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I hold two antagonistic impressions of Bob Dylan in my head at all
times. 1) the guy is an insufferably pretentious egomaniac who has made
the cardinal error of believing his own press. 2) He is one of the five
or six genuinely significant artists of the 20th century.

The only thing I fear is Scorcese making the same mistake: believing Bob
Dylan's press. In fact, I think it might be inevitable. "Gosh, your
holy bobness, when exactly did God tell you that his most important
prophets prophecy and deny being a prophet?"

I can only hope that Scorcese asks at least one or two questions like,
"was there a point at which you sang badly on purpose just to see
exactly how far you could go before someone would admit that you sounded
terrible?" or "if you were a reporter, how would you have reported on
yourself?"

Kurt Albershardt wrote:
> PBS American Masters:
> Bob Dylan
>
> Airing September 26-27th, 2005
> A film directed by Martin Scorsese.
>
> Bob Dylan gives his only full length interview in 20 years,
> participating for the very first time in an exclusive film biography.
> From his explosive arrival on the downtown New York City scene in 1961
> - with a raspy voice, pounding guitar and stunning lyrics - through his
> near-fatal motorcycle accident in Woodstock in 1966, no one had more of
> an impact and no one changed the landscape of contemporary music more
> profoundly. Private, almost reclusive, disdainful of customary forms of
> publicity, Dylan has now agreed to make an appearance in his own story,
> illuminated in particular by this remarkable five-year period. Directed
> by Martin Scorsese, the intimate and incomparable film includes an
> archive of, literally, never-before-seen footage from childhood, from
> the road and from backstage, as well as unreleased interviews conducted
> over the past 15 years with other seminal figures from those times -
> some of whom, like Allen Ginsberg, are long dead. And, Dylan brings the
> rights to his legendary music with him - Blowin' in the Wind, Like a
> Rolling Stone, Don't Think Twice, Mr. Tambourine Man, It Ain't Me Babe,
> Just Like A Woman, Positively 4th Street, The Times They Are A-Changin'
> - and infinitely on and on.
>
> <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/dylan_b.html>

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I sang on a record with Bob once, but never met him.
And as I was once told, "Trust the Art, not the Artist".

Tom


"Bob Cain" <arcane@arcanemethods.com> wrote in message
newsbn96f01jd7@enews1.newsguy.com...
>
>
> Bill Van Dyk wrote:
> > I hold two antagonistic impressions of Bob Dylan in my head at all
> > times. 1) the guy is an insufferably pretentious egomaniac who has made
> > the cardinal error of believing his own press.
>
> Curious why you say that. I'm about his age and I don't
> remember him revealing much of himself other than through
> his art, none of it being particularly self referential.
>
> That he made big statements about important things is
> presumptious rather than pretensious by my reckoning and
> presumptiousness is a rather necessary ingredient of
> creativity and inventiveness. People don't shift paradigms
> by being meek. Hell, he believed his press before it was
> written.
>
> > 2) He is one of the five
> > or six genuinely significant artists of the 20th century.
>
> My take for sure. Likely the most signifigant of the second
> half.
>
> > The only thing I fear is Scorcese making the same mistake: believing Bob
> > Dylan's press. In fact, I think it might be inevitable. "Gosh, your
> > holy bobness, when exactly did God tell you that his most important
> > prophets prophecy and deny being a prophet?"
>
> Not exactly sure what that quote says (funny grammer.) At
> any rate, I have a hard time coming up with anyone who was
> _more_ prophetic.
>
> Having been there the night he took his boo's at Carnegie
> Hall for the utterly unexpected detour into xtianity I think
> he is and always has been one brave and independant
> sumbitch. I like that.
>
> As for his style, it was carefully created to get our
> attention and it sure did. He can sing just fine when it
> suits his purpose and I'll leave his purpose to him.
>
> The one thing I do dis him for, and it backs up your view,
> is his shabby treatment of Ramblin' Jack Elliot who, from
> several accounts, taught him what to do up there.
>
>
> Bob
> --
>
> "Things should be described as simply as possible, but no
> simpler."
>
> A. Einstein