( CNN ) Joni Mitchell thinks she 's experienced being a black man . One of the most influential singer-songwriters of the late 20th century , Mitchell , 71 , mentioned her crossover experiences in New York magazine interview about wresting her legacy from the biographers who do n't understand her , the recording industry that 's tried to limit her and the sexist movie stars and singers who have decried her fashion sense . The Canadian wisp of a singer feels she shares an affinity with black men . `` When I see black men sitting , I have a tendency to go -- like I nod like I 'm a brother , '' she told New York magazine . `` I really feel an affinity because I have experienced being a black guy on several occasions . '' She claimed it started with comments by her dentist . `` One day he said , 'Oh , you 've got the worst bite I 've ever seen . You have teeth like a Negro male . ' `` It got her thinking about casual racism , and that inspired her to play with the cover of her 1977 album , `` Don Juan 's Reckless Daughter . '' The cover features a young child , Mitchell as herself and someone who looks like a black man . `` That 's me . The black guy in the front . '' What ? Mitchell said that , inspired by someone walking down Hollywood Boulevard , she dressed up -- in blackface -- like the man for a Halloween party . It caused such a ruckus , the singer said . Later , she says , she was annoyed by the photographer shooting her album cover , so she decided to throw him for a loop . `` It was a great revenge . That was all to get his a** . To freak him out . I had to keep him on the defensive . ''
Joni Mitchell told New York magazine she 's experienced being a black man . Comment: