While cleaning my office I came across a large booklet called “Bob Dylan”. That’s amazing. There are very few things around here with that name on them. It is artfully made and contains a couple of interviews, one with Muddy Waters from 1978 and another from the Times Sentinel from 1992.
It must be one of those show programs from the US concerts. Usually those things catch your eye. The Muddy Waters interview makes this an interesting book.
Whilst you might find this hard to believe, I am not the devoted Bob Dylan fan you suspect. I eschew the role of “Fan”. Read on and you can leave your comments as to the appropriate label for me vis a vis Bob. There are whole decades of my life when I wouldn’t drive across town to see him perform. Lately I’ve made it a summer vacation.
I first heard Bob Dylan in high school after reading about and buying his second album “The Freewheelin Bob Dylan.” The folk boom was in full swing in 1963 and Bob Dylan was a fresh voice. Criteria for liking him included: I could play guitar like him, sing like him and the harmonica part seemed easy with a homemade coat-hanger harp holder. His songs were more interesting than the “Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore” material everyone else was singing.
Then there was protest. I was a natural student protester. Young people were protesting whatever was wrong with the universe and I was in the thick of it. We protested autocratic school principals, the war in Vietnam and Civil Rights. Some things haven’t changed have they? Take it to the streets!
Thus began a life of collection all things Bob Dylan. I must have every album, on vinyl and CD, plus Super Audio CD. I have 120 hours of bootlegs, concert recordings made by people in the audience. For example, within 2 weeks of going to the Pittsfield Massachusetts concert last year, someone posted the whole concert on the web. I was playing it on my computer when Edith said “Hey, that’s the concert.” Pretty cool.
I have books on Dylan’s life, books on his recordings, books on his concerts, books on his poetry, and dry but interesting books that dissect his music and literary influences.
I have VHS recordings of concerts, DVD’s legal and bootlegged, video recorded by me and other people in the audience, “Ronaldo and Clara” the unreleased movie, “Hard Rain” the Japanese TV program not released in North America. There is a rate computer multi-media CD that works on Windows and older Mac’s. It contains interview with people from Greenwich Village in the 60’s and from the studio recording of Highway 61. Mac’s are so disappointing. Backward compatibility is never their strong card. It used to play on my Mac from 1993 but wouldn’t work on my Powerbook.
So write in your comments. Give my interest/devotion a name. I’m going to put the program in a safe place.
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