Laughing, to remember this time I was idly watching TV late one night, maybe thirty years ago, and some movie came on. Gregory Peck, hmm, I'll see him in anything, I'll watch. He was shot down by a hungry kid...
I'm like, wait a minute, this sounds familiar holy shit, it is! (The Gunfighter, 1950)
Somehow you managed to quote the greatest stanza from one of Dylan's unrecognized greatest songs. That and "Blind Willie McTell may be Dylan's last great songs. And "Dark Eyes."
I have given that thought. Might be as easy as Dylan brought the Gregory Peck thing, while Shepherd ran his storyline about the guy on the run to mexico underneath it. Or vice versa. But I love it nonetheless.
Well, Dylan has, from time to time covered other artists' songs (like every song on his first album except "Song for Woody," which is a straight rip-off of Woody Guthrie's "Ludlow Massacre, 1913"), and famously stole Dave van Ronk's for-the-ages arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" after promising van Ronk that he wouldn't. Van Ronk didn't speak to Zimmy for a good while after that, if ever. A singer/folklorist, Paul Clayton (look him up), discovered a black folk song in North Carolina from which Dylan swiped the melody, pure and simple, for "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Clayton sued and they settled out of court. Clayton, btw., was gay and reportedly in love with Dylan. He was also a deep depressive, and killed himself. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" may or may not be Dylan's sadistic homage to Clayton, who had deep blue eyes. (If Zimmy wrote that song for/about Clayton, he (Bobby) was one sick, reprehensible motherfucker). "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is largely Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" with new words. The point is, as you say, whoever wrote it, Dylan singing it is usually the definitive version......
Name-dropping time: An LA documentary filmmaker, Ed Vodicka is making a movie of my first book, Backbeat, about the great drummer Earl Palmer. Last night I phoned one of the great drummers of the generation after Earl's, Jim Keltner, who first steered me towards Earl, an idol of his, and who's been a friend of mine,a faithful one, since I wrote about him for Musician in 1989. Keltner was pleased to hear that Earl continues to draw attention 15 years after his death. One of Earl's great talents was for prevailing over racism. Of course, he was not alone in the challenges he faced and overcame. Keltner said "Well, Miles always used to say that every black man who grew up in the '30s and '40s is a hero."
Anyway, Keltner's been out on the road with Dylan, whom he's backed on and off since the early '80s (Shot of Love among others).
Laughing, to remember this time I was idly watching TV late one night, maybe thirty years ago, and some movie came on. Gregory Peck, hmm, I'll see him in anything, I'll watch. He was shot down by a hungry kid...
I'm like, wait a minute, this sounds familiar holy shit, it is! (The Gunfighter, 1950)
Somehow you managed to quote the greatest stanza from one of Dylan's unrecognized greatest songs. That and "Blind Willie McTell may be Dylan's last great songs. And "Dark Eyes."
Yes, I have that whole song memorized!
So do I, pretty much. It really is in his top 10. The question is: Sam Shepard got co-writing credit. How much did he do?
I have given that thought. Might be as easy as Dylan brought the Gregory Peck thing, while Shepherd ran his storyline about the guy on the run to mexico underneath it. Or vice versa. But I love it nonetheless.
Well, Dylan has, from time to time covered other artists' songs (like every song on his first album except "Song for Woody," which is a straight rip-off of Woody Guthrie's "Ludlow Massacre, 1913"), and famously stole Dave van Ronk's for-the-ages arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" after promising van Ronk that he wouldn't. Van Ronk didn't speak to Zimmy for a good while after that, if ever. A singer/folklorist, Paul Clayton (look him up), discovered a black folk song in North Carolina from which Dylan swiped the melody, pure and simple, for "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Clayton sued and they settled out of court. Clayton, btw., was gay and reportedly in love with Dylan. He was also a deep depressive, and killed himself. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" may or may not be Dylan's sadistic homage to Clayton, who had deep blue eyes. (If Zimmy wrote that song for/about Clayton, he (Bobby) was one sick, reprehensible motherfucker). "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is largely Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" with new words. The point is, as you say, whoever wrote it, Dylan singing it is usually the definitive version......
Name-dropping time: An LA documentary filmmaker, Ed Vodicka is making a movie of my first book, Backbeat, about the great drummer Earl Palmer. Last night I phoned one of the great drummers of the generation after Earl's, Jim Keltner, who first steered me towards Earl, an idol of his, and who's been a friend of mine,a faithful one, since I wrote about him for Musician in 1989. Keltner was pleased to hear that Earl continues to draw attention 15 years after his death. One of Earl's great talents was for prevailing over racism. Of course, he was not alone in the challenges he faced and overcame. Keltner said "Well, Miles always used to say that every black man who grew up in the '30s and '40s is a hero."
Anyway, Keltner's been out on the road with Dylan, whom he's backed on and off since the early '80s (Shot of Love among others).
That was the best bit in the documentary