Posted on 09/25/2005 3:47:51 AM PDT by dennisw
Edited on 09/25/2005 10:11:40 AM PDT by Lead Moderator. [history]
About an hour into Bob Dylan: No Direction Home, Joan Baez—in an interview that will be edited by your PBS station—recalls an invincible young Dylan imagining what they'll be saying about him in the future: "A bunch of years from now, all these (expletive deleted) are going to be writing about all this (expletive deleted) I write, and I don't know where the (expletive deleted) it comes from and I don't know what the (expletive deleted) it's about, and they're going to write about what it's about." Here we are. This documentary comes complete with a Starbucks tie-in, an Apple logo, and a celebrity director's credit. That director is Martin Scorsese, who has surely coveted access to this footage—donated by D.A. Pennebaker, Murray Lerner, and others—having already shot Dylan as the pièce de résistance to his documentary about The Band, The Last Waltz. But before you get too excited about this crossroads meeting, viewer, beware: This project was co-produced by Dylan's manager Jeff Rosen. Scorsese was brought in well after Rosen had already conducted the interviews and approved the material. What will all these assholes be saying about Dylan? In this "Martin Scorsese Picture," whatever the Dylan people want.
We'll take it gratefully, of course. No Direction Home is framed by footage from a 1966 European tour in which Dylan was hounded by the folkie furies for plugging in with the Hawks, who later became The Band. (This footage is from Pennebaker's never-released and seldom-seen Eat the Document.) As the documentary opens, we see Dylan performing the classic rock warhorse "Like a Rolling Stone." The record had already been a No. 2 single, but it was still a rock 'n' roll Rite of Spring, too raw
I really like Goodman, but my favorite clarinet guy is Artie Shaw, I think he was edgier than Benny. I love his theme song, "Nightmare," something that ominous sounding and in a minor key must have puzzled a few people back in the '30s. My all-time favorite big band singer in the history of the universe ... I guess it sounds like I'm a big fan of this person, LOL!, I have managed to acquire pretty much every recorded note she sang ... Helen Forrest got her start with Artie too.
Satch is in a solar system by himself, but aside from him my favorite jazz musician may be Jack Teagarden, because he could play any style well, he was willing to jam with anybody and if he wasn't the greatest trombone player ever born of a woman, he'd be a legend for his singing too. I just downloaded one of his last albums, "Think Well of Me," off iTunes, it was released in a limited edition CD a few years ago and you can't get it for less than $200 these days, it's only available on iTunes and I've about worn out the first copy I burned. Great stuff.
That is certainly one take that may very well be accurate. However, I could see Dylan singing a song that he does not necessarily now agree with, just simply because it is appropriate for the occasion or moment.
In 'Chronicles' he relates an story about recording with the Grateful Dead, they asked him to do a specific song with them during the session. Dylan was embarrassed, excused himself and took a time out. The reason was he did not know the song. Yes, he recorded it, but admitted that he had not played it since he had recorded it, some many years earlier.
The point is, I think he is more separated from his music then you may think he is.
Oh, yeah, I think he had the .44 magnum or something weird. Maybe the guy is right, but it's hard to think of anyone being any more of a wacko in that movie than DeNiro's character.
Magnificent stuff, not only of the military, but of being young and arguing about the Big Bands...and the utter exhilaration about the birth of radio...
Many, many years before my time...but what a great look into how that time must have been!
"He was married to Sara with 5 children. He was on tour and Sara found him with another woman. Allegedly he struck her. She filed for divorce."
And your point is?
The gap between popular music and the classical greats is indeed a large one. But it is like the gap between rocket science and power tools. Everyone uses power tools, only a few take an interest in rocket science.
I listened to a wide range of music - including that of my parent's era as well as my g-g-generational tunes. The old 78's are still played here on occasion. More importantly, culture and music are emphasized.
Souless? I guess if you discount Western traditon and culture and condemn me for that, then, yes, I'd be souless by leftist measure. However, I do have hundreds of R&B LPs that I'd compare to most any leftist nitwit's collection.
'"Bob Dylan who is a born again Christan and made a beautiful album about his faith..."
Unless you know this personally, the claim means nothing."
Huh? Listen to "Slow Train Coming" or "Saved" and you'll know it personally - end of discussion. They're beautiful, faith based albums - and I'm speaking as someone who doesn't have a religious agenda.
I was born near that time, too, and I agree that our parents and the culture reflected a great deal of their issues. However, it was THEIR issues and THEIR culture. The boomer culture grew as we did. Today's culture - if you can call it that - is OUR legacy, OUR issues, OUR experience.
FWIW, I don't hate myself because I identify the boomers as the worst generation in American history. In fact, you'd be a pretty sad case if your identity (or as we boomers like to say 'self-esteem') was given to you by your generational membership. Good luck to you.
How 'bout that old time boomer wisdom: 'Turn on. Tune in. Drop out.'
I congratulate you for seeing the Dylan experience for what it is - sound. You are also one in a million in your musical breadth and taste, but then, you likely already knew that. Enjoy your tunes!
"...you'll know it personally - end of discussion."
Thanks for the first laugh of the day. Listen to Elvis sing gospel - you'll be impressed!
Or my favorite..."Steal this book".
"Like A Rolling Stone" is best rock song ever. Al Copper had expected to play guitar but discovered Mike Boolfield was handling the guitar. It was a kharma as Cooper's organ is spellbinding on that track and really put the exclamation point on a true masterpiece.
Of course just to be contrary, I might put on Dylan's "Slow Train Coming" afterward. :)
The difference is, of course, Elvis did not WRITE the Christian songs he sang, whereas Dylan did.
Your sour grapes have the acidity of one who wasn't invited to the hootenanny.
P.S. I did not say I don't appreciate my parent's music now; just not when I was 17. I'll put my collection of Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Mel Torme, John Gary and Dave Brubeck against yours any day of the week.
I'd avoided reading your response all day because I assumed you were going to say something monumentally ignorant to which I was going to have to explain the differences between people like Dylan and Bach.
I decided I was going to say that Dylan builds houses...and that they're really cool houses....but Bach built skyscrapers. And the two musicians were incomparable because as cool as his houses might be, the knowledge required to build a skyscraper is something Dylan simply doesn't possess.
And I was trying to figure out how I was going to say it without sounding snotty because while I don't like Dylan's music I love bands like Tammany Hall, The Crystal Method and Red Hot Chili Peppers in spite of the fact that I majored in composition and know that those bands just build houses.
And, to boot, they make a living building their houses whereas I make a living writing software. lol
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