January 15, 2009

"We'd know if Bob Dylan came in here. What was he, in disguise?"

"There are a lot of people who come here who are Bob Dylan fans." "Did we miss him?"

***

Well, you know sometimes Bob Dylan wears his Bob Dylan mask.

IN THE COMMENTS: Original George suggests it was a Napoleon Bonaparte mask . And just remember, if you try disguising yourself, Bob Dylan would like you to know he can see through your masks.

MORE IN THE COMMENTS: Meade sends us here:



AND: That's from "No Direction Home," which you might want to buy, here. And Meade finds and especially likes the audio clip those guys in at the first link were talking about.

26 comments:

Mark O said...

You know somethin's happenin' but you don't know what it is, do you?

Eric Hammerbacher said...

Mark O: have you ever heard the Counting Crows song "Mr. Jones"? To me it's an obvious allusion to "Ballad of a Thin Man".

Eric Hammerbacher said...
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Eric Hammerbacher said...
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Eric Hammerbacher said...
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George M. Spencer said...

Well, I woke up in the morning
There's frogs inside my socks.
Your mama, she's a-hidin'
Inside the icebox.
Your daddy walks in wearin'
A Napoleon Bonaparte mask,
Then you ask why I don't live here.
Honey, do you have to ask?

A goodie from '65:
On the Road Again
"Bringing It All Back Home."

(Streaming)

Henry said...

Maybe they mistook Bob for Loudon Wainwright?

AllenS said...

"When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose". - Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone

"When nobody recognizes you, you got nothing". - AllenS, Althouse Blog

traditionalguy said...

"The Entity inhabiting his brain..." is the explanation used for Bob's genius in relating to and voicing the 1963 to 1969 times of sweeping and profound changes. His genius is hard for the people who knew the boy Zimmerman to accept. "A prophet is without honor in his own hometown..." said another well known prophet. So how many others out there have genius in their souls and cannot get one speck of recognition from the old homeplace? I remember that John Steinbeck [a true genius] never was accepted by the Salinas County lettuce growers, such a town without pity. So don't await anyones approval...just go ahead and write, speak, sing and Blog and photograph and share the genius given to you for us to enjoy.

Eric Hammerbacher said...

@traditional guy: I like it.

Mark O said...

Eric, I love that song and others by that group, but this is a blog that worships Bob and it might be heresy to mention other pop music acts as if they really existed.

Found this, the other day.

I went to a party and I was feelin’ kinda bored
So I slipped in the toilet and I pulled the cord.
The crowd all applauded as I went down the tube.
I waived and saluted. I didn’t want to be rude.

They weren’t offended.
c.1968

Meade said...

"I'm gonna get me a new Bob Dylan and use him. Here's the new Bob Dylan... see how long he lasts..."

5:00

froggyprager said...

I don't think I have heard Bob Dylan talk very much except some early interviews. Check out the MP3 link in the article for a clip from the radio show about the 4 bars he links. He sounds very odd. I like his signing better.

Eric Hammerbacher said...
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Meade said...

"And whenever I'm in Burlington, VT, I quaff a few at 
The Three Mead[e]s"

George M. Spencer said...

Smokin' hot "Masters" on 'Real Live.'

That last stanza—slams the last nail in the coffin top.

(Streaming...)

Also...great new Neil Young song...."Fork in the Road"

"I've got hope,
 but you can't eat hope. 
I'm not done. 
Not giving up. 
Not cashing in.
 Too late.

There's a bailout coming but it's not for me. 
It's for all those creeps watching tickers on TV. 
There's a bailout coming but it's not for me.

I'm a big rock star.
 My sales have tanked,
 but I still got you.
 Thanks!
 Download this.
 Sounds like shit.



Keep on bloggin' 'til the power goes out,
 and your battery's dead.

Twist and Shout. 
On the radio.
 Those were the days.
 Bring 'em back."

It's only gonna get weirder.

chuck b. said...

What if Bob Dylan was one of us? Just a slob like one of us...

Eric Hammerbacher said...
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The Crack Emcee said...

My current fav Dylan song is his cover of "Rollin' and Tumblin'." I used to work with his god son, Ubi Whitaker (Bob gave him his first guitar) and if you click on this picture (third from the top) you can see him, seated, playing bass behind me days after having open heart surgery.

The guy's a real trooper.

traditionalguy said...

I dedicate one of my favorite Dylan songs to one we all love: Girl From the North Country.

Eric Hammerbacher said...
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Henry said...

Talking New Bob Dylan? Here's Loudon Wainwright's take, from the link I posted above (can't find it on youtube, though):

Had a commission at yer motorcycle wreck --
Holed up in Woodstock, with a broken neck.
The labels were signin' up guys with guitars, Out to make millions, lookin' for stars.
Well, I figured it was time to make my move --
Songs from the West Chester County Delta country.

Yeah, I got a deal , and so did John Prine, Steve Forbert and Springsteen, all in a line.
They were lookin' for you, signin' up others,
We were "new Bob Dylans" -- your dumb-ass kid brothers.
Well, we still get together every week at Bruce's house --
Why, he's got quite a spread, I tell ya -- it's a twelve-step program.

Kovacs said...

"Theme Time Radio Hour" is worth the price of XM/Sirius all by itself. Dylan's knowledge of music is encyclopedic, and he's very droll. It's one of the high points of my week--which might say something about how exciting my life is, but still, it's a really entertaining show.

Ann Althouse said...

Hey Mr.D do you want me to be
A farmer, a cowhand, an old country boy
To get up in the a.m. and tend to the chore
And leave all my troubles behind a locked door
Layin' with my lady and strummin' on my toy
Oh I know what you mean and it sounds good to me
But oh Mr.D. I'm so restless


(Referred to the Bob Dylan of the 1970s... after he did get him a new Bob Dylan to use.)

Wince said...

I've noticed Dylan tends to skulk around underneath a hoodie sweatshirt, temperature permitting, to avoid detection. I was surprised Dylan was a hoodie guy.

Well, kind of like this unfortunate comparison, only draw tighter over his face.

Cardboard FLOTUS said...

Interestingly, Dylan played a character named “Alias” in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, a film for which Dylan wrote the score, including the great song “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” But I’ll take the live version of “Visions of Joanna” anytime.