June 29, 2013
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Some thoughts on Bob Dylan
Dylan said he’d have liked to put out a more religious album than his most recent one, which was “Tempest.” I like his “Christmas Album” where Bob celebrates the Nativity of Jesus, God’s Lordship, – and even sings in Latin! Bob sure has suffered for being Jewish and accepting Jesus, and sticking with it. I think I admire Bob for that even more than for his work as a singer/songwriter. I also admire Bob for, once becoming Christian, not letting his poetry become cliched with Christian terminology. He was able to keep his cool, and remain critical, and still see the truth in Christian propositions. Now that is really rare, and helps explain why/how Bob was able to move beyond the fundamental point of view (which we all knew he would have to.)
I wonder if Bob has gotten married again? Somewhere I heard he married that 37 year old Harvard grad who smokes pot but is a Catholic, and they live in Scotland in that 10 million dollar castle Bob bought in the highlands. But, who knows for sure? Was it a Catholic ceremony in a Catholic Church? It is devilishly difficult to get personal information about Bob. I don’t know how he does it. If Smiley Virus paints her toenails a different color, we all know about it. But Bob might have as many as 10 kids and no one even has a clue. Go figure.
So, Bob was awarded another medal, from France, – France’s highest civilian award, just like Zero gave Bob America’s highest civilian honor? Does Bob Dylan really deserve such high accolades?
You better believe it!
Only Shakespeare has been able to communicate as effectively in English. Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Bob…top three ever.
Bob could’ve done much better, but that binge with heroin really caused long term damage to his brain. Sad. Not to mention what has happened to his singing voice…which is also sad.
But, sin is a terrible damper on what God wants to accomplish with His gifts.
What makes Bob, and Shakespeare, and Sophocles GREAT is their familiarity with TRAGEDY. (It’s what makes Spielberg a drop of piss: he doesn’t go there.) Tragedy plumbs the depths of the human spirit. The USA and all the pretty maids in a row don’t want to hear about it. “Desolation Row”, ” “Hollis Brown”, “Under a Red Sky”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, “Let Me Die in My Footsteps” etc. etc. etc. all face the tragic.
That’s what we have on our hands RIGHT NOW – a fucking NATIONAL TRAGEDY! just like MacBeth or Hamlet. and Americans don’t know how to deal with it, because they always listened to Pop, Do-Wop, Easy Listening, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, and Sting. Oh, Please!
