Irony.
It is the fairest of the seasons (early June, the solstice this Sunday, June 21st as we revolve on our axis and tip a little bit more toward the sun on this, the longest day) and the two songs that most apply to this moment, (these days, as Nico mournfully sings in “These Days”) are “The Fairest of the Seasons” by the Velvet
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Walking north chasing the ghosts of my city and cities past
Phil Gounis was first drawn toward the songs of Bob Dylan in the early 1960's and never lost interest. Dylan’s work through its many changes has continued to intrigue him and influence his oeuvre as it has that of millions of inspired artists worldwide. Gounis is an American poet, novelist, archivist, filmmaker, publisher and critic. His work has been published in various media, and Gounis is well known for his Blues radio program that was popular during the 1970s, “Crackerbox” on KCLC. In the 1980s, Gounis co-founded a magazine of politics and popular culture – Steamshovel Press – with the impetus of publishing an interview with Ram Dass. His work has also appeared in River Styx Magazine. You can find out more about Phil Gounis on Wikipedia by typing in “Philip Gounis”.
It’s not a surprise to anyone who knows Dylan or has seen him live that he has now, and always has had, a playful side. It’s there in person, and it’s clearly very present in his lyrics. I could name many, but right now, I have one song in mind, and that is One More Weekend. If you’ve read me before, then you already know the disclaimer, which is that I never try to interpret Dylan’s lyrics or seek any hidden meaning because I’m not Dylan and I hate that shit – and it’s been done to death. So I’m just me, and I hear what I hear and I see what I see, so it’s what Dylan means to me. That’s the best I can offer; the best, the most, I can do.]]>
So you want to know if it’s worth buying the boxed set Tell-Tale Signs? It’s worth every penny and not simply for a die-hard Dylan fan, but if you don’t know bootlegs or like the rest of us until now, know the alternate takes of many of the songs (particularly from Oh Mercy), then you’re in for a real treat. Buy it. Get it. This is worth the time because it’s Dylan at his recent best, covering the 90s through the recent-present.]]>
My site has a backend search engine query, so it’s easy for me to see how people find Tant Mieux, what they searched for, and what they found. It’s interesting to see what people are searching for when it comes to Dylan. Today, I came upon, horror of horrors, “When did Bob Dylan die in a motorcycle accident?” Obviously, not a query by someone who knows a whole lot (of recent news anyway) about Dylan, but a question that begs to be addressed. I’ll tell you now,]]>
I’m trying to read Bob Dylan Approximately: A Portrait of the Jewish Poet in Search of God by A Midrash. I say “trying” because so far anyway, it’s not making much sense, no matter how much I want it to at the moment, because I practice Kabbalah and am heavy into the Zohar right now, I’m still not seeing all of this heavy Jewish symbolism in Bob’s work. I see a lot of Biblical references to be sure – some early on, some later when Bob went through Christian re-dux. I keep thinking of the dark-haired woman in Don’t Look Back who whispers, as Pennebaker captures her hissing, “Hav
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With Bill (Clinton) it was Fleetwood Mac (“Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow”) that he used as his campaign theme song. I remember seeing him in one of the major city parks, he and Al Gore, both of them in their workingman’s blue shirts (such an obvious put-on that if it ever had any subtle message, it’s long]]>
It’s 4:02 p.m. on a warm Friday and the traffic is, as expected, bad. I’m making the longish journey from the North Shore of Boston to the MGM Grand in Connecticut where tonight, Bob Dylan is playing. Not a gamble, because every bone in this somewhat slight body tells me this will be good.]]>
*Eds. Note: This piece was contributed to Tant Mieux, so I run it here. Thanks to Avner for covering the Brooklyn show for us. - s.r.p.