#bob dylan references????? maybe

[blood-mocha-latte]

hey :)) please may i ask for a snippet from the modern luztoye wip please? i am intrigued 👀

modern luztoye wip my bestie. my best friend in the whole wide world actually. it’s actually my best friend.

thanks for your ask <33

—

“There’s a song.” George said, vague, and shifted on the couch just enough to tuck his feet under him more fully. “That goes, like.”

He paused, hands paused in the air, and Joe watched him silently, fingers hooked around the neck of his beer, resting on his thigh. George cleared his throat, considered singing, and decided it would be a horrible idea.

“It’s like. Unwashed phenomenon.” He said, waved a hand. “Something vagabond.” The dip between Joe’s brow was deep.

“Diamonds and Rust.” He said, not really a question, and George pointed at him, felt the corner of his mouth crook up.

“That’s the song?” He asked as Joe took another swig from the beer, unperturbed. “The… it’s — the girl.” He managed to get out and Joe cleared his throat, shrugged.

“Joan Baez.” He said. “Wrote it about Bob Dylan, Judas Priest did a cover of it, hers is better. That one?”

George blinked. “I dunno.” He said. “Probably.”

Joe was watching him, face warmed by the lamplight. George looked back down to his own beer. “Why?”

George ran the pad of his finger around the lip of his bottle, thinking. “I don’t know, actually.” He said, hoped it sounded somewhat like a joke. “It’s just — I remember it, s’all.”

[britneyshakespeare]

you know i'm usually the last person to have strong opinions on movie casting announcements but the idea of jacob elordi playing heathcliff stirs a fiery sense of indignation in my heart

[peacerisendove]

I really need a list of all the pop culture references Kon makes/mentions in comics. I just think it's so interesting (Also an interesting way of him displaying his implanted knowledge, I believe).

(I'll update this post once I get through all the comics; I will have to swing back around to 1-50 in Superboy. And then reread all of YJ.)

Star Trek (Superboy ?)

Star Trek - Quote, Worf, Tribbles — Superboy #55

Star Wars - Womp Rats — Superboy #59

Betty and Veronica/Archie Comics - Superboy

Tolkien - Young Justice #3

Scream - Superboy #45

The Postman (1997) - Young Justice: The Secret Vol .1 #1

Leonardo DiCaprio - Young Justice (1998) #16

War by Edwin Starr - Young Justice (1998) #35

Magilla Gorilla (The Magilla Gorilla Show) - Superboy (1994) #53

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Titanic (1997) - Superboy (1994) #54

(Maybe) Wacky Racers, Muttley - Superboy (1994) #54

Mighty Joe Young - Young Justice (I'll have to check)

Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and the 1998 Major League Baseball home run chase record. - Superboy (1994) #59

Richie Cunningham / Happy Days - Superboy (1994) #62

Men in Black (1997) (maybe?) - Superboy (1994) #62

Star Wars - Superboy (1994) #63

Star Trek and Captain Kirk - Superboy (1994) #66

Bob Dylan "Mr. Tambourine Man" - Superboy (1994) #66

Archie's Pals 'n' Gals - Suprboy (1994) #72

Jiminy Cricket - Superboy (1994) #75

Steven Spielberg - The Adventures of Superman (1987) #580

Pokemon and the Pokemon Theme - Action Comics (1938) #767

Scarface - Action Comics (1938) #767

"I'll be back" - Terminator (1984) — Superboy #76

Vinnie Barbarino from the show Welcome Back, Kotter — Superboy #83

"You're despicable." - Daffy Duck — Superboy #83

"I pity da fool" - Mr. T's catchphrase from Rocky III — Superboy #83

Metallica albums Master of Puppets and The Black Album — Superboy #83

Korn (band) - Superboy #83

Dark Angel (2000) (Television Show) — Superboy #84

Patrick Ewing (Basketball player and actor) — Superboy #84

Jabba the Hutt - Star Wars — Superboy #84

"We Are the World" by U.S.A. for Africa — Superboy #84

Rage Against the Machine — Superboy #84

The People's Elbow - WWE; The Rock's signature move. — Superboy #84

Parody song of Barry Manilow's "Mandy" — Superboy #84

"Muskrat Love" - Captain and Tennille — Superboy #84

"Happy Little Trees" / Bob Ross — Superboy #84

Ally McBeal (1997) TV Series — Superboy #84

"Burn Baby Burn" - I'm assuming it's a reference to "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, but it could be a lot of things honestly. —Superboy #85

Tinkerbell - Superboy #85

Kurt Cobain and Nirvana - Superboy #85

[loftec]

🎄Weekly Tag Wednesday - Holidays 🎄

This week we are going to talk about your Holiday Traditions! Thank you for the tag @deedala <3

Name:  loftec

Where in the world are you?  Sweden

What holiday do you and/or your family celebrate at this time of year?  We celebrate christmas, but honestly I hate calling it that so I will call it yule in this post (jul, in swedish). It's obviously a pagan-turned-christian holiday here too, but I've never been religious so my brain does this every time I have to refer to it as "christmas":

Does your family get together to celebrate?  Yes, just my parents and brothers, it used to be that we'd celebrate on our own on the 23rd and maybe have one or two grandparents over for the 24th (the main day here) and then go see extended family on the 25th and 26th, but these days my brothers, their SOs and I just go hang out at our parents' three days in a row. It's very nice and low-key.

Are there any traditional foods for the holiday?  Julbord, a yule smörgåsbord. Ham, meatballs, kale, pickled herring, salmon, janssons, etc etc. We usually get to demand one thing each for the table, and mine is always kale. There's a culture war in sweden re: which type of cabbage is correct for julbord – brown, green or red – and I'm controversially team green (geographically, I should be team brown) (no-one is team brown).

Do you typically decorate for your holiday?  I have a little box I bring out; I've got a star light for my bedroom (an orange paper lantern I've had since I was a kid) and a brass star light for the kitchen (it used to be the family kitchen light before my parents moved out of my childhood home). I also have a very small tree for the Boy (so I can put his presents under it), and this year I added a new guy to the box:

I've had the version on the left for as long as I can remember (he's in the family box at my parents'), and found the lad to the right at a second hand shop the other day. Obviously he had to come home with me, and one day he will be reunited with his long lost pal (gay).

Tell me about your favorite holiday memory:  For decades, one of the most important traditions in my family was to go to an indoor pool on the 23rd. It started when my brother and I were little and I think our mum was sick one yule and dad wanted to give her some peace and quiet, so we went to a public bath nearby. Turns out not a lot of people do this, most people are probably running around getting ready for the 24th, so we had a grand old time swimming and playing in a basically empty bath. So this became a beloved tradition, and we went for almost every year until the pandemic. One specifically memorable time was when they visited me in Japan and we went to an onsen, and it started snowing.

What is the significance of the holiday you are celebrating?  Spend time with family (people you want to spend time with) and eat good food (knowing that you're halfway through winter and that the food will last) and appease the natural forces (yule gnomes) with bribes (porridge) so they'll give you a little gift and not fuck up your life. Also Jesus and Brian of nazareth were both born at some point.

If there was one thing you could change about this holiday, what would it be? My dad came home with a persistent cold, I'm hoping for him to feel completely recovered by next week.

Anything else you want to tell me about your holiday? Please enjoy my top 5 yule albums (proceeds to recommend you five aggressively christmassy albums lol listen!! the bops transcend religion):

tagging @the-rat-wins @mittimellan (in case you want to procrastinate the stress week!!) @wideblueskies @beckyharvey29 @thisfeebleheart and anyone who wants to yap about their holidays!

[folk-enjoyer]

Suggested Song

"900 Miles" Terry Callier, 1968

origins under the cut

the origins of this song are a bit unclear. No one knows who first wrote it or some specifics with its origins. 900 miles is related to the traditional southern song, "Reuben's train," written sometime after 1860, based on the Reuben Wells Locomotive.

the earliest example of the song in print (that i could find anyway) was in 1913, from the journal of American folklore. somewhat similar to the song that Terry Callier covers. I've seen some references to the song being dated to the very early 1900s and late 1800s, so this song is older than 1913.

the first recording of the song (that i could find) was in 1924 by Fiddlin' John Carson "I'm Nine Hundred miles from home"

and in 1927 by Henry Whitter and G. B. Grayson "train No.45"

a common title for this song is Train No. 45 (which is usually just the instrumental version for the reuben train song), which is confusing because the reuben wells is actually referred to as no. 35, but maybe they changed it in the 20s because that was when the California Western Railroad No. 45 was built. I'm not really sure.

Many of the folk artists who covered this song and the music anthologists who collected have credited to hearing it from black singers originally like woody guthrie and Alan Lomax (p.245). Alan Lomax talks about its different versions in different southern states and its history as a labor song for Sharecroppers and convicts who were both white and black.

and Folklorist Norm Cohen talks about its use and connections to black folklife here (p. 502-518).

and it's featured here in the album, "Before The Blues Vol. 2 (The Early American Black Music Scene) 2016"

based on Alan Lomax's account, it seems that the 900 mile version was popularized because of Woody Guthrie's version in 1944

This song is incredibly famous and has been covered by many other traditional and revival folk artists, including: Cisco Houston (1950-1953), Odetta (1963), Barbara Dane (1961), Richie Havens (late 1960s?) and Bob Dylan (1967).

one of the most popular versions of the song "500 miles" was written in 1961 by Hedy west and is a much newer adaptation of the traditional song, it also has a much more cheery melody and fast tempo compared to the somewhat sullen "900 miles". it has been covered many times by country and folk revival artists like: the journeymen (1961), The Kingston Trio (1962), Peter Paul, and Mary (1962), and the Brothers four (1963).

the version by Terry Callier was recorded in 1965, but his folk album wasn't released until 3 years later in 1968. when he released his first album, "The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier." 900 miles was the first song on the tracklist and the album combined elements of traditional folk/blues as well as jazz. he takes traditional songs and re-imagines them with a fresh pair of eyes that makes this folk album stand out from the multitude of others at the time. While it's considered a cult classic today, it seems like it may have not performed very well monetarily considering how long it took to release and how every other Terry Callier release is completely different.

still, even though this was only his first album, and his genre and style diverged pretty heavily from this first album, it remains to me, one of the best things to come out of the folk revival scene, and 900 miles by Terry Callier will remain the best cover of the traditional labor song.

for user @paulkleefishmagic

[leftfield-fm]

Scott Ross says of that evening:

The first time I dropped pills was with Brian. I think I knew even then that one day he was going to kill himself with an overdose. He went at it in a crazy way, mixing ups and downs, red pills, yellow pills, pills with stripes on them. “You ought to try this,” Brian said, handing me a fistful of multi-coloured capsules. I don’t think even he knew what they were. Somebody had given them to him and Brian was the kind to try anything. …a party was going on, had been going on for four days. Brian popped four of the pills into his mouth. “Groovy,” he said. I took two of them and they were groovy all right! When we walked back into the party a little later, I felt like I was the tallest one in the room. “Let’s go over to my hotel,” Brian said. “I’ve got some of the good stuff, straight from Mexico.” I had never smoked marijuana, but the mood I was in, anything sounded good. As Brian’s chauffeur-driven Cadillac was heading crosstown, the street-lights began to look brown to me. I figured it was the pills. But then they went out altogether. The lights in the stores were out, too. I rolled down the window. Women were screaming. “Maybe the world is coming to an end,” Brian said. The traffic lights weren’t working and the limousine slowed to a crawl. Automobile headlights were the only illumination on the streets. At last, our driver weaved his way through the snarl to the hotel. I wouldn’t have believed it. In spite of the weird, blacked-out city, there was a group of teeny-boppers in front of the main entrance waiting for Brian to come back. “There he is!” they shouted. “Quick!” said Brian. He pushed me through the service door and waved to the man on duty. Obviously, the guy had been through this before, because he had the door locked behind us almost before we were through it. He handed us a candle and showed us how to get up to the lobby since the elevators weren’t working. The lobby, too, was candle-lit. We climbed a lot of flights to Brian’s suite. We were taking our coats off when there was a knock on the door. Brian took the candle and opened it. It was Bob Dylan with a bunch of people. “It’s an invasion from Mars,” said Bob. They all came in and we stood at Brian’s windows looking out over the dark city. It was wild, like Glasgow in the war. “Let’s turn on,” said Bob. “What better time? The little green men have landed.” Brian rolled me my first marijuana cigarette. Neither he nor Bob could believe that I had never smoked pot. By now, they were saying on the transistor radio that the blackout was probably nothing more than a massive power failure. But we knew better. It was the end of the world and we were going out on cloud nine.

That night, Brian took part in a jam session with Dylan, Robbie Robertson and Bobby Neuwirth in his room. They played acoustic guitars by candle-light, but there was no power to record the music: this session was always referred to later as “The Lost Jam.”

excerpt from Bill Wyman's memoir, Stone Alone

[bybdolan]

How do you come up with song titles for your fake albums?

I love your fake tracklist for Reputation (Country Version) esp. Way better than the song titles being “King Of My Heart” and “I Did Something Bad” both of which are very on the nose in a bad way and I’m trying to make more interesting song titles for my fake Taylor albums + actual songs I’m writing.

(sorry for the late reply, I didn't have my laptop with me last week and I dislike answering asks on mobile since I don't use the app.)

alright!!! honestly, this really boils down to two things

Just like many other things in my life, my fake title habits are a result of me listening to a lot of Bob Dylan. Especially during the Bringing It All Back Home – Highway 61 Revisited – Blonde on Blonde run, he had some pretty zany titles. "Bonnie and Clyde (Revisited)" is directly inspired by Highway 61 Revisited, and "Ballad of Liz Taylor" is based on "Ballad of a Thin Man" (funnily enough, Olivia Rodrigo mentioned that "ballad of a homeschooled girl" is named that because of this exact song). Generally speaking, looking at what other artists name their songs can help a lot! Just see what speaks to you and intrigues you. However, my appreciation for Bob Dylan titles largely is the result of one specific thing about his title habits, which is ...

Not constantly picking song titles from the actual lyrics. TTPD arguably has Taylor's "whackiest" song titles – they are quite long and she experiments with punctuation and format quite a bit. Nevertheless, all titles are picked from actual lyrics in the song. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I personally just find it super intriguing when a song title isn't taken from the song itself but instead speaks to a larger idea that the song may be based on. (Though many of my favorite titles are actually just lines from the song.) It's not a super exciting title, but "Thirteen" by Big Star comes to mind: the title is never said in the song, but it sets the stage for what the song is about, namely young love. "Bros" by Wolf Alice does the same thing (and "Don't Delete The Kisses" is a BEAUTIFUL call to action when paired with the song). The title "Abbey" by Mitski references the religious/spiritual undertones of the song but also does a great job at capturing the sound of the song. "400 Lux" by Lorde is another great one. I also love when artists namedrop themselves in a title ("Bob Dylan's 115th Dream") or when the title describes the kind of song you are about to listen to (anything with "Ballad of ..." or "... Blues" in it).

I hope this somewhat helps? Ultimately, if you have a great image or line in your song, it's great to go with that (shoutout "The River" by Bruce Springsteen or "Expert in a Dying Field" by The Beths), but if you want to get a little funky with it, maybe the tips in point 2 can help? And always keep your eyes peeled for titles that sound great to you and move you and strike a chord.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

John Lennon Tribute Songs – Musings and Impressions

I decided this morning to look into what John Lennon tribute songs (+songs about John's death) are out there and found the results quite mixed but interesting. So here's some of my thoughts on them.

Includes songs by: Bob Dylan, The Cranberries, David Gilmour, Elton John, George Harrison, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Queen.

All Those Years Ago – George Harrison (1981)

Roll On John – Bob Dylan (2012)

Probably the most classic tribute song on this list, which is why I'm mentioning it first. I think it's somewhat misunderstood, because in my opinion it is far more personal than it's sometimes given credit for, even though it does fall into some clichés with how it references John's songs. It's overall positive, focusing on the good aspects of John and George's relationship as well as of John's legacy as a whole, with a few problematizing nuggets peppered in ("Living with good and bad"; "You had control of our smiles and our tears"). I see how the religious edge might be off-putting to some, but it feels incredibly earnest to me. The rock n' roll guitar riff is a lovely tribute to John's unabashed love for that genre.

(Also, I wrote a bit more in depth about the song and how I think it relates to George's view of John here.)

This is not a song I can justify the existence of. If it had been released shortly after John's murder maybe, but I don't see what it brought to the table 30+ years after the fact. It feels extremely gimmicky, dropping simplistic lyrical references and Wikipedia-page facts, and otherwise doesn't seem like it has anything substantial to say. I don't think these types of songs have to be written by someone who had a deep personal connection with the subject, but none of this feels natural, earned, or remotely insightful and the emotions are rather vapid.

Murder – David Gilmour (1984)

This song is musically interesting and the lyrics are quite compelling, but the centering of MDC's point of view is somewhat uncomfortable, given the actual context of his motivations. I feel this song works better as a reflection on murder as a concept, rather than a specific murder.

I Just Shot John Lennon – The Cranberries (1996)

The title of this one worried me but actually it sounds like it could be on Some Time in New York City if you threw a few saxes onto it; John wrote about tragedies in a very similar way (like the Troubles, which The Cranberries – of course – also wrote about). Despite the directness, this works and feels poignant rather than edgy.

Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) – Elton John (1982)

I like the way this song opens with the metaphor of a gardener, giving the song a degree of universality, not just in the sense that John "belonged to the world" but also that it could be related to any loss. This is contrasted with the bridge ("And I've been knockin', but no one answers…"), where John is finally name-dropped, which adds such a personal touch to the song. It's masterful and heartbreaking, especially given the fact that Elton was having trouble getting through to John during his lifetime as well. A wonderful, heartfelt tribute.

The Late Great Johnny Ace – Paul Simon (1983)

This feels less like a tribute and more like a reflection on history. John's death in 1980 is contrasted with Johnny Ace's death in 1954, as well as John F. Kennedy's in 1963. The music is harrowing and intriguing, which really underlines the senselessness of all these deaths. I enjoy the observed parallelisms and the way Paul manages to make the song personal despite not having a close rapport with John. In that way it kind of reminds me of A Day In The Life.

I Don't Know Why – Yoko Ono (1981)

Life Is Real (Song for Lennon) – Queen (1982)

Like Here Today mentioned below, this is more of an anti-tribute song in my view. Ultimately it seems that to Yoko, the search for meaning in John's death is fruitless. Musically, the song is a bit long and repetitive, but as she sings: "You left me, you left me, you left me without words."

Also, the story the album cover tells is poignant, possibly more so than any song on it: a glass, which could be half empty or half full; the fog like an uncertain future, clouding the New York skyline; a pair of glasses, the ghost of a lost loved one; and vision itself, forever obstructed by the murder Yoko was forced to witness.

Musically, I find this one to be quite wonderful and I think I can see how it was influenced by John's sound to an extent. But it also appears to be so personal to Freddie Mercury as well as rather cryptic that it feels odd as a tribute, per se. That's not really a problem in my opinion, but it's notable that without the name-drop it wouldn't even be obvious this song was about someone – let alone John Lennon – having died. This makes the "(Song For Lennon)" part of the title feel a tad performative.

Here Today – Paul McCartney (1982)

It was thinking about this song this morning that prompted me to go listen to the other entries. While "All Those Years Ago" is a song in which George seems to proclaim that he understands John better than most people, on "Here Today", Paul discredits himself as a source on John basically immediately; within the first few lines of the song, he asserts that John would laugh in response to Paul claiming he really knew John. He's in a sense shooting down the idea of writing a straightforward tribute like George's because he does not appear to trust himself to make absolute statements on who John was. Instead, he shifts the focus to his own experience of their relationship, declaring that he loves John and is thankful, despite their possible lack of mutual understanding.

The song is fiercely personal and does not leave space for someone to relate to it as an uninvolved fan of John's, or even as one of John's loved ones who is not Paul, like Empty Garden and All Those Years Ago do. And yet Paul plays this song every night in concert as a tribute. It fascinates me deeply, not to mention it is lyrically one of his standout pieces as well as immensely moving musically.

[onemorecupofcoffee]

k so once a complete unknown comes out idk what i'll do. first off i have no idea if ill be hyperfixated on bob but it's been a LONG hyperfixation so yknow. maybe. and it's honestly only probably gonna be a year bc theyve made us wait sooo long and theyre done with filming and theyve recorded most if not all the songs and post production shouldnt take long bc theres not like huge cgi shit so. which means theres a good chance itll be out before winter 2025 . now i have irl friends who are timothee fans who want to see the movie when it comes out. so a lot of timothee fans will def go see the movie, but the general population?. i honestly dont know its def marketed more towardsa general audience but like its not like wonka was the biggest movie of the year or anything or the songs went off the charts. but my prediction is that one dylan song that wasnt as popular before will trend on tiktok or something bc timothee covered it and timothees version will become more popular than the og. idk which song bc im honestly not sure if theyre gonna do just any bob song or only the era presented in the movie. if its the era in the movie i think its gonna be an another side of bob dylan song bc that entire album is pretty underrated, except for my back pages it's not that popular for dylan, and it has a lot of lyrically amazing songs. im thinking maybe i dont believe you she acts like we never have met, n it would make sense to play in the movie. but it could be any song , like if theyre playing all eras bob then probably one of his newer songs. But a lot of timothee fans are like ok someones gonna get an oscar for something and im like . ugh no. but its a possibility bc oscars suck so then it would obviously become even more popular. theyre not gonna depict dylan correctly though and then people are gonna believe a scene in the movie actually happened and its like NO IT DIDNT just like the doors movie holy shit i hate that movie . but it could be decent it could turn out ok despite the horrid casting . do i think theyre gonna play other songs yes!!! not just dylan other baez, other folk songs definitely it actually seems like they paid attention to some things. the fashion was not it but the set decorators did an amzing job actually so it seems like there was SOME work that went into this movie. now i thijk theyre gonna end it at newport folk festival but they should end it at motorcycle accident but whatever . but its gonna be like mainl dylan i think but they said its an ensemble piece meaning its also gonna be focused on joan and fake suze rotolo/sylvie/ whatever the fuck her name is. and pete seeger bc hes been in a lot of the paparazzi pics so?. hes there too. and maybe woody guthrie hopefully woody guthrie obviously woody guthrie and they filmed in new jersey so its kinda like yeah. but hes gonna be sick so theyre not gonna really show him but theyre gonna show dylan meeting him. i dont think theyre gonna really show dylans childhood, yea timmy went to hibbing but everyone knows dylan lied a lot so no one knows anything about his childhood really. i think the main romance plot will literally just be bob being like choosing between joan and sylvie or some boring shit like that and theyre not gonna understand the weird fucking relationship bob had with joan or anything. but its gonna be dumb straight love triangle bc the writers are boring and not like im not there todd haynes where haynes understood dylan was queer as fuck and made multiple references to dylan being queer insome way theyre not gonna do that. and timmy will NOT top cate blanchett ever but he might win the oscar even though cate literally deserved that oscar. So the world will explode if it gets popular and then someone will cancel bob dylan or something . and bob dylan dies after seeing it "the worst experience of my life" and theyre gonna botch and popify the songssooo bad but theyre gonna get so popular its so dumb everything is dumb and then bob dylan will have a dumb modern resurgence but by people who dont know anything about him

and wont care to learn aside from that dumb biopic im sorry im welcoming new fans but i feel like theyre just gonna not actually wanna learn about him aside from timmy biopic . And its like. come on. but his records will get more popular and more valuable i mean gen z listens to a lot of physical media maybe his tour might be more popular too if hes still alive so in general people are like hey this guys pretty good or something but then everyone will kinda forget about him but sokme people will stay. i think . and then its like some weird shit gets out about him again he says something out of pocket about the biopic and then everyones like thats Odd. and the biopic keeps getting memed out of context maybe a bob meme will become very popular .. and timmy clitoris fans will be like this is the best film ever and petition for it to win best film at oscra s or something dymb andits all dumb stupif shit and then someones like Hey bob dylan was a fuckign faggot and everyone realises bob WAS fafuckin g faggot and its finally recognize d anf then people boycott the biopic bc it erases queer history rightfully so and then some people who dgaf about bob dont like the biopic and then timmy clitoris apologizes saying he didnt know and hes not queer though even though hes a fuciing twink and then bob slike yeha i had gay sex with george harrison. so what and everyones like Ohhh i knew it but those stupid people are like wtf? bob dylna is GAY? and then itslike ok open your eyes and then at the oscars timmy clitoris has to apologize again saying he didnt know bob dylan was queer and everyones like oh its ok but inrreality we hate you and cate blanchett knew it the whole TIME! and then the biopic is burned people burndown their copies of it and its INSANE and everyones INWSNE and then traveling wilbyurys biopic comes out and theres a sex scene with george and bob in like 2030 bc of the beatles biopics too ! and timyms like dsaved is my fav bob dylan album and he triesto join the fandom but everyone boos him and he dies before bob dies and alos never meets bob

[girlreviews]

Review #184: She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper

You’re receiving a fair warning right at the outset: there are going to be no less than two references to The Simpsons in this review – possibly more -- and I’m not even a little bit sorry about it.

I think that Cyndi Lauper is one of the very first female artists I ever knew the name of and recognized, and knew her record from start to finish. I don’t think it was this one. I believe it was a compilation CD called Twelve Deadly Cyns… And Then Some, that had a really striking image of her with bright yellow hair and a bright red hat. It had all of the major hits from this album, and the next few, as well as the most interesting remix of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun that was done by the guys from Redbone, and was very much my first introduction to the bassline from Come And Get Your Love. That shit worked.

Anyway, I wish that every three-year-old girl got to hear Cyndi Lauper like this because she’s fucking iconic. Powerhouse voice. Uninhibited. Artist. Creative genius. A girl’s girl and a woman’s woman. I’d love to get drunk with her and play a round of cards. I bet she’s been treated like a child while navigating this industry. I just feel it in my bones and guts. Because of the earnest, girlish, sincere, whimsical music she’s making, as well as her unapologetic cute and girly aesthetic and small frame. But she’s always demanded to be taken seriously. She’s the inspiration I’ve carried around as an experienced professional in my field: I can have a bubble tea pencil case with a smiley face on it, and cute stationary, and a notepad with a bird on it, and a cute haircut and fun outfits. It doesn’t mean I’m childish, or any less good at my job, and I will rip you a new asshole if you fucking cross me or any of my employees, cool? Do not be fooled by the enamel pins on my jacket. I could stab you with them if I wanted. I just don’t, that’s all.

My notes: Money Changes Everything, which it does, has a harmonica solo in it, and I think we all need to take a moment and bow down to the boldness of that. How many harmonica solos do we hear outside something like Bob Dylan? It’s pretty few and far between and it’s really fucking great in this song. Every single track on this album is deep, fun, and interesting. And some of them have harmonica solos! When I was a doofy little teen, I used to have a necklace with a tiny harmonica on it. It was ugly as could be, but it was pretty cool. I recently started looking into whether there were any cute, adult versions of it. There are. And I am once again inspired by Saint Cyndi to be cute, functional, and badass.

I’m going to save Girls Just Wanna Have Fun for last because I have so much to say about it. So next up will be Time After Time, which to be honest is every bit as iconic. Genuinely. It’s absolutely beautiful. Stunning. Moving. How does one write a song so incredibly poignant and dedicated to someone? Can anybody listen to this synth ballad and not just feel their heart plunge into it? Maybe they can. Maybe they’re a monster. Not a Simpsons reference, but to illustrate my point: even April Ludgate, known to be cold-hearted and dead inside, can’t resist the pull of this song.

She Bop is one of my favorites. I think I loved it when I was really tiny. It makes sense that I would have. I loved nonsense. I still love nonsense. It’s a lot of nonsense (Oop, she bop, she bop, she bop, he bop, we bop, I bop, you bop, they bop, be bop, a lu bop), but it’s positioned over some very serious-sounding synths and electric drums. That’s my exact shit and always has been. There’s a good chance Cyndi Lauper and this song are largely responsible for my entire persona, in hindsight. That’s fine with me. I think this song is about bad boys and having crushes on them (hey, hey they say I better get a chaperone, because I can’t stop messin’ with the danger zone). Cyndi Lauper has always been completely about her uninhibited noises. Woops, and breaths, and squeaks, and squawks. They’re amazing, and they add absolutely everything to the experience. Simpsons reference #1 coming up here. They made it the butt of the joke, but I loved it. Cyndi Laupi (yes, Laupi), singing the National Anthem at a baseball game, with all that breathy, squeaky, baritone nonsense. Absolutely fucking hilarious. Also the way in which I mostly learned the words to the National Anthem (you try knowing it when you grew up in Europe? I do not accept your judgment, and frankly I’m still pretty shaky on the words and I don’t care).

Every track on this album slaps, and you should listen to it, but it is one of those where you kind of have to focus on the singles/iconic tracks because they are iconic for a reason. So here we go. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. I want to say that this song is so happy and upbeat and means everything to every girl and woman that knows it, which, is like, all of them, ever, and if it isn’t, it should be. However. There’s also a sad undertone to it, or at least I have always felt one. It’s always just tugged at my heart a little bit. I actually have no idea whether that’s just me or whether that’s a universal experience. It’s like a gentle feminist wish. She’s singing about oppressive experiences — from parents, from partners, from society:

“Oh Mama dear, we’re not the fortunate ones”

“Oh Daddy dear, you know you’re still number one”

“Some boys take a beautiful girl, and hide her away from the rest of the world”

It genuinely hurts my feelings. I’m not sure a song has ever so captured the simplicity of experience. Just trying to exist. Just trying to walk in the sun. Just trying to go home and chill after work, and for some reason, it’s just hard to do. But, in singing it, she’s fulfilling the wish, because she’s having fucking fun. It’s fun. I don’t know man, that’s really cool. I love this song. But it’s way deeper than I imagine a lot of people have ever given her credit for. I imagine to a lot of people, it’s just a silly little party song. But it’s not. And if you want to fight with me about that, I’ll get my cute enamel pins ready. Here’s Homer Simpson singing it, which I have always found extremely endearing. Do you think it’s lost on him? Probably. That’s sort of what’s endearing about it.

[whitetrashwarriorprincess]

Townes Van Zandt

Steve Earle described him as the greatest songwriter who ever lived, and his influence was felt by many other artists, including Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Bob Dylan refers to this Texas native as his favorite songwriter. He wrote hundreds of haunting songs that have been widely recorded, perhaps most notably ��Pancho and Lefty” which was a number one hit for Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard in 1983.

Since his death, Van Zandt’s legend has grown exponentially. With two biographies and a documentary released in the last decade, his legend will continue to grow as new generations have access to his music — because more than a handful of Townes’s songs are incontestably great.

"In America when I play, I’m a folksinger — just me and my guitar. And when they’re recorded in America they’re usually recorded country, like Willie and Emmylou. In Europe they’re usually rock. They’re turned into rock or grunge. But they don’t fit into a category. I don’t write for anyone. It’s between me and the spirits. And the people on Earth. Every recording ever of mine, a cover, I’ve loved. Well, a person or a band, whatever they may be, takes a song of mine, learns it and does it their way: I mean you can’t fault that. There’s Eskimos around the campfire in Alaska passing around the guitar and maybe one of them will play “Pancho and Lefty” or something, and that’s what I’m supposed to be doing."

[dollarbin]

Nickel Bin #23:

Jay Farrar's Rex's Blues

There was a sweet second in 1995 when Jay Farrar was the next Neil Young.

Like Shakey in 68, Farrar had just very publicly shrugged off every member of one of the most gifted and original bands of its day at the very moment they turned corporate so as to quest off down his own brooding pathway.

And, like Neil in 69, he'd already made his mark as one of the angriest Dylanesque songwriters of his day.

Plus, like Neil, Arthur Lee, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and his 90's peer Ira Kaplan, Farrar could simultaneously sing the blues and absolutely shred on lead guitar.

And then he alluringly rejected all chance of mass popularity by laying this on us:

Honestly, I thought Rex's Blues was a Farrar original upon its release. My dollar bin was nacent at the time; I had yet to face the dilemma of how to alphabetize Townes Van Zandt in either of my two milk crates of records.

But tracking down Townes' tossed off original only made me more impressed with Farrar's glacially paced dirge of a take. Like The Band's self-titled second record, Farrar's Rex's Blues transcended any specific moment for me: it could as easily have come from 1895 as 1995.

Suffice it to say that I was glad he'd ditched the lesser, grinning members of Uncle Tupelo; those guys seemed like dopes who'd never amount to much, and it sounded like Jay was heading straight for Neil's own Ditch. I couldn't wait to hear what he'd do down in there.

My Famous Brother was just 16 at that point but he was already heisting unauthorized music from who knows where: a tape arrived for me in the mail just around then that had just three songs on it, all of them deeply bootlegged: Farrar, it seemed, had named his new band something perfectly unmarketable, Son Volt, and made a demo that sounded incredibly fruitful and wonderfully bleak.

Farrar, it appeared, was indeed the real deal, my generation's Neil Young:

So what the hell happened? Trace came out and it was pretty great - but the warning signs were already there. Instead of harrowing rust and guitar meltdowns we got VH1 vibes and Farrar letting someone else take the solos.

Live the band were more of the same. Note-by-note album recreation was the focus and Farrar literally sighed before playing his only guitar solo on Chickamauga.

For god's sake, why didn't he just keep this kind of thing going? He's so good here - and meanwhile, maybe it's my imagination, but he also sounds a little bored.

I really couldn't tell you a damn thing about him ever since. There was a second Son Volt record I nodded off during, then a solo record with some keyboards on it I heard once while waiting for Gillian Welch to take the stage, then an album that seemed focused on George W. Bush's Vietnam-ditching stint in the National Guard that I listened to once while driving solo to Sacramento...

... and I'm just so bored already writing about Jay's career since 1995.

But I am clinging to my thesis here: almost a decade before Jeff Tweedy, the guy he later referred to as nothing more than "his band's bass player", went a long way toward growing Bob Dylan's beard, Jay Farrar donned Neil Young's shabbiest coat.

And it looked so good on him.

[hummingbee-lievable]

Song of the Day #26:

'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' by The Smiths (released 1986).

Take me out tonight

Because I want to see people

And I want to see life

Track #9 on 'The Queen is Dead'.

Fun fact: This is one of those bands, like The Commitments, that are associated with quite a bit of drama, all of which can lead you down a rabbit hole of chaos, so I'll leave that to you and Alice, and instead tell you about a little fun fact regarding another song on their album: 'Bigmouth Strikes Again':

In this song are some lovely harmonies, attributed to 'Ann Coates'. In fact, the band used Morrissey's voice, altered to a higher pitch! 'Ann Coates' is a reference to the Manchester district 'Ancoats', one of the city's 'most bustling areas during Industrial Revolution'.*

Personal blurb: My brother-in-law (ish) walked in this morning as I was on the way to work and asked the formidable question: 'Do you like The Smiths?', to which I had a very restrained and calm response.°

Their music feels somewhat intoxicating, to me; I could not tell you why, but I know I'm not the only one (hey, Sam Smith and I can both have ideas independent of each other and reach the same finish line). The song itself is actually a bit... disturbing to me, for lack of a better word. The lyrics are essentially 'take me away and make me a life because I don't have one'.

I chose the lyrics above because I love and relate to the sentiment of wanting to escape to the music, laughter, and light. I get so trapped in myself and sometimes being surrounded by humanity without having to be a part of it is just what I need to remind me of all there is and all that's possible.

There's a stanza in the song that I don't fully understand (though I have my own interpretation). How do you interpret this line?

And in the darkened underpass

I thought "Oh God, my chance has come at last"

But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask

Was it that he was facing the concept of this death he had almost been asking for? In my mind, I almost think he was going to ask this significant person to die with him. (Like the line in the Joan Baez song that she wrote about Bob Dylan: 'Speaking strictly from me, we both could have died then and there' in 'Diamonds and Rust'.) It's more likely that he was going to ask what he's been asking all throughout the song: to go for a drive, to be taken away, to be given a home. But the idea of it being under a darkened underpass lends a strange tone to the scene.

I am reminded of the movie 'Lost in Translation'. There's a scene at the end of the movie where Bill Murray whispers something into Scarlett Johansson's ear as they're parting ways, after a clear kind of love had developed between them that for many reasons, they never acted on and never would. And we never know what he says. (The movie is amazing. Little spoiler but more something to admire and note if you ever watch it: the lights are all red in the scenes in which they interact, until they finally part ways, like time was paused for them. A harbour in the midst of life.) My ex said that in his mind, the line was 'I wanted one more perfect moment with you'. At the time, I resonated with his perspective because we were parting ways not out of choice but out of circumstance, like the movie. But now? Now I imagine he whispered 'thank you for everything you are'.

Sometimes I wonder if I am screaming love with every interaction I have. It feels as though every time I say 'thank you' or give a particularly enthusiastic parting phrase or greeting (especially 'whatup, nerd!!' for some reason), the words 'I love you' or 'I think you're wonderful and you make my world better by being in it' get trapped in my throat.

Maybe we'll never know what The Smiths were trying to ask. But we make our own context, don't we? And that's all we need.

°Launching into a full-blown Ted Talk (Ralph Rant, if you will (that's my name)) and ramming my favourite songs down his throat is very restrained, right? Right??

Reference:

[bubblesandgutz]

Every Record I Own - Day 782: Judas Priest Sin After Sin

I've struggled with Judas Priest.

But I'm also stubborn. Or maybe I'm just all too aware that I can go from not liking an artist to loving them if I can just find an in-road. Sometimes you can pick up on some little attribute in an artist's sound that says "you might not be feeling this now, but try coming back to it a little later." Whatever the reason, I keep trying to have my moment with Judas Priest despite it falling into an era and style of heavy metal that I'm generally ambivalent towards.

As I've mentioned before, I don't particularly care for NWOBHM stuff. I came into metal at a time when thrash and hair metal reigned. The thrash bands were far more ferocious than their predecessors while the hair metal stuff leaned even further into ear-worms and pop melodies. Bands like Judas Priest sounded tame and or tuneless in comparison. It didn't help that every punk band that decided to crossover in the '80s sounded like they were trying to mimic Judas Priest.

Why do I keep trying? Because on some level, there's an itch I'm trying to scratch and it seems like Judas Priest is the band to hit it. I wanna hear a kick-ass rock band with some solid riffs that still has the old analog vibe of the '70s while having a little more teeth than the average classic rock band of the era. Bonus points: cool band name (and a Bob Dylan reference), killer album art, and Rob Halford being a fellow homo.

Well, folks... I'm here to report that I have officially fallen for Sin After Sin. Album opener "Sinner" is the track that initially got me hooked. Solid songwriting, meaty riffs, epic ascending climax at the end of the song, old school guitar tones... it's exactly what I was looking for, even if it took several attempts with the album before I fell for its charms. And the rest of the album rules too. The cover of Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust" takes the melodic strength of the original and adds a galloping pulse. "Starbreaker" was stuck in my head for a solid week while on tour in August. "Let Us Prey / Call for the Priest" is a triumphant jam. "Raw Deal" is a solid rocker with some nice gay subtext. All in all, it still sounds like a scrappy young band from a working class town, but it also sounds like a band that knows exactly what they're aiming for and aren't afraid to be ambitious.

Apologies to my husband, bandmates, crew mates, friends, and neighbors who have put up with me blasting this record all summer. And I apologize in advance when I start deep-diving Sad Wings of Destiny and Stained Class (as soon as I find nice vinyl copies).

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Dante, anyone? Almost to the point of cliché, contemporary Dante references tend to begin (and sadly end) w the first lines of Inferno, on how our adventurer finds himself lost in the woods, “midway upon the journey” of his life. OK, great line, who hasn’t been there? BUT: There are many more rewards. A few years ago, further along in Inferno, I was brought up short by our voyager’s description of coming across a torn-up tree “darkened with its dripping blood.” Whoa. Where I had heard that before? Try Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.” As in: “I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin.”

Dylan of course was a shameless phrase borrower/thief, so why not lift from the best? And this is not the only association I found in The Comedy. Listen to this Dante stanza:

A heavy peal of thunder came to waken me Out of the stunning slumber that had bound me, Startling me up as though rude hands had shaken me.

What do you hear? I hear Bobby D, “Chimes of Freedom,” w its “thunder crashing.” Strained? Maybe. But from Dante to Dylan, it all makes sense. Read Dante—and don’t stop at Inferno!

[Paul Starobin]

[dramamath]

tag game— spelling out your URL with songs! I was tagged by @purplemuskrat. I will follow my friend's lead and add some commentary. It took me a few days to consider the options, but I like my collection of songs. I think they fit me quite well.

Drowning by Joe Jackson - I connected with this song when Joe Jackson released his album Laughter & Lust in 1991. It rattled around in my brain looking for a cause, which it would find in 2005. At the time, I had just wrapped up my 11th play as a high school director and although I was looking forward to the next show, I realized that my darling bride was pregnant, we would soon have four kids under the age of 6, and I needed to step away to spend as much time as possible at home. The drowning in this song refers to the end of a romantic relationship. However, as I sat on an empty stage, the lyrics took on a new meaning. "I don't love you, but I'm lost," are the opening words. I realized that, in that moment, I didn't have the deep love of theatre that had been central to my being, but felt lost in the need to walk away from it. This song made it easier to do just that, until I was ready to return.

Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel - From his 1974 album Streetlife Serenade, this instrumental is lively and witty and just picks you up and carries you with it. It is a beautiful marriage of Rock and Ragtime as you will ever find.

All Along the Watchtower arranged by Bear McCreary - Originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan in 1967 and memorably recorded a year later by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, this version that was an integral part (in instrumental form) in the latter half of season 3 of the Battlestar Galactica reboot, its full exposure in the final episode of that season was haunting as many hinted secrets were revealed. I get chills anytime I hear it.

Make Me Smile by Chicago - This song begins a seven-song cycle which the band refers to as Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon (Make Me Smile - So Much to Say, So Much to Give - Anxiety's Moment - West Virginia Fantasies - Colour My World - To Be Free - Now More Than Ever) from the 1970 double album Chicago II lays out the story of composer and the band's trombonist and his attempt to win back the love of his ex-fiancé.

Accountancy Shanty by Monty Python - Formally known as The Crimson Permanent Assurance, this song is from a short film that opened Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It speaks well for my love of absurdist humor.

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney - From his 1970 debut solo album, the lyrics just haunt me. "Maybe, I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time/And maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you." I thought about these words when my darling bride asked me, after six years of friendship, why I had never asked her out.

Alive by Hiromi - A jazz pianist, this song opens her 2014 album of the same name. The song grabs you by the lapels of the jacket you are wearing and won't let go until you are fully engrossed in the journey.

Take Her to the Mardi Gras by Harry Connick Jr - I feel lucky that I purchased the 2007 album Oh My NoLa from Walmart, because this track was only placed on copies of the CD sold in those stores. It is another "hold on tight and don't let go" kind of song ... one I wish was available for karaoke, because I would be on that stage in a heartbeat.

Hearts by Yes - Truth be told, I could have probably done this entire list with nothing by music from Yes. They have invented and reinvented themselves for 50 years. Again, it is the lyrics that just haunted me upon first listen. "Set your heart sail on the river (Hearing)/Look around you as you drift downstream (Talking)/Pouring souls into the ocean (Love you)/Take account of all you've seen."

If you have made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my journey and perhaps, find yourself a new song to put into your rotation. Thank you, purplemuskrat, for the inspiration.