Mystified

"When you feel in your gut what you are and then dynamically pursue it - don't back down and don't give up - then you're going to mystify a lot of folks."

- Bob Dylan

Tangled Up In Blue: Ukulele Arrangement

I just posted my ukulele arrangement of Bob Dylan's Tangled Up in Blue to Uker Tabs:

Tangled Up In Blue

I've likely posted it before, but those interested can watch a video of me playing this song:

Bob Gets Pulitzer!

It was announced today that Bob Dylan has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation:

SPECIAL CITATION

A Special Citation to Bob Dylan for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.

Congrats, Bob!!

Wedding Song

I just posted my ukulele arrangement of Bob Dylan's 'Wedding Song' to UkerTabs. Check it out:

Wedding Song

I'm Not There

I went and saw this film over the weekend and absolutely loved it. It is far from being a typical biopic, which should be blatantly apparent to anyone who is familiar the premise. At the beginning of the film there is a note that it is based on "The Songs and Lives of Bob Dylan," which is the first indication that it is not merely a dramatization of Dylan's life story, such as you would find in the very well made Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line." Dylan, whose name is never mentioned in the dialog of the film, is portrayed by six different actors (one of them a woman and one a 12 year old black kid) who represent different aspects of Dylan's character at different points in his life. Within each character's storyline things unfold relatively chronologically (though one does employ some flashbacks), though the film jumps between each Dylan, inter-cutting different periods of his life more thematically than chronologically. It is a hard film to describe in words, I think one must experience it to appreciate it at all. As much a meditation on Dylan as it is a biography, this film isn't spoon fed to the viewer, as there is much metaphorical imagery at work, and requires the viewer (I would say challenges the viewer) to think about and consider what is projected on the screen. Probably not a film for everyone, but one that I will definitely buy on DVD and watch and study repeatedly. Below I've posted some videos (Trailers, clips and interviews) concerning the film that I've run across on YouTube.

The Rain

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.

-- Bob Dylan

Civil War Wilbury

During my recent studies into the US Civil War I ran across a distant ancestor who fought for the union cause:

Lt. General Abraham Mdewakanton Wilbury, Jr.

Tangled Up In Blue

My first experiment with video. More to come!

Series of Dreams

This has always been one of my favorite Dylan songs. I ran across the video on YouTube and had to share it!

Bob and Eric at the Crossroads

Dylan Looks at 40

Dylan sings Buffet. How cool is that?

The Wilburys Are #1 in the UK, Australia, et al.!!

Congrats to all my Wilbury cousins! Let Thy Wilbury Done!

From George Harrison.com:

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS’ 1st UK No 1
Nearly twenty years after the creation of the band and over a decade
since their music was last available, legendary supergroup The
Traveling Wilburys are at number one for the first time ever. Selling
over 110,000 units in its first week of release, The Traveling Wilburys
Collection, shot straight to the top of the UK album charts today.

On hearing the news, Olivia Harrison said "Here’s to George, Roy and
the Boys, my favourite guys. Congratulations Wilburys."

Also debuting at number 1 in the UK iTunes charts, The Traveling
Wilburys have taken the digital age by storm. The albums can be
downloaded for first time as part of the ‘digital bundle’ version of
The Traveling Wilburys Collection, which includes the video content and
a sixteen page interactive booklet with liner notes and photography of
Harrison, Dylan and friends. In addition, newcomers to this iconic rock
band can download a free introductory seven-minute video sampler via
iTunes.

As further testament to their enduring popularity, The Wilburys are
storming the charts across the world, with the Collection going in at
number 1 in countries including Australia and Ireland.

66

And a happy 66th Birthday to Wilbury cousin Bob Dylan!

Wiburys Reborn

Great news via Billboard.com (via a good soul at the George Harrison.com forum). After being out of print for over ten years the Traveling Wilburys' two albums are being rereleased by Wilbury Records/Rhino. For those who don't know, the Traveling Wilburys was a "supergroup" made up of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynn, who all assumed pseudonyms for the project as Wilbury brothers: Nelson, Lucky, Charlie T. Jr, Lefty and Otis Wilbury (and Spike, Boo, Muddy and Clayton Wilbury on their second album).

From what I know this is a project George Harrison was working on when he died in 2001 and which Olivia Harrison and Barbara Orbison had taken up in his stead. The story describes the rerelease:

"Traveling Wilburys Volume 1" and "Traveling Wilburys Volume 3" will be available together in one package with bonus tracks and a DVD of rare footage, as a deluxe linen-bound edition, a vinyl set and a digital bundle. The DVD boasts a 24-minute documentary and five music videos.

I'm very much looking forward to holding that in my greedy little hands!

They Don't Make Pope's Like They Used To...

And yes, I know thats not necessarily a bad thing! But the current Pope is definitely not as hip as his predecessor.

From The Sunday Mail (via Expecting Rain):

Last week, the Pope disclosed in a new book that in 1997 he was opposed to Bob Dylan appearing at a youth event with the late Pope John Paul because he considered the pop star the wrong kind of "prophet".

At that concert in central Italy, Dylan sang Knockin' on Heaven's Door, his 1960s anti-war classic A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall, and Forever Young.

I suppose the obvious cheap shot would be mentioning that Bob is Jewish and that Pope Benedict XVI is a former member of the Hitler Youth, but I'm not nearly petty enough to bring that up...