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Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 20 Oct 2017, 12:10pm
by Dr. Medulla
Flex wrote: ↑20 Oct 2017, 11:28am
Hey Doc, (and apologies if this has actually be referenced in the thread and I'm not remembering), have you read/encountered The Poltical World of Bob Dylan? It seems to land on the academic-ish side.
I'm reading a Counterpunch article discussing the book, and the era of Bob's conversion to Christianity, and they argue that Dylan was essentially embracing Christian Anarchism during that period, which I obviously find extremely intriguing.
Never heard of it, but I'll see if it's easy enough to access.
Edit:
http://dlx.b-ok.org/genesis/1481000/3d2 ... k.org).pdf
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 20 Oct 2017, 12:38pm
by Flex
Thanks man! I'll let you know if the book is compelling. It seems like there's a lot of resistance out there to treating Dylan seriously politically, which has always seemed insane to me, so I'll be interested to see if this book is at least somewhat persuasive.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 20 Oct 2017, 12:41pm
by Dr. Medulla
Flex wrote: ↑20 Oct 2017, 12:38pm
Thanks man! I'll let you know if the book is compelling. It seems like there's a lot of resistance out there to treating Dylan seriously politically, which has always seemed insane to me, so I'll be interested to see if this book is at least somewhat persuasive.
That would be extremely weird given how seriously he was treated in the 60s. Whether it was the straight Freedom Summer kids or the student radicals later in the decade, Dylan was that touchstone for the both those who embraced popular music and those who were suspicious of it.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 20 Oct 2017, 1:04pm
by Flex
Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑20 Oct 2017, 12:41pm
That would be extremely weird given how seriously he was treated in the 60s. Whether it was the straight Freedom Summer kids or the student radicals later in the decade, Dylan was that touchstone for the both those who embraced popular music and those who were suspicious of it.
I think there's a mistake to conflate Dylan's abandonment of straight-forward protest/political music with a general rejection of him being politically serious post-65 (or whenever). Ignoring the fact that he continued to write straightforwardly political songs throughout his career (Workingman's Blues #2 is as good a political song as he ever wrote, and that came out on
Modern Times!), I don't know if I've seen much effort to frame the bulk of his post-going electric career in terms of concrete political ideology (i.e. Christian Anarchism, or what-have-you). Now, there's about 20 billion books on Dylan out there, so I'm sure I've missed plenty, but that's certainly the general sense that I get.
Certainly amongst fans, that seems to be the case. I know in college, there was a tendency to be dismissive of his post-60s material as lacking politically.
Addendum: Plus, I mean, the guy still performs songs like Masters of War and Blowin' in the Wind. He's obviously still politically engaged.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 20 Oct 2017, 2:13pm
by Dr. Medulla
Flex wrote: ↑20 Oct 2017, 1:04pm
Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑20 Oct 2017, 12:41pm
That would be extremely weird given how seriously he was treated in the 60s. Whether it was the straight Freedom Summer kids or the student radicals later in the decade, Dylan was that touchstone for the both those who embraced popular music and those who were suspicious of it.
I think there's a mistake to conflate Dylan's abandonment of straight-forward protest/political music with a general rejection of him being politically serious post-65 (or whenever). Ignoring the fact that he continued to write straightforwardly political songs throughout his career (Workingman's Blues #2 is as good a political song as he ever wrote, and that came out on
Modern Times!), I don't know if I've seen much effort to frame the bulk of his post-going electric career in terms of concrete political ideology (i.e. Christian Anarchism, or what-have-you). Now, there's about 20 billion books on Dylan out there, so I'm sure I've missed plenty, but that's certainly the general sense that I get.
Certainly amongst fans, that seems to be the case. I know in college, there was a tendency to be dismissive of his post-60s material as lacking politically.
Addendum: Plus, I mean, the guy still performs songs like Masters of War and Blowin' in the Wind. He's obviously still politically engaged.
No decade is fetishized like the 60s. Once we were in Eden, but now despair.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 22 Oct 2017, 10:31am
by Flex
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 05 Nov 2017, 7:46am
by Dr. Medulla
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 05 Nov 2017, 4:40pm
by Flex
Decent article. With the new release there's been a lot of work done to better figure out how his religious period fits into Dylan's overall body of work. Worth noting, maybe, that he still plays a few of those songs fairly regularly (In the Garden and Every Grain of Sand, particularly). I still like the idea that Dylan's really a Christian Anarchist best, but either way that religious period was one of his hardest rocking, which has to count for something.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 05 Nov 2017, 5:21pm
by Dr. Medulla
Iffen you're interested, I uploaded the section about Dylan from David Stowe's book on Christian pop in the 70s. The whole book is damned fascinating for how below the radar the whole movement moves in the popular memory of rock music in the 70s.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi4t9n0eofek5 ... n.pdf?dl=0
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 05 Nov 2017, 5:23pm
by Flex
Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑05 Nov 2017, 5:21pm
Iffen you're interested, I uploaded the section about Dylan from David Stowe's book on Christian pop in the 70s. The whole book is damned fascinating for how below the radar the whole movement moves in the popular memory of rock music in the 70s.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi4t9n0eofek5 ... n.pdf?dl=0
Awesome thanks!
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 06 Nov 2017, 11:42am
by Flex
I don't use the ecosystem, but apparently iTunes is selling the new bootleg series box for $50 in the US, which is substantially cheaper than the physical copy:
http://njnnetwork.com/2017/11/how-to-sa ... e-no-more/
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 12 Nov 2017, 12:24am
by Flex
"Blessed Is the Name (Unreleased song – Nov. 20, 1979)" off of the new Bootleg set is the song I'm gonna be pointing to for people wondering if Bob Dylan ever just played smoking hot shit Rock and Roll. The lead guitar is devastating. Fire and Brimstone Rock and Roll at its goddamned finest.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 16 Nov 2017, 6:20pm
by Dr. Medulla
When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, a debate raged. Some celebrated, while many others questioned the choice. How could the world’s most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter who wouldn’t even deign to attend the medal ceremony?
In Why Bob Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. Dylan’s Nobel Prize brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today, through his wildly popular Dylan seminar—affectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"—Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bard’s work.
This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomas’s famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic?", Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan’s modern relevance, while interpreting and decoding Dylan’s lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume on Dylan in decades, Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylan’s work for the Dylan neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike. You’ll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 16 Nov 2017, 6:34pm
by Flex
Yeah, I've got a copy of that book pre-ordered. Very interested to crack into it.
Re: Deep Bob Dylan Theory 2012
Posted: 16 Nov 2017, 6:45pm
by Dr. Medulla
Flex wrote: ↑16 Nov 2017, 6:34pm
Yeah, I've got a copy of that book pre-ordered. Very interested to crack into it.
Let me know, if you could, what you think once you read it. Despite the description about being "neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike," I can't help but think that it's for the latter. I also tend to look at things historically (big surprise there!) so I'm leery of transhistorical canon arguments. Still, it's foolish to deny Dylan's significance, so I'm persuadable.
