I'm gazing out the window of the St. James Hotel and I know noone can sing the blues like Blind Willie McTell
[I wonder if it is just the name that caught Dylan's attention in the light of the use of the music from St. James Infirmary?]
The original St.James Hotel is in.a small town in New Mexico called Cimarron, right outside of a very large *boy scout ranch.* The place is a national historic landmark because it was a big hangout of gunfighters in the 1880s. Jesse James stayed there and they have his room shielded from the rest of the hotel. 21 people were shot here and its frequent guests included Clay Allison, Jesse James, and Lucien Maxwell. Contact me for clarification or further info...
Been browsing the Bob Dylan Atlas -- great stuff! -- and I must disagree with the interpretations of "St. James Hotel."
The hotel Dylan is most likely referencing in -Blind Willie McTell- is in Red Wing, Minnesota (also the home of the military academy from -The Walls of Red Wing-). Another Minnesota artist, playwright Lee Blessing, uses this same hotel as the setting for his 1986 play -Riches-. It's a simple brick hotel about a hundred years old. Must be very nice. Wonder how it compares to the Chelsea?
Ben Schaffer
For Himself
Not sure if you are still keeping this up but the st. james hotel is in the french quarter in new orleans,
Teddy Greene 28 Jun 2004