Tag Archives: Bob Dylan
Al Kooper (1995)
“I was pretty much robbed all my life….”
The big bucks versions of “The Cutting Edge 1965-1966,” the latest entry in the Bob Dylan bootleg series (note: not actual bootlegs), includes a 20-track disc of a single song, “Like A Rolling Stone.” It brings to life one of the most famous recording sessions in history – famous not only because of the result, a ground-breaking, six-minute, chart-topping song that completed Dylan’s transformation from folkie to rock star, but because the song’s organ hook was played by someone who sneaked into the session: Al Kooper.
Bob Dylan speaks: the MusiCares speech
“A lot of people don’t know this, but the blues, which is an American music, is not what you think it is. It’s a combination of Arabic violins and Strauss waltzes working it out. But it’s true.” – Bob Dylan
After reading provocative excerpts from the 30-minute speech Dylan gave at the MusiCares bash in Los Angeles on Friday night, I was delighted to find the full transcript on the L.A. Times music blog. It’s as fascinating as anything in Dylan’s autobiography (“Chronicles: Volume 1”) and that’s saying a lot. Find it here. Enjoy.
Nothing Dylan said was odder than the above quote, at least to me. I’m going to have to think about it for a long time to understand it, if I ever will. If you care to elucidate, please do. Love to hear your thoughts.
And while I’m at it, let me point out that Dylan’s speech comes on the heels of a lengthy interview in the AARP magazine on the occasion of the release of his new “Shadows in the Night.” Another must-read.
Oscar Brown Jr.
“Liberating the slaves is not popular.”
It’s a mystery: What killed Oscar Brown Jr.’s career?
Rule out drugs, booze, out of control ego or any of the usual suspects in tales of show biz ruination. The cause of Brown’s baffling fade remains unclear, but undoubtedly had to do with his race, politics and social activism.
“I’ve been shut out,” Brown told me. “The reason is that I’m dangerous.”
