Why can’t we get enough of Bob Dylan?

Woody Allen

You may never find this but right now that’s not important. The important thing is that I get this down on paper, filed away somewhere because otherwise, the historical record will be inaccurate and that pisses me off and frankly, it just seems wrong and I hate that. I studied ethics and philosophy. It bothers me that something that ought be said would be left unsaid. This may or may not be of import.

Interview Date: August 7, 2008

An Interview with Poet, Critic, Publisher, the popular and the always waxing poetic, especially on all matters Dylan, Phil Gounis.

I recently ran this from one of our contributors on Tant Mieux - Avner Ohev - and with his permission, syndicate it here and hope that you enjoy. You can always read the original on Tant Mieux (linked from this site, www.bobdylan.com, under Community).

Thanks,

s.r.p.

****

For reasons unknown, and while I was almost all alone this New Year's Eve, I found myself listening, between doses of Handel and Beethoven countdowns on the radio, to my vinyl copy of Planet Waves.

In the back of my mind, I had categorized this under-appreciated recording with Under the Red Sky.

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 you want to know if it’s worth buying the boxed set Tell Tale Signs? Let me tell you now, 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) and some wonderful unreleased songs (ever), then you’re in for a real treat. Quite simply, buy it. Get it. This is worth the time and the money because it’s Dylan at his best, covering the 90s through the recent-present and before.

Someone asked if I knew the significance of Dylan’s eye logo/banner that drops down in concert and has for sometime now and that is likewise widely branded on a lot of Dylan merchandise at shows and the like.

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, Bob Dylan did not die in a motorcycle accident. Not that I know of anyway. Did his heart stop?