There's an interesting pull-out-and-keep piece in today's Times called Bob Dylan, The Drawn Blank Series. The focus is on Dylan's visual art, in particular his sketches and watercolours which if I'm honest are interesting for their observation if a little ordinary.
I was drawn to the closing article in the piece. It's by one of my favorite modern newspapermen, Simon Barnes. Did I say 'modern'? Hm, not sure that's strictly accurate. Barnes regularly writes insightful pieces on two of his passions, sport (and the inherent nature of sportspeople) and wildlife. Never the twain meet in Barnes' paper world, the former pieces appearing at the back of the paper, the latter in his country notes somewhere in the early sections. Though I recall a recent article where, on leaving the ground in Moscow after covering a particularly exciting football final he was thrilled to hear the call of a rare breed of thrush cutting through the rainy night air. I don't always see eye to eye with Simon - he can be a little cutting when dealing with sports and sportsmen close to my heart - but I respect his balanced, considered view, and so duly gave him air time on the subject of Freewheelin' Bob.
Barnes goes further.
'I thought Dylan was not for me. I was wrong. He is for everybody.'
Some statement, but then if an ageing headbanger like me can turn his ear to the Great Whiner maybe he has a point. Barnes goes further still.
'There are playwrites and then there is Shakespeare. There are pop singers and then there is Dylan. Grasp that and you have the measure of him.'
Giddy stuff from a hardened journo not prone to hero-worship.
Whatever your view (and there may be some who I feel fairly sure will be keen) I urge you to seek this out today. In case you miss it I'll keep a copy.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Sweder Wrote:This piece on Dylan intrigued me because like me Barnes is/ was not a fan. Also like me he's recently had cause to revise his opinion. Perhaps maturity plays a part. I'm not sure -
Steady on Swede. I trust you're not implying that with age you're becoming more maturer?
I too saw the Dylan piece, but confess to having flicked past it as soon as I saw his mug. :o
Lenny Henry questions the iconic status of people or things held dear by many.
Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has described Dylan as the greatest living artist in any medium, a claim which Lenny subjects to much ridicule. Can he be convinced otherwise? Contributors include Kris Kristofferson, Jools Holland, Bryan Ferry, Al Kooper and Andrew Motion.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Saw this Dylan interview on the internet, so it must be true...
[INDENT]PLAYBOY: Mistake or not, what made you decide to go the rock-'n'-roll route?
DYLAN: Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy - he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say?
PLAYBOY: And that's how you became a rock-'n'-roll singer?
DYLAN: No, that's how I got tuberculosis. [/INDENT]
Mid Life Crisis Man Wrote:Saw this Dylan interview on the internet, so it must be true...
[INDENT]PLAYBOY: Mistake or not, what made you decide to go the rock-'n'-roll route? DYLAN: Carelessness. I lost my one true love. I started drinking. The first thing I know, I'm in a card game. Then I'm in a crap game. I wake up in a pool hall. Then this big Mexican lady drags me off the table, takes me to Philadelphia. She leaves me alone in her house, and it burns down. I wind up in Phoenix. I get a job as a Chinaman. I start working in a dime store, and move in with a 13-year-old girl. Then this big Mexican lady from Philadelphia comes in and burns the house down. I go down to Dallas. I get a job as a "before" in a Charles Atlas "before and after" ad. I move in with a delivery boy who can cook fantastic chili and hot dogs. Then this 13-year-old girl from Phoenix comes and burns the house down. The delivery boy - he ain't so mild: He gives her the knife, and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job as a carburetor out at the hot-rod races every Thursday night. I move in with a high school teacher who also does a little plumbing on the side, who ain't much to look at, but who's built a special kind of refrigerator that can turn newspaper into lettuce. Everything's going good until that delivery boy shows up and tries to knife me. Needless to say, he burned the house down, and I hit the road. The first guy that picked me up asked me if I wanted to be a star. What could I say? PLAYBOY: And that's how you became a rock-'n'-roll singer? DYLAN: No, that's how I got tuberculosis.
[/INDENT]
Wonderful. Thank you. I think I've read that before, but a long time ago.
Sweder - no, it's the real Al Kooper though as you can see, he looks, er, just as rock n roll as AC:
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Check out the latest Viva Lewes (link above).
There's a tribute to El Bob at the picturesque river-mounted Anchor Inn on the 27th (Sunday). Scroll down - it's near the bottom of the notices. Sounds like it may be well worth traveling down for (sadly I'm away or I'd've gone . . .)
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
