For the last year I have been spending a lot of time with Bob Dylan’s music. Inspired by some strange turns of musical fate and by Marty Sorcese’s documentary, Mr. G Baker, Mr. JK and myself (and later Mr. B.O.B.) have been putting together a new perspective on Bobby’s oeuvre’.
I come to Dylan with more distant ears than some of my slightly older compatriots. While Blood On The Tracks remains a touchstone album for me, I was raised on The Beatles and the Stones. Dylan has had some great moments since then and some real disasters. My one Dylan in concert experience still ranks as one of the worst ever. Early Dylan was stuff I read about or had played to me by well meaning teachers trying to heighten my consciousness. I have never really understood the overall passion for ‘Blonde On Blonde’ (Still don’t really know what ‘Sad-eyed Lady Of the Lowlands’ is all about – though it was interesting to hear a melody from George Harrison’s ‘Long Long Time’ in the epynonymous lyric).
I have enjoyed being confused by the irony inherent in the joining of the ardor for him by old sensitive folkie-granola types and Zimmy’s rather scabrous view and treatment of those very people. “How does it feel?” indeed. Watch those clips from the ‘goes electric’ performance at The Newport Folk Festival. Lost in all the reports of the event is the fact that Zimmy chose three songs with a common theme: “Fuck You All, I Am Beholden To No One.”
So far be it for me to criticize other people’s takes on Mr. D., but who the hell thought that a jukebox musical was a good idea?
Now I love Twyla. I have wept real tears during a performance of ‘In The Upper Room’. But this? It should be noted that Tharp’s biggest failure during her time with American Ballet Theater ('The Bum's Rush') was also set in a circus. I can’t imagine that this is any better.
This is why the country turned against liberals…..
Slate talks about it here.
NYTimes here:
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