I just had an epiphany.
An epiphany is basically an awakening. My tiny little version was that I had been cranking out Boomer memories for what will be two years in a couple of months, and yet, I had never written about the poetic voice of our generation, who appeared on the national scene in 1962, just in time to explain the tumultuous events which were about to unfurl for the rest of the decade, and whose words and music would be followed with nearly religious devotion by the nation's youth.
Thus, my tiny little epiphany was that I needed to bring up the much greater one given the world by one Robert Zimmerman, better known by his self-chosen name Bob Dylan.
This column is entitled "Scratching the Surface," because much more will need to be written about Dylan here to present an acceptably whole picture of him and his effects on the Boomer generation.
Dylan got his start in the New York coffee-houses that were Beatnik hangouts in the early 60's. He was an ardent fan of Woodie Guthrie, who was dying in a New York hospital. Dylan traveled all the way from home state of Minnesota, and did manage to meet his idol, as well as Guthrie friend Ramblin' Jack Elliot.
Dylan and Elliot would eventually perform live shows together, and still remain good friends.
Bob was soon noticed by newspaper reviewers who hung around the coffee-houses and caught local concerts. His fame grew among professional musicians, and he was asked by folksinger Carolyn Hester to play harmonica on her third album.
This caught the attention of John Hammond at Columbia Records, who signed Dylan up. His first album, Bob Dylan, was released in 1962. It sold a piddling 5,000 copies its first year, and Columbia pondered dropping him. But Hammond (who produced his first album), as well as a rocakabilly singer by the name of Johnny Cash fought hard to give him a second album. Thus was released later that year The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, which was much more successful, and finally turned the public onto this amazing folksinger.
Freewheelin' had, among other classics, Blowin' in the Wind, Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, and A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.
Indeed, Dylan's reputation as a visionary largely came about because of the description of an apocalyptic world in the latter song. The album was released shortly before the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Among those taken up with the Minnesota poet were many who would eventually constitute 1960's music. This group, all of whom have acknowledged their inspiration by Dylan, includes the Beatles, the Byrds, Joan Baez, Van Morrison, Neil Young, the aforementioned Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, the Animals, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and countless others. How many of them would have accomplished what they did without Dylan's genius driving them?
Dylan's lyrics were turned up several notches on his, and arguably, rock and roll's, two greatest albums, 1965's Highway 61 Revisited, and 1966's Blonde on Blonde.
The words were often nonsensical collections of strange ideas that somehow made sense. Who was Ballad of a Thin Man about? What did it mean when Mr. Jones was called a cow by the one-eyed midget? Who were his contacts among the lumberjacks? Who is this geek that he purchases a ticket to go watch, who would call Jones the freak?
The song has been analyzed by many, with possible meanings ranging from Dylan's distasteful view of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones to a personal admission of homosexuality.
Such was Dylan's songwriting at its greatest. The things he wrote about were very much open to interpretation. But all agreed that they were truly great songs.
Look for more on Dylan in future installments at I Remember JFK.
Comments (4)
One of my favorites!
He never wanted to be a musician...just a poet...
They say he was very hard to work with as a fellow musican...because you never knew what he was going to play or how.
Think I will put another one of his songs up tonight...
Thanks for the memories...
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Posted by The Baby Boomer Queen | September 3, 2008 5:03 AM
Posted on September 3, 2008 05:03
I notice you are starting to write your memories down about the times gone by. Just to let you know we are launching a new publication that is designed to capture those with sixties memories
give me a shout at bboomreview@gmail.com if you are interested.
Posted by Larry | September 4, 2008 7:39 PM
Posted on September 4, 2008 19:39
never really knew Dylan as a child. I was not really impressed by him even as a teenager. I knew older (than me) people were. But I saw a documentary of him on PBS in the last 4 years and I was amazed. I never knew the folk scene. I knew Peter, Paul, and Mary. I knew Simon and Garfunkel but never the real folk scene. It was amazing and fascinating. I knew the Beatles had a high regard for him but never understood it till this show. I enjoyed his folk period very much. But I do think he made the right move in going electric, which was a folk form as well, really, when you think about it. But it would be a more relevant form of music to come.
Bob is a fascinating character. So were his original folk fans. I see them as a idealistic sort who saw a lot of hope in Dylan’s expressions. But I think they were a bit unrealistic, too. I am not sure if it was the music they like or more the idealistic notions stirred by Bob’s often compassionate lyrical tones. They died and never came back. Bob continued on.
I see a contrast, too, between TV which was very unrealistic and in denial, and then this folk crowd who knew about the other life all too well and wanted to see something done about it. But they did not know how to go about it. They were a new generation that was tired of the fairy tales of happily ever after, which never happened. They wanted truth and change. Well, one out of 2 is questionable ;-)
But I don’t think Bob had the great idealistic and ambitious hope that his fans did. Quite the opposite, Dylan did not put that much political significance in his work. Being a student of NY, I think he knew better. The idealism would carry on till about 1970 and then change to more of a “I just want to find my own little space and be happy.” Changing the world no longer seemed possible in the 70s.
I tend to like Donovan, who went through a folk period and was good at it but I like the style he developed of his own, which is a bit more soft, gentle, vocal style such as you hear in “Jennifer Juniper.” I have sought out some folk and it was interesting by Dylan moved on cause he knew it would not last and that times were a chang’in and indeed, they were.
For us boomers, the 60s was a time of growth and change. We were born of one world but sought another. We never did find that happy medium. Perhaps we might have tossed out the baby with the bath water. But whether good or bad, it sure was a great and interesting time to be a child growing up. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 3, 2009 11:37 PM
Posted on June 3, 2009 23:37
Dylan was helped along a lot by Peter , Paul and Mary having a top 40 hit with his ' Blowing in the wind " . Got people curious about the writer . Then the Byrds in the summer of 65 really got all the kids started on Dylan . Then of course Cher, the turtles, Hendrix and many other recorded his music .
Posted by Tom | March 6, 2010 6:15 PM
Posted on March 6, 2010 18:15