Expecting Rain

Well I gotta say, pretty intense stuff. I'm thinkin', well then, what's this guy into? Read some of your previous posts, and wow, you go to a LOT of shows! -



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Forum: Bob Dylan Tour Topic: Port Chester, NY, USA - 13,14 & 15 June 2017 - LIVE SET LIST
aberhwy61
Post subject: Re: Port Chester, NY, USA - 13,14 & 15 June 2017 - LIVE SET Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 4:50 am

Replies: 225
Views: 17030

from the rail again; same spot on stage right, audience left. really cool show tonight. first half was genuinely exciting. genuinely. i don't know how to describe summer days other than to say it was as if bob snorted a theoretical 2005 hoedown version with Alana James going apeshit on fiddle and th...





Forum: Bob Dylan Tour Topic: Port Chester, NY, USA - 13,14 & 15 June 2017 - LIVE SET LIST
aberhwy61
Post subject: Re: Port Chester, NY, USA - 13,14 & 15 June 2017 - LIVE SET Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 12:45 pm

Replies: 225
Views: 17030

was on rail (early entry). Band on absolute fire. Biggest note for me was Charlie was off the leash. Played all over everything with abandon and was spectacular. George literally rolled his eyes a few times, which was interesting. Tangled is an entirely different arrangement and was a mess. Not lite..


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So I'm trying to put this together Ab. intellectualizing about the meaning of Bob's words, origins, etc., that is simply an absurd waste of time. However, intellectualizing about all the shows one goes to, and bragging about your rail scores(groupie??), just going on and on
critiqing shows, etc, THAT is where it is at.


Then found this gem a few pages down. Your honesty is refreshing! And you are a good critic, no doubt about it. Good reading - great intellectualizing there Ab!! This one is my favorite so far -


aberhwy61
Post subject: Re: Mashantucket, Connecticut - 3 July 2016 - LIVE SET LIST Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 11:19 am

Replies: 73
Views: 7272

Ha. Honestly I've gotten in massive fights at many many shows over the years for standing on a seated floor so I just decided to sit this one out. Wasn't feeling particularly good either of the two days either so that probably had something to do with it... We appreciated you guys on the right thoug...

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"I've gotten in massive fights at many many shows "


I'm shocked!

Good theater though - high comedy.


Seems like you fly everywhere to see Bob - I'm jealous!

However, where does this fit into that lifestyle?


"I’d never waste the only life I have over
a performing artist"


With you, it's life AND a lot of money. Must be nice.

Maybe it was a typo - you would waste your life AND your money. Got it!

I’m just reading this very well written and informed book.
But I found it strange when in the last segment of Chapter 3 (collecting all the Rome-connections of Dylan) Thomas is writing about the 2013 Rome-concerts [pp92-94]:

“Dylan opened the two evenings in Rome, and each performance of the European tour of 2013, with “When I paint my masterpiece” and it’s locally popular opening lines: “Oh the streets of Rome are filled with rubble / Ancient footprints everywhere” – appropriately allusive for those two performances. I would venture to say he used the song as opener throughout the tour because he knew what he would be doing in Rome.” [p.93]

Hmm. Now of course we know Dylan played “the setlist” throughout the tour, so every show started with “Things Have Changed”.
And none of the two unique setlists in Rome featured “When I paint my masterpiece” (which wasn’t played anywhere at all in 2013, if I don’t remember this wrong).
This is strange. Makes me wonder if the Dylanesque way of twisting the truth to make a point is now creeping into the books written about him…?
Kind of spoils the reading of the book for me, as Thomas is writing a lot of interesting stuff that’s new to me (not being well versed with the classics) – but now I wonder if there is more stuff in there which fits the topic but doesn’t hold up to any fact-checking.

Any thoughts on this?

Hi all

I thought I'd add my thoughts regarding this book (which I completed reading over Christmas).

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed.

I thought his comment regarding the live shows in Rome were very interesting, especially in relation to the setlist changes. I particularly enjoyed his comments regarding Modern Times and Love and Theft (and his comments regarding Dylan's use of classical literature to write and then re-write Workingman Blues 2 was the best bit for me and really blew away Clinton Heylin's negative view of this song).

However there were parts that I enjoyed less. The argument put forward regarding 'intertextuality' (taking texts/ideas and advancing them further) was not totally convincing and more time needed to spent arguing this case. There were too many times when the writer drifted into general fan comments (rather than using this academic/classical studies approach to analyse Dylan).

Overall pretty enjoyable but lost focus over the course of the book.

Best wishes to all and happy new year

After finishing the book and after my critique above, I got to say that Chapter 9 - with reflections and thoughts about the concept of Dylan's current live shows - is the best thing I've read about Dylan in a while.
Kudos to you, Mr. Thomas!

I didn't really have time to do more than read it really fast, but had the same thoughts on the intertextuality. You can wade in the water and never get wet, when reading any deconstructed text.The professor I picked for an independent study is all worried about putting the Scarlet Letter on his work for the idea of love and theft in the lyrics. When he found out about the Nobel, I was subjected to a diatribe about plagiarism and had to listen to misunderstood prattle , which I wasn't about to fight against. I mean , let's be honest, he's jealous and that's wrong because no one will ever reach such a deep level, in terms of dylan's ouvre . Poor Dylan , must of dealt with that his whole life from all angles. Anyway, this author tone of this author seems to respect the folk tradition of dylan taking what he needs doesn't ever instigate the lugubrious and unnecessarily fervid judgements upon him.My plan is to turn a blind eye to all this, because I know how I feel is true still hope to garner the grade; in spite of my 'disgraceful' opinions on just how wrong he thinks about that. I'm not totally convinced I'm not jealous of Bob Dylan's winnings myself who wouldn't be?Lucky hisbed too-I mean who can ever compare , even triplicate , an album of covers is quite a piece of genius taking quite the road less traveledby anyone before! You have believe love in his singing there but of course there's always someon ewho will get caught up and marvel on how he doesn't deserve to have what he wants

I bought this book based on the recommendations in this thread!
Just got it and can't wait to read it

120 pages into this book and i am loving it:)
bob will perform at Auditorium Parco della Musica next spring

sorry this spring

I feel sorry for you . It is a fantastic book and very important.

Yeah. It's important to the author's bank account. I already know why Dylan matters (to me) therefore I don't need a book. I suspect that if one does not know why Dylan matters then Dylan doesn't really matter.
Maybe you could write a book called "Why The 'Why Dylan Matters' Book Matters".

The point is not why Dylan matters to you or me.
To me the point of the book was how Dylan matters in the world of literature.
By showing how Dylan has been influenced by Classical Latin and Greek authors as well as traditional folk songs and other authors he shows where Dylan might stand in the literary landscape. He also explores the plagiarism issue and points out how what Dylan has done is what most if not all major authors have done since the dawn of time.

It was originally going to be called something along the lines of 'Bob Dylan and the Classics' which is a much more fitting title, but the publishers made him change it. It's a great study into Bob's use of classical and antique literature in his songs. The title is rather misleading.

Agreed, I was hesitant to read it at first for the same reasons as Ghost but really enjoyed it after I discovered it wasn't just an essay-style argument about why I should like Bob Dylan. It's a pretty good study of Bob's literary influences, especially during the Time Out Of Mind to Tempest material.

It's the only real study of Chronicles as a work of fiction, as well.

Okay. I can appreciate that.

However to me it is a very fitting and suitable title as the way he explores Bob’s use of classical and traditional sources and show he he is not a plagiarist, but how by using the ideas etc of others Dylan has built on the foundations of literature.

I've read so many Bob books. Is there anything new in here that would be worthwhile for me?

Yes. He's one of the few Dylan writers who has genuinely done something that no one else has done before. If you don't have time, you can always read his paper on Love and Theft from 2007, which is a pretty good summation of the book, which then goes on to deal with MT, Tempest and Chronicles as well.


http://journal.oraltradition.org/files/ ... thomas.pdf

After a few rough scans through this book I finally was in the mood for a good read today. Always a good sign when It gets hard to put the book down, and so this proved.

How refreshing to read about "mod bobs" most recent releases and excursions. Sometimes you felt the writer was clutching at straws but more often than not he seems spot on with his seamless links, linking Dylan to the great poets and thinkers of our time. More so it helped me understand the intertexual nature of bobs more recent "thefts".

It centered perfectly around the nobel prize award and ritchard thomas does a great job of explaining our heros latest proccess of writing.

Just a few questions if anyone in the know could answer. Mr Thomas talks about the highlands original, or rearranged lyrics. Then towards the very end mentions that he was sent a bootleg of highlands. Given that the net performances are so easily availiable hERe and on youtube, was he sent a studio outtake? (long shot I know).

The lyrics for sweatbox blues (tangled) and idiot wind are a very different beast from the final blood on the tracks release, could these early versions have been confused after many years as being the so called "im cold" album?

Andy muirs most recent book on the net also takes the reader through bobs most recent exploits, its also a great read. Mr Thomas touches on heylin and grays recent writings. How many books, in that vein are there, are there many?

Great book, great read, 8/10 for me.

I cannot answer your very astute questions, but I certainly hope somebody can. I have had this book for some months, but you've certainly jumped its place in the queue among my list of imminent must-reads. I thank you for a rational and revelatory review. This ought to sell more copies of the book, and rightly so.

How come Bob Dylan has had time to read all these books?

How come he knows so much about everything?

And have time to raise a large family?

It all beats me

We have the time , so Bob does too, he is a genius.

Geniuses, in their particular field, often have the quality of being able to recognise what is extraneous and inessential and often possess the ability to dissect all that is irrelevant and expose the truth beneath.

Now, if only Dylan would apply this to Empire Burlesque.

I hear Bob spent all his time in libraries when he was in NY. So he had time yes, but no more than the rest of us, plus he was churning out songs like there was no tomorrow.

Bob, no ordinary cat, that's for sure.

I agree about Empire Burlesque. From the sublime to the ridiculous. Trust Yourself is an antihero's slogan. When the Night Comes is an apocalyptic anthem.

It would be a much better album if it was pared down to a minimal simplicity, in other words if all the songs on it were given the same treatment as Dark Eyes.