Mercedes Benz" ("Oh lord, wontcha buy me, a Mercedes Benz") was hatched in Westchester County, as Joplin had a beer before playing the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester in 1970, and sang the ditty as her friends banged their beer mugs to keep time, and jotted down some lyrics.

She premiered the song that night at the Cap. A couple months later, she recorded it. 

A few days after that, Joplin died. 

The story goes: 

With time to kill between performances at The Cap, Joplin went to the bar Vahsen’s, a few doors down, on Broad Street. There, with songwriter pal Bob Neuwirth, actor Rip Torn, and Torn’s actress wife, Geraldine Page, Joplin starting singing, “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz.” The lyric was inspired by beat poet Michael McClure, who’d written, “Come on, God, and buy me a Mercedes-Benz.

[photo credit: Bob Vita]