Community Chat

[shoekitty]

@on the bay   You described the book as I understand him.  I don't think anyone ever will, he does it on purpose.  You notice, although he's been in the business over 60 years,the public doesn't know him too well.  Even that which we think we knew will be debunked later, lol.  He hasn't been sued much, he hasn't seen much scandal, and aside from one daughter and his son Jakob none has pursued much in music. None will talk about him personally  They are as,secretive as he is.  I think it is all by design. He does love his music and just playing.  And, oh such a gifted master with words.  He really does have a gift. He also has a strong set of genes, IMO, LOL!!  With his almost chain smoking, the hours he keeps, the life style.  he has held up longer than any iconic figure of his age that came out of the 60's.  lol. 

i think Joan Baez summed him up nest in Diamonds and Rust.  
WELL ILL BE DAMNED

HERE COMES THAT GHOST AGAIN

BUT THATS NOT UNUSUAL

ITS JUST THAT THE MOON IS FULL

AND YOU HAPPENED TO CALL

YOU BURST ON THE SCENE

ALREADY A LEGEND

AN UNWASHED PHENOMENON

THE ORIGINAL VAGABONG.......

there is a really good documentary on Joan Baez ,out 2 years ago.  They had unlimited access to her archives, interviews. It's called I AM A NOISE.  In there she talks about him briefly. How she loved him, how she helped him on folk scene, then. She turns around and he is in a relationship  with someone else.  Suzy, I think.  Joan doesn't speak ill of him.. but she does let on how the hurt was intense.  
ETA  In reading my post over, it seems I left out a couple sentences when referring to his kids. All his kids have said, I'd he was not an absent Father.  He was there for every game, participated in school events and he is a loving hands on father.  Then I remembered Dylan did quit concerts for a while late 60's.  By then he had 4 kids, and stayed home to help. 

I'm still his number one fan though!  Lol

[UpNorthGorgy]

I worked with a Math teacher who grew up in Hibbing, Mn. He said he used to hear Bob Dylan practicing music in the garage in the  neighborhood. I thought that was interesting.

Minnesota also was home to Judy Garland in Grand Rapids, Mn., not far from the Iron Range where Dylan is from. Recently  there was a court case over a pair of ruby slippers from the museum there that were stolen. Years later they were found. The man thought they were real rubies. He  is now elderly in poor health.

[CalminHeart]

I met Bob Dylan after a concert in 1974. It was the only time I was speechless and giddy. I've been a fan since the 60s.

[on the bay]

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@Northray wrote:

I did read this book.  Because, of course, with so much made of Dylan by his generation I had to read up on him.

What struck me is how beautifully he uses words.  He is a wordsmith in the extreme.  And also how much he hated to be the voice of his generation.  How he was not instep with the "movements" of the time. 

I thought he was the oracle of the hippies, but he hated the hippies.  He really, truly was just doing himself and not wanting to start a revolution or be a leader of one. 

@Northray,

I was re-reading some of these and you said exactly what I was thinking and trying to put into words

The only thing I felt differently about is his words. They could have been beautiful if they felt more authentic rather than just words thrown in to sound nice and poetic. Just like the amazing words in his songs. But he didn't seem to really feel or believe what he wrote. 

I don't know, like so many have said, I didn't know him at all.

And I used to admire and love him. I can imagine how Joan Baez must have felt. Or Joni Mitchell who wrote scathing things about him. 

A good description like you said for him @Oznell, in his own words-

 "blowin in the wind."

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[shoekitty]

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@We rescue cats wrote:

He is such a unique, complicated and multifaceted individual. What an understatement "The Times They are A-Changin" was, and IS today.

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@We rescue cats   AMEN TO THAT!   I was humming The times they are a changin the other day.   Today, it's With God On our side.  Yesterday, it was Freedom, by Billy Preston from Woodstock.  Both been in my head all day.  It must be 60's nostalgia week.  Lol

[LTT1]

@Oznell @on the bay @shoekitty @CalminHeart @UpNorthGorgy 

What a great discussion this is! Thank you @Oznell for sharing your thoughts!

One point that comes to ind...I think maybe it was said in the movie "A Complete Unknown": a narrator said his relationship with JB was more like she was his mother 

"and he really did need a mother" 

land my ears perked up. I knew nothing is his childhood and listened for more but didn't hear more. Now, from what has been posted in this discussion, I’m seeing a new side to this man. 
Going to get my hands on this book although as you say, there isn't a lot of detail in his fleeting thoughts.

A friend from book club said she saw the movie and said "well, BD was an A-hole". I loved the movie and it brought back the 60's for me...I loved that feeling and sometimes wish I could re-live it, this time MORE!

My life has been very sheltered in a way and so I’m unfamiliar with certain parts of this country!

Bob Dylan is no philanthropic soul, from what I have seen...not blaming him. It just appears me that he will enforce copyrights to save his $.

Again, thanks to all here who have shared so vividly a time when all we had were newspapers and limited tv to be part of "the scene"! ☮️ lol

[layla2450]

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@shoekitty wrote:

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@We rescue cats wrote:

He is such a unique, complicated and multifaceted individual. What an understatement "The Times They are A-Changin" was, and IS today.

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@We rescue cats   AMEN TO THAT!   I was humming The times they are a changin the other day.   Today, it's With God On our side.  Yesterday, it was Freedom, by Billy Preston from Woodstock.  Both been in my head all day.  It must be 60's nostalgia week.  Lol

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Richie Havens sang "Freedom" at Woodstock. One of the BEST performances ever!

[shoekitty]

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@layla2450 wrote:

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@shoekitty wrote:

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@We rescue cats wrote:

He is such a unique, complicated and multifaceted individual. What an understatement "The Times They are A-Changin" was, and IS today.

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@We rescue cats   AMEN TO THAT!   I was humming The times they are a changin the other day.   Today, it's With God On our side.  Yesterday, it was Freedom, by Billy Preston from Woodstock.  Both been in my head all day.  It must be 60's nostalgia week.  Lol

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Richie Havens sang "Freedom" at Woodstock. One of the BEST performances ever!

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@layla2450 : Yes Richie havens did! Why I said Billy Preston. Hmmmm.  I don't know.  I love Richie Havens and that song

[shoekitty]

@LTT1   I think Bob is philithropic to many causes, he always is supporting some cause.  He is not too vocal, but maybe thru his music. He also sold his entire music catalog a few years ago, I think 600 million.  That might be speculation, but it was the amount I found.  He is a devoted, engaged father.  But he isn't out there.  If you think about it, he's not on the news because he did something good, or bad!   You don't hear much of him, and what I do hear, I take with a grain of salt. lol.  He seems to hold the narrative. He was married and had a child 10 years before the public found out.  And when the news was finding out about it Bob and his wife released it ahead of any story.  So there story was out there first. What PR! Lol@,

I am sure Joan loved him to bits.  Joan lived near, and in Palo Alto,and was around Kepler's, and the institute of non violence a lot. She was spotted coming and going in Palo Alto. She was way ahead of me at PA High.  Her and her younger sister Mimi. She comes from Quaker stock, and actually is very traditional about things, and a peace advocate. My opinion is Bob cared for her, loved her maybe, road along with her for success, and then fell in love with Suzy.  But he didn't let either of the parties know what he was doing. LOL! I love Bob Dylan, I a mean I was 16 when I fell in love with him. But as I grew I realized things aren't what they seem. It's the music, not the man. 

also, to me the movie A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, wasn't a lie, but did take license with some events.  The time line was a little off to me, having followed the times, and been in it.  It was a good movie.  I think if it got one thing right, it was the ever elusive Bob Dylan himself. Notice, the movie didn't give you any internal insights, just put Bob Dylan through the movement of being himself. It also covered a very short time period. It was well done. But to me, if you want to really see Bob Dylan himself. Watch the Rolling Thunder Review documentary, and Joan Baez, I AM A NOISE. Think it's on Hulu , netflicks 

[shoesnbags]

@Oznell @Thanks for posting this for those of us in other parts of the country. 

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@Oznell wrote:

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