Did you notice that Bob Dylan didn’t appear on any of the telethons?<\/p>\n
I used to think the goal was to be the Beatles.\u00c2\u00a0 An act that was inviolate,
that wouldn’t license its material to anybody, wouldn’t let it be in
compilations or movies, who specialized in saying no because
they CONTROLLED the tunes.\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, you had to have CONTROL!<\/p>\n
But now I know it’s not about the masters, but control of yourself.\u00c2\u00a0 Can you
look yourself in the mirror, when you go to bed at night do you have your
integrity, HUMILITY?\u00c2\u00a0 If you think you’re better than everybody else, you’re lost.
\u00c2\u00a0If you know that EVERYBODY’S lost and we’re all searching for answers, then
you get my respect.<\/p>\n
Don’t confuse artistry with celebrity.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re two different animals.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh,
they can coincide.\u00c2\u00a0 But not for long.\u00c2\u00a0 Eventually your time draws to a close.\u00c2\u00a0
The radio plays somebody else.\u00c2\u00a0 Kids don’t know who you are.\u00c2\u00a0 You’re PASSE!<\/p>\n
How someone copes with this gives one insight into their character.<\/p>\n
U2 is over forty.\u00c2\u00a0 They don’t make urban music.\u00c2\u00a0 Hit radio wasn’t interested.
This frustrated them.\u00c2\u00a0 Rather than accept their has-been fate, they’ve
fought to stay on top, and it shows.\u00c2\u00a0 The most memorable product they’ve released
in the past year is their iPod.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s cooler than their music.\u00c2\u00a0 More meaningful
than their shows.\u00c2\u00a0 They appear on "Entourage", anything to sustain the cash
cow.\u00c2\u00a0 To tour arenas.\u00c2\u00a0 To make the money.\u00c2\u00a0 But is it really about the money?\u00c2\u00a0
Is it really about the fame?\u00c2\u00a0 Is that the end goal of life?<\/p>\n
U2 got my admiration because of "Achtung Baby".\u00c2\u00a0 It was an adventure.\u00c2\u00a0 One
step beyond the audience.\u00c2\u00a0 Incomprehensible on the first listen.\u00c2\u00a0 We call this
art.\u00c2\u00a0 That new song that rips off "You Keep Me Hanging On", that’s not art,
that’s commerce.<\/p>\n
I get enough commerce in the grocery store.\u00c2\u00a0 On network TV.\u00c2\u00a0 What I’m looking
for in music is pure, unadulterated art.<\/p>\n
Oh, that doesn’t mean we can’t have ANY commerce.\u00c2\u00a0 That we can’t have hit
ditties.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s just that I don’t respect them.\u00c2\u00a0 I might even ENJOY them.\u00c2\u00a0 But
they’re not meaningful.\u00c2\u00a0 Life is complicated. Scary, lonely.\u00c2\u00a0 Sure, it’s fun to
have some grease to get you through, but we’re really looking for food.\u00c2\u00a0
Emotional and intellectual food.\u00c2\u00a0 Honesty.\u00c2\u00a0 No medium is as honest
as music.\u00c2\u00a0 When done right.<\/p>\n
It’s rarely done right anymore.<\/p>\n
Oh, there are a zillion bands on MySpace that are honest.<\/p>\n
They’re just not any good.<\/p>\n
And just about everybody with any talent has bought the mainstream mantra
that you’ve got to market to sell.\u00c2\u00a0 To be a big star.\u00c2\u00a0 But is that what it’s all
about?\u00c2\u00a0 Or, once you’ve seeped into the public consciousness can’t you pull
back on the throttle?\u00c2\u00a0 Like Pearl Jam?<\/p>\n
If only Pearl Jam were great.<\/p>\n
But they’re serviceable, not great.<\/p>\n
I’d like to tell you Bob Dylan has done great work in the past two decades.\u00c2\u00a0
He hasn’t.\u00c2\u00a0 Why he gets a pass for ripping off that Japanese man’s book for
lyrics is beyond me.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s how blind our critics are.\u00c2\u00a0 What they revere
eclipses its faults.\u00c2\u00a0 But despite the failure of the man to make great music,
he’s living the life of a musician, he’s playing.<\/p>\n
That’s what a musician’s work is.\u00c2\u00a0 Playing music.<\/p>\n
It’s not stardom.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not governmental interaction.\u00c2\u00a0 It exists OUTSIDE the
system.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a COMMENT on the system.\u00c2\u00a0 MERGE with the system and you’ve lost
it.<\/p>\n
If Bob Dylan had appeared on a telethon he would have appeared
two-dimensional, subservient to Joel Gallen, the brass at MTV Networks,
subsidiary to the consumer culture, a ravenous monster that needs a constant
flow of product to feed it.\u00c2\u00a0 Watch the news.\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Felt today, some girl in Aruba tomorrow.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s all about selling this, or that.\u00c2\u00a0 Whether it be soap, or Red Cross donations.<\/p>\n
That’s not the purpose of art.\u00c2\u00a0 Art is an end unto itself.\u00c2\u00a0 The Mona Lisa
doesn’t sell mortgage services.\u00c2\u00a0 It exists in a separate world.\u00c2\u00a0 That we want to
get close to, to touch.\u00c2\u00a0 And despite our proximity we never fully understand
it, we’re perplexed, we’re wowed.\u00c2\u00a0 The same way we are when we hear a great
song.<\/p>\n
And a great song survives.\u00c2\u00a0 Not only on oldies radio, but in the hearts of
the public.<\/p>\n
The line that’s been going through my head for the past two weeks isn’t from
Randy Newman’s "Louisiana 1927" but Bob Dylan’s "It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only
Bleeding)".\u00c2\u00a0 You know it: "But even the president of the United States sometimes
must have to stand naked."<\/p>\n
Oh, out of context, it doesn’t do much for you.\u00c2\u00a0 But that’s what separates
music from poetry.\u00c2\u00a0 It comes deep into an almost eight minute song that’s a
flurry of words Bruce Springsteen has never equaled, no matter how hard he’s
tried.\u00c2\u00a0 Delivered to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar.\u00c2\u00a0 Spat out with
disdain.\u00c2\u00a0 As if that guy playing for quarters by the subway station was GOOD!<\/p>\n
That’s how fucked up this country is.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s how fucked up these telethons
were.\u00c2\u00a0 They didn’t have one moment as good as Bob Dylan’s delivery of this one
line.<\/p>\n
Recorded forty years ago, "It’s Alright, Ma" sounds as fresh today as the
first time you heard it.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not trendy.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not folk music.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s honest.\u00c2\u00a0
"Like A Rolling Stone" is a period piece.\u00c2\u00a0 "It’s Alright, Ma" is not.\u00c2\u00a0 And the
concepts put forth are as right on as they were when they were first
delineated.<\/p>\n
Bob Dylan could have come out.\u00c2\u00a0 Like Pink Floyd at Live 8.<\/p>\n
But, unlike Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan’s still here.\u00c2\u00a0 You can see him, not far
from home, on a regular basis.\u00c2\u00a0 There are no backdrops, there’s no light show,
only music.\u00c2\u00a0 Because, if the music isn’t enough, you’re fucked.<\/p>\n
And it’s not the same music it used to be.\u00c2\u00a0 The songs are all twisted.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s
frustrating.\u00c2\u00a0 But, you realize it’s not about you, Bob’s not delivering for
you, you’re privileged to be seeing a master at work.\u00c2\u00a0 Searching for meaning.\u00c2\u00a0
However elusive it might be.\u00c2\u00a0 Like you, he’s not stuck at age twenty or forty.\u00c2\u00a0
He’s grown old.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s accepted it.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s trying to make his life work NOW!\u00c2\u00a0
It’s not about the legacy, perpetuating the career, not even about making a
living as much as it is a search for MEANING!<\/p>\n
That’s what’s lacking in America today.\u00c2\u00a0 Meaning.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s about what’s on the
outside, not the inside.\u00c2\u00a0 In a country fixated on looks and possessions who you
are is irrelevant.\u00c2\u00a0 And to think that this core principle has been ripped
from artistry is to be sad.<\/p>\n
I’m not counting on Bob Dylan regaining the muse.\u00c2\u00a0 Being able to duplicate
"It’s Alright, Ma".\u00c2\u00a0 But, if you saw him on "60 Minutes", you know that even HE
admits he can’t do that anymore.\u00c2\u00a0 Not that one can trust everything he said in
that performance art of an interview.\u00c2\u00a0 But, certain honesty escaped from the
illusion.\u00c2\u00a0 Bob Dylan let on that he’s on a journey.\u00c2\u00a0 To be the best.\u00c2\u00a0 Not the
richest, or the most famous, but the icon.<\/p>\n
Funny to think about.\u00c2\u00a0 You’d tend to believe he already IS an icon.\u00c2\u00a0 But in
life you can’t bank on the past.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s about who you are now.\u00c2\u00a0 Bob Dylan’s
trying to make it all work NOW!\u00c2\u00a0 Aren’t YOU?<\/p>\n
Paul McCartney isn’t.\u00c2\u00a0 Nor the Stones.\u00c2\u00a0 Paul and Mick have had their looks
tweaked.\u00c2\u00a0 They need to be who they used to.\u00c2\u00a0 Who you remember.\u00c2\u00a0 Otherwise,
they’re just sad old men.<\/p>\n
But what’s so sad about living a whole life?\u00c2\u00a0 Making it to sixty?<\/p>\n
Then again, do you want your mother to treat you like you’re twelve?\u00c2\u00a0 Don’t
you want her to accept you as an adult?\u00c2\u00a0 What must be going through these old
stars’ brains, that they believe that their only choice is to be stuck in
perpetual adolescence.<\/p>\n
So, even though I don’t want to listen to Dylan’s new music, or even see him,
I still believe.\u00c2\u00a0 In his journey.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s a beacon.<\/p>\n
While them that defend what they cannot see You only get one go-round.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m warning you, Bob Dylan’s warning you, make So all those stars with their jewelry and possessions.\u00c2\u00a0 Telling you what good And if you’re following Bob Dylan you’re missing out too.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s not a leader, Musicians on TV tell you you must have compassion, as if you wouldn’t have Karl Rove sits in Washington spinning your perception.<\/p>\n Democrats stay silent fearful they’ll misstep and lose the advantage if they No, life is about wrestling with the situation that’s presented you, going on This is how Bob Dylan lives.<\/p>\n And that’s why we still believe in him.\u00c2\u00a0 <\/p>\n And don’t believe in those stars on TV.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you notice that Bob Dylan didn’t appear on any of the telethons? I used to think the goal was to be the Beatles.\u00c2\u00a0 An act that was inviolate, that wouldn’t license its material to anybody, wouldn’t let it be in compilations or movies, who specialized in saying no because they CONTROLLED the tunes.\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-shows","category-the-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-2m","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
With a killer’s pride, security
It blows their minds most bitterly
For them that think death’s honesty
Won’t fall upon them naturally
Life sometimes
Must get lonely.<\/em><\/p>\n
the most of it.\u00c2\u00a0 Know that you don’t have all the answers.\u00c2\u00a0 That if you’re not
questioning yourself and your behavior and the world EVERY DAY you’re missing
out.\u00c2\u00a0 Belief is the easy way out.\u00c2\u00a0 Religion will give you a code, that might
even be helpful, but you’ve got to face life naked.\u00c2\u00a0 With all your faculties.\u00c2\u00a0
Being aware of your synapses firing.<\/p>\n
they’re doing.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re false prophets.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re following them, you’re
missing out.<\/p>\n
just someone with input.\u00c2\u00a0 Which you can weigh when you make your decisions.\u00c2\u00a0
A far cry from the know-it-all stars of today.\u00c2\u00a0 Arrogant as a youth, as an
elder statesman Dylan demands less of us.\u00c2\u00a0 Humbled by life, his goal is to keep
marching, to keep learning.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s a paradigm worth embracing.<\/p>\n
feelings without their guidance.<\/p>\n
speak up.\u00c2\u00a0 As if life is about laying back reacting rather than leading.<\/p>\n
record, not fearful of making mistakes, not worried about others’ perceptions.<\/p>\n