Bob DYLAN Magazine: Issue One Sample

DYLAN Issue One

Shadows In The Night Song Histories

Secret ofThe Basement Tapes

The first issue!

Another Self Portrait CD

Review

Musicares Speech

Song and Dance MenAndy Kaufman andBob Dylan

“Old, Young, Age Don’t Carry Weight”

News “The Lakes Of Pontchartrain,” “Sad Songs and Waltzes,” Pablo Dylan

3

Apple Music New Streaming Service

6

Concert Review South Bend, Indiana

7

Roads Rapidly Changing DVD Review: Folk Revival 1961-1965

1 0

Musicares Speech Bob’s Speech and Merle Haggard

1 2

Shadows In The Night Brief History of Songs

1 5

Song and Dance Men Bob Dylan and Andy Kaufman

1 8

Another Self Portrait by Bill White

2 0

Secret of Basement Tapes by Jesper Doolaard

2 7

Imitating “Blackness” by Nick Kniola

3 1

Youth of Never-Ending Tour by Angus Gibson

2 9

DylanMagazine.com !Editor: Nick Kniola [email protected]

!2

When I first heard “Like A Rolling Stone,” it was a like a million megaton bomb had dropped. I started finding more popular Bob Dylan r e c o r d i n g s a n d s o o n enough, I had every official Bob Dylan album, both studio and live. But all those albums weren’t enough. I had to scrounge the internet for hard to find bootlegs, such as A Tree With Roots, Peco’s Blues, Nashvil le Sessions, Outfidel Intakes, and Oh Mercy Outtakes. T h e r e w e r e s o m a n y bootlegs of studio sessions and many t imes more bootlegs of concerts, from 1966, 1974, 1975, 1980, through the Neverending tour of the late eighties until now. It would be impossible for anyone to collect every single concert, so I decided to limit myself to only 340 digital albums (a much larger number than I expected) and every studio album on vinyl, except Christmas In The Heart. I enjoy every chance I get to see Bob Dylan and his band play their chaotic, jazz, country-blues, folk, rock music. He is like the Pope, President, and Elvis all in one, yet only wants to be Elvis. He once said in an interview “Why is it when people talk about me they h a v e t o g o c r a z y ? ” Hopefully this magazine w o n ’ t g o t o o c r a z y . Although, having a magazine

devoted to one individual is a crazy thing to do.!The purpose of DYLAN is to provide a way for fans and authors to write to the Bob Dylan community. Fans can s e n d m e s s a g e s t o b e published on the magazine, as well as full-length articles on whatever topic they choose. It will offer a unique perspective about the music, covering current news and releases, as well as delving into the vast history of Dylan’s career. I would like to have more articles written by you in the second issue, so send in your writings or photos for publication.!On The Late Late Show on April 3, the Irish singer-songwriter Paul Brady told the story of teaching “The Lakes of Pontchartrain” to Bob Dylan. On July 7, 1984, Dylan was playing a gig at W e m b l e y S t a d i u m i n London. Dylan had Brady come to visit him backstage and asked Brady to teach him how to play it. Brady said “Well, you have to tune the guitar differently.” Brady went ahead and showed Dylan how to play the song on the guitar. But, when Dylan tried, he could not play it. Brady said “The only way this is going to happen is if I actually take his fingers and go ‘no, you put that finger there and’ . . . but he’s Bob Dylan, ya know? So,

what are you gonna do?” Brady had to put his fingers on the frets for him to understand how to play the song. “He toured quite often singing the song after that.” Brady also spoke of the history of the song. “It’s from the southern states of America and it comes from somewhere in the early 19th century when the Spanish, F r e n c h , B r i t i s h , a n d Americans were all kind of trying to care about the Caribbean and all that. So, it’s confusing as to where it comes from, but it’s a very big love song and it’s kind of unrequited love in a very beautiful way.”!O n J u n e 1 9 , L e g a c y Recordings, a label of Sony Music, posted on Twitter the live video “What Can I Do For You?” from the filmed April 20, 1980 Massey Hall, Toronto concert, which was not previously official ly released.!Isis Magazine reported on their website that a new Bootleg Series could be released in October. It would cover all the studio sessions from 1965 to 1966 and could run anywhere from 2 CDs to 18 CDs. !!!!!!

N E W S

A lyrics sheet has appeared on the internet for the song “Listen, Robert Moses” by Bob Dylan. It is an anti-L o w e r M a n h a t t a n Expressway protest song from the Tuli Kupferberg col lect ion of the Fales Library of NYU. Robert Moses tried to put a road connecting Fifth Avenue to lower Manhattan through Washington Square Park. The song protests this superhighway in defense of people’s homes. The bottom of the lyrics sheet states “Join Committee To Stop The Lower Manhattan Expressway.”!Leon Russel was interviewed by Rolling Stone about the film A Poem Is A Naked Person, which is a quote, derived from Dylan’s 1965 Bringing It All Back Home liner notes. Russel said that Dylan did not want to be filmed for the documentary. He hid during the shooting. Russel also tells the story of an old lady. “She walked up, looking at Bob and pointed at me and said, ‘Do you know this guy’s famous all over the world?’”!Rolling Stone reported that a test pressing of Blood On The Tracks is available for purchase from Amoeba Music for $12,000. !!!

Dylan’s grandson, Pablo D y l a n , i s p l a n n i n g o n releasing a new album in 2016. His debut album was the rap album 10 Minutes, released in 2011. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Pablo said of his grandfather “He’s given me a lot of advice. There’s not an individual I love more, but we do two completely different things and that’s great. I love to have him in my corner because he cares about me and I care about him. He’s the first person to say, ‘Oh Pablo, you’re doing well.’ ‘Thank’s, grandpa. It means the world.’” Pablo also spoke of what he has learned from his grandfather. “He strived to do it at the highest level. Lyrically, it’s all m e a n i n g f u l a n d representative of him. That’s exactly what I want to do. I can’t say that I’m ever going to reach that level, but I’m g o i n g t o g i v e i t m y everything to try and make music that’s that impactful w h e n i t c o m e s t o soundtracking people’s lives the way that his does.”!!!!!!!!!!!

The Newport Folk Festival e n d e d w i t h a 5 0 t h anniversary “65 Revisited” concert on July 26. Al Kooper returned to play the Hammond organ, revisiting his experience of Newport ’65 with a completely new band, made up of Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, and Dawes, as well as Willie Watson, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Blake Mills, and Robyn H i tchcock . Kooper wasn’t the only one returning. Bob’s original Fender Stratocaster guitar which he played at Newport ’65 was loaned to Taylor Goldsmith, the lead singer of Dawes. Goldsmith played it o n “ M a g g i e ’s F a r m , ” emphasizing the song Bob opened with for his infamous Newpor t Fo l k Fes t i va l performance on July 25, 1965.!SETLISTMr. Tambourine ManAll I Really Want To DoLove Minus ZeroIt’s All Over Now Baby BlueMaggie’s FarmIt Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To CryJust Like Tom Thumb’s BluesOutlaw BluesJust Like A WomanVisions Of JohannaOne Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)Like A Rolling StoneRainy Day Women #12 & 35!

N E W S

�4

Summer TourSet List for June 20, 2015 Nord Mole Open Air, Mainz, Germany!Things Have ChangedShe Belongs To MeBeyond Here Lies Nothin’Workingman’s Blues #2Duquesne WhistleWaitin’ For YouPay In BloodFull Moon and Empty Arms (debut) (composed by Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman)Tangled Up In BlueTo Ramona (last played July 17, 2014)Early Roman KingsSad Songs and Waltzes (debut) (composed by Willie Nelson)’Til I Fell In Love With You (last played June 22, 2011)Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum (last played August 27, 2014)A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (last played July 17, 2014)Ballad Of A Thin Man (lasted played August 27, 2014)All Along The Watchtower (last played October 25, 2014)!“Sad Songs and Waltzes” by Willie Nelson debuted on June 20, the first concert of Bob’s summer tour. The song was originally released on Nelson’s Shotgun Willie in 1973, with two songs produced by Jerry Wexler, who would go on to produce Slow Train Coming in 1979. The title for the album came from when Willie Nelson found out that his daughter’s husband, Steve Warren, was physically abusing her. Their argument led to a shoot out, which Nelson won, leading to everyone calling him Shotgun Willie.!!!!

“Where Are You?” (Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson) debuted on June 21!“Shelter From The Storm” was played on June 21 (last played July 17, 2014) The new arrangement makes it sound like an old spiritual.!“Blind Willie McTell” was played on June 21 (last played July 11, 2014)!“Spirit On The Water” was played on June 21 (last played April 30, 2015)!“Desolation Row” was played on June 21 (last played July 17, 2014)!“I’m a Fool to Want You” (Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf, and Joel Herron) debuted on June 23!“Forgetful Heart” was played on June 23 (last played April 30, 2015)!“Autumn Leaves” was played on June 23 (last played April 30, 2015)!Starting June 23, “Love Sick” was played last, following “Blowin’ In The Wind.”!“That Lucky Old Sun” (Haven Gillespie and Beasley Smith) was played on July 11 (last played 15 years ago)!“Dont Think Twice, It’s All Right” was played on July 12 (last played July 15, 2014)!“I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” was played on July 12 (last played Nov. 20, 2012)!“Cry A While” was played on July 12 (last played Aug. 27, 2014)!“Visions Of Johanna” was played on July 12 (last played June 23, 2014)!“The Levee’s Gonna Break” was played on July 13 (last played July 17, 2014)!“Jolene” was played on July 13 (last played on Sept. 8, 2012)

N E W S

Apple Music!by Nick KniolaOn June 8, along with updates to Mac OS X and iOS, Apple announced Apple Music, a music streaming service for $9.99 per month. It allows users to stream the entire iTunes library. Also included without having to pay the subscription fee is Beats 1, a 24/7 radio station, broadcasting from Los Angeles, New York, and London. The most interesting feature is Connect, a place where artists can post material for their fans, such as text updates, demos, and videos. These three services are all available on the Music or iTunes Apps for every device, whether Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or even Android. The first three months are free for everyone to try. Up to six family members can get a family plan for $14.99 a month. !!When iTunes was announced in 2003, Steve Jobs argued for the method of buying songs, rather than streaming them. “. . . we think subscriptions are the wrong path. One of the reasons we think this is because people bought their music for as long as we can remember . . . When you own your music it never goes away. When you own your music you have a broad set of personal use rights. You can listen to it however you want.” I agree with Steve’s original ideas behind buying music, whether on iTunes or vinyl. I would rather own my music than pay for a subscription because when you subscribe you are locked in. As soon as you end your subscription, you can no longer listen to the music. If in ten years, Apple ends the service, after spending $1,200, you will no longer be able to listen to it. When you own your music, you can listen to it for decades without having to continually pay to listen to it. You could buy one hundred albums over ten years and listen to them for the rest of your life, instead of streaming them. I listen to all the albums of only a few artists and I already own most of my favorite albums and songs, so it makes even less sense for me to subscribe to this. Only if you are someone who is constantly listening to the latest songs and does not listen to older

music, then this service makes sense, because you can continually listen to new music without having to buy it. The re i s no l ong t e rm investment in the music. !!In terms of the radio station Beats 1, Apple announced it as being the first worldwide 24/7 station broadcasting music that sounds good, r a t h e r t h a n r e l y i n g o n research for picking songs to play. I think the problem with radio today is the commercial control of radio, so if this radio is able to avoid decisions made by what is supposed to sell, then Apple really does have a revolutionary radio. If these DJs are really picking what sounds good, then it could be worth a listen. The DJ Zane Lowe, who has interviewed and brought into the world well-known artists and bands, is responsible for picking the DJs for the stations. Apple’s website says “Zane’s flagship music show on Beats 1 will combine his unparalleled music knowledge with headline interviews and the best new music in the world.”!!With almost one billion accounts on iTunes, Apple has the opportunity to gain a huge number of Apple Music subscribers. Yet, other subscription services are already offered, such as Spotify and Google Play, also available for $9.99 a month. Amazon Prime, a streaming service which I use, offers streaming of some of their library, included at no extra cost with a Prime membership. Apple argues that Apple Music provides all your music in one place, but it really is no different from other services, like the Amazon Prime app, which also includes your music you purchased on iTunes with the music you stream together.

! 6

C O N C E R T R E V I E W M O R R I S P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R S O U T H B E N D , I N D I A N A M A Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 5My last concerts were November 8 and 9, 2014, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago. On November 10, I decided to try the futile task of filming and talking to Bob for a documentary I was starting, but security made sure I didn’t even get a glimpse. I did manage to get video of the band, as seen above.

The last concert of Bob Dylan and His Band’s Spring Tour took place in South Bend, Indiana on May 17 at the Morris Performing Arts Center. We walk the desolate street to get to the show. The only people around are those walking to the concert venue. It is difficult to find the parking lot, but eventually the show starts. We enter a crowded hallway to pick up our tickets. I ask the tea shirt vendor if I am supposed to pick up the merchandise that came with the tickets there, but they don’t

know about the special package that was included with the tickets. Eventually, we would receive in the mail two full-sized harmonicas, Bob Dylan carrying cases, and Bob Dylan badges. The venue is full, but is only medium-sized. I am sitting up close to the piano on the right hand side. The people attending are mainly a caucasian, older crowd than usual. “Things Have Changed” and “She Belongs To Me” go by. They would be the weakest performances of the night.

�7

The music and singing starts to really come together on “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’.” The sound of the venue is quiet compared to most concerts I’ve attended. The song I most looked forward to hearing was “Workingman’s Blues #2” with the new arrangement and lyrics. He speaks the lines, lyrics such as “It’s a cold black night, and it’s midsummer’s eve and the stars are spinning around. I’m still finding it so hard to believe someone would kick me when I’m down” and “Gonna punch my spear right straight through halfways down his spine. Then, I’ll lift my arms to the star-lit skies and I’ll pray the fugitive’s prayer. I’m guessing tomorrow the sun will rise. I hope the final judgment’s fair.” These lines create a new narrative where the stakes are even higher. “If I stay here I could lose it all. The bandits will rob me blind.” There’s even an encounter with his father, but he’s confused. “I saw my father in the street. At least, I think it was him.” These lines stray further from the idea of a working man’s blues and more into a violent and spiritual tune. “I hope the final judgement’s fair.” One version of the song from Champaign, Illinois in 2013 has some other great lyrics, not performed any other night: “You’re a bloodthirsty man, my friend. I’m gonna raise a glass to your health. I’m gonna put your violent business to an end. I’m gonna devour your wealth.” “Duquesne Whistle” brings a much freer sounding jazz-like performance and the music is really great on this arrangement. “Waitin’ For You” continues the style of uplifting music, but as expected, “Pay In Blood” is much heavier and darker. The vocals are rough. “Tangled Up In Blue” goes by, but “Love Sick” is one of the stand-out performances. The new arrangement includes an instrument-only section and it truly reaches new grounds. The band is at it’s best on this one and it makes me think of Jack White. The new lyrics are interesting: “Well, you thrilled me to my heart. Then, you rip it all apart. You went through my pockets when I was sleeping.” There are probably some more new lyrics that I can’t remember, as there would be throughout the night. After an intermission, one of my favorite

songs is performed: “ H i g h Wa t e r ( F o r C h a r l e y P a t t o n ) . ” Donnie Herron is on banjo, as always. The guitars combined with the banjo and the singing all together c r e a t e a s p e c i a l performance that is one of the concert’s highlights. This version of the song is more chaotic than previous arrangements. After “Simple Twist Of Fate” is “Early Roman Kings” features Stu Kimball on maracas, painstakingly keeping the rhythm. Bob’s repetitive piano playing stands out on this song and works well with the other instruments. “Forgetful Heart” has careful singing and harmonica playing. After “Spirit On The Water” is “Scarlet Town” which I believe remains close to the way it has been played before, but as always, the lyrics drive it. Two more Tempest songs are played: “Soon After Midnight” and “Long And Wasted Years.” “Long And Wasted Years” has a slightly altered arrangement. There are many lines I’ve never heard before, but do not remember from the performance, other than “Maybe today. If not today, maybe tomorrow. Maybe, there will be a limit to my sorrow.” In concerts before and after this one, there have been many changes after the line “My enemy crashed into the dust.” “Autumn Leaves” has careful singing with the band backing extremely well, showing they can play a variety of musical styles well. Tony Garnier plays the upright bass and Donnie Herron the pedal steel guitar. My mother, attending the concert with me for her first Dylan concert, asks me if the next song is “Blowin’ In The Wind” because the new arrangement makes it unrecognizable to her. For the encore, “Blowin’ In The Wind” is fine, but “Stay With Me” stands out. My mother’s favorite tracks were “Autumn Leaves” and “Stay With Me.” Twenty songs was a lot and it was one of the best concert’s I’ve attended.

Stu Kimball, with hand on heart, directed toward clapping fan.

!8

T O U R B U S�9

Roads Rapidly Changing Sexy Intellectual Productions DVD $14.95 Roads Rapidly Changing: Bob Dylan In & Out of The Folk Revival 1961-1965, directed by Tom O’Dell, tells the story of Bob Dylan’s folk years and the sixties folk community. Including mostly interviews with British writers, as well as folk musicians Eric Andersen and Dennis McCarthy, the film doesn’t just rehash old information on Bob Dylan. Instead, it provides individual arguments about Dylan’s creativity and feelings during this time.

!10

Roads Rapidly Changing by Nick Kniola The interesting stories and skilled storytelling make this a worthwhile documentary. Footage from the Newport Folk Festival and other Dylan tv/film appearances adds to the enlightening interviews. The documentary starts out by talking about American folk music by Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie being about political commentary. It mentions the Lomax’s and the filmmaker Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music bringing this type of music to the public. Robert Zimmerman, growing up in the fifties listened to primarily rock n roll, but once he received Leadbelly recordings from his parents, his gained an interest in folk music. Woody Guthrie and other folk musicians heightened that interest. Since many interviewees are British, they mention the huge change to Dylan when he returned from the UK. He was exposed to new influences, such as the traditional English ballad “Scarborough Fair,” which led to Dylan’s own “Girl From The North Country.” Arguments are made for Dylan’s originality, that no other folk singer was writing the way he was. Dylan created art, which differed from protest songs at the time which focused on the politics. He read from French Symbolist poetry, the Bible, and met Allen Ginsberg, leading to his focusing on style rather than politics. Joan Baez is mentioned as helping make Dylan famous by putting him in front of a crowd at the Newport Folk Festival. A funny story is mentioned about Woody Guthrie becoming friendly with Dylan. Once, when Dylan visited Woody Guthrie in the hospital, Guthrie gave Dylan a card which read “I’m not dead yet.” (It could be the influence for “Early Roman Kings.”) Dylan showed everyone in Greenwich Village the card to brag that he was close to Guthrie. Izzy Young, owner of the Folklore Center, had books and records of each folk musician in his store. "I still remember people would look at one or two, but the person who looked through every damn record I had was Bob Dylan . . . He was listening to every fucking thing he could listen to.” Nigel Williamson argues that “Only A Pawn In Their Game” differs from Phil Och’s “Ballad of Medgar Evers” in that Ochs simply writes like a newspaper, that the country gained a killer and lost a man, while Dylan analyzes the social structure underneath, the system of laws which allow this kind of assassination to happen. Williamson also offers an enlightening argument that Dylan became more reclusive because he feared for his own life as the “voice of a generation,” after the assassination of President Kennedy. The documentary concludes by showing how every folk artist started recording with bands, following the popularity of the Beatles. With great stories and perspectives, Roads Rapidly Changing is well worth a view.

�11