Happy Birthday Mr. Z

Today is Dylan's birthday. He's now (get ready to feel old) 70.

The question is, which song to listen to to celebrate? "Forever Young" is way too obvious.

Guess I'll go listen to J. J. Cale's "The Old Man and Me" from Okie.

The old man he catches the fish in the morning
He rides the river every day
I sit on the bank and I holler when he passes
Hey old man, are they biting today?

I wake up in the morning thinking 'bout my troubles
I go down to the water and they pass away
And when the old man comes a-floating down the river
Hey old man, are they biting today?

Now here we've got a thing that keeps on rolling
It ain't heavy, don't take it that way
The old man and me, we got a good thing going
He gets his fish, and I sit all day
He gets his fish, and I sit all day

Mike

P.S. Extra credit: name that photographer.

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Rick Petersen: "When that album first came out, my girlfriend at the time had given it to me saying 'this guy is the next big thing.' My mother heard me playing it over and over in my room. She came in and said 'Who's that? He sounds terrible. He can't sing and he'll never last.' Come to think of it, she didn't like my girlfriend much either."

Featured Comment by Dale: "Hey Mike, interesting selection of the song. A few years ago when Arlo was doing his 25th anniversary of the Alice's Restaurant massacree tour. He was telling how writing songs was a lot like fishing.... Sometimes you don't get anything, sometimes just a nibble. Sometimes you get a hook into something and can play it into a successful landing. He then said that his problem is that he has been fishing downstream of Bob Dylan all his life!"

Mike replies: Cool. I've said the same thing about photography....

Comments

[Darr Almeda]

The photograph was taken by Don Hunstein in February 1963 of Dylan and his girlfriend at the time, Suze Rotolo.

[h.linton]

Um, I just checked wikipedia [FWIW] and they claim that that today, May 24th, is actually Mr. Z's birthday as does this article http://wapo.st/kTjSEz

[Ruby]

The photographer's name escapes me, but I sure do miss records for cover art. CDs are so small, and although I appreciate the portability of mp3s, they can't touch the cover art. "Revolver," for instance, cannot be appreciated properly in CD size.

[Rory]

Ye didn't miss it Mike - 70 today, May 24th. Photo by Don Hunstein :)

[Mike Johnston]

Corrected! I didn't know what day it was I guess. Thanks guys.

Mike

[Peter Mellis]

While we're on the subject of feeling old, I remember seeing Dylan perform in the early 60's, in some dump in the Village. I was probably there because my date dug folk music (I did not)and thought he was just awful; I remember him looking like he was about ten years old. Have to say that he's grown on me over the years, but I can't take too much in one sitting.

[Chad Thompsom]

As an aside, I'm in NYC for the Book Expo America. As part of the press kit that was sent to me this morning there was a free ebook offer for Revolution in the Air - The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957–1973 If you happen to be a Copia member (it's free too).

[Chris Y.]

Dylan - a surviving holy relic from the time when music WAS the internet, and we communicated back and forth across the Atlanic via him and the Beatles....

"Twas in another lifetime
One of toil and blood
When darkness was a virtue
And the road was filled with mud
I came in from the wilderness
A creature void of form
Come in, she said I'll give you
Shelter from the storm...."

How many of your lines are burned into our DNA.... Happy birthday old Minnesota drifter....

Chris

[scott kirkpatrick]

I would have guessed Dan Weiner, but I guess the color shots were from another photog.

I saw/heard Dylan at McCarter Theater in Princeton in fall 1963. Snuck in without paying through a side door as we had only one ticket for two of us. He was great!

scott

[robert e]

Bob Dylan seems to appear regularly on TOP. I like it, personally, especially how he comes up in the context of photography, music and other topics, too. Just noting. There are other recurring personalities, of course, but I'm not sure any appear in as wide a variety of contexts.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Bob!

[Mark Sampson]

"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"
Obvious, yes, but true nonetheless.

[Paul De Zan]

20 years ago Loudon Wainright wrote a great Dylan tribute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcYoDUqdlK0

[John Haines]

Back in 1961 I was having a few beers with a classmate at a bar called Gerde's Folk City not far from our school, Cooper Union. I wasn't much into "folk" music at the time and we were deep into discussion when my attention was diverted by a very young musician on stage. He was playing a guitar and a harmonica held in front of his mouth by a brace around his neck and singing a song I had never heard before. "Wow, he's really good!" I said to my friend, who heartily agreed. We stopped talking and listened to his entire performance. It was several years before I realized who he was.

[Soeren Engelbrecht]

I agree on the (visual/tactile) sadness of the demise of the LP record. I still enjoy taking in a 12 x 24 inch fold-out cover.

When I shot/designed an album cover a couple of years ago, I really felt that it had to be visually really simple to suit the 5 inch CD format. And what do we have now ?? Just about 1 square inch (72 DPI, no less) in iTunes...

[Archer]

Listening to a Dylan "Underground Birthday Party" right now from radio1190.org. They just played a recording of a press conference, and one thing that really struck me was how much easier it is to listen to because there isn't a constant machine gun clatter of shutters firing at full auto.

[Karl]

I would have guessed that the photographer was
Bert Stern.

[Dale]

Hey Mike,
interesting selection of the song.

A few years ago when Arlo was doing his 25th anniversary of the Alice's Restaurant massacree tour. He was telling how writing songs was a lot like fishing.... Sometimes you don't get anything, sometimes just a nibble. Sometimes you get a hook into something and can play it into a successful landing. He then said that his problem is that he has been fishing downstream of Bob Dylan all his life!

[Seth]

New Morning

[hugh crawford]

A few years ago my wife was walking to the post office to mail her AMEX payment, and ran into Bob Dylan. Unlike a guy I know who keeps a SG and a Statocaster in the trunk of his car just in case he runs into a rock star, all she had was that American Express bill which he was nice enough to sign for her while they chatted at the post office.

[MJFerron]

Dylan is Dylan. A great songwriter/poet/musician/legend. (mediocre vocalist at best.)

Saw him in Phoenix back in the mid 70's. Even then I considered him older and past prime. For this performance he came on and modified his songs to the point of non-recognition. (wasn't overly happy about that)
Bob's best ever song? No contest. Tangled up in Blue.

[Mike Johnston]

"Bob's best ever song? No contest. Tangled up in Blue."

What! No way! "Like a Rolling Stone."

Mike

[Ross Chambers]

You could try John Corigliano's "Mr. Tambourine Man".

Corigliano set the songs as poetry and decided not to hear them performed before before his cycle was complete.

He says, "I wanted to take poetry I knew to be associated with popular art and readdress it in terms of concert art...Dylan granted his permission, and I set to work."

The recording is available on Naxos (8.559331) and was performed in Sydney at the Conservatorium of Music last year in the presence of the composer.

It's different.

[Jim McDermott]

It always struck me (well, since about '71, when I first noticed) that Freewheelin' Bob borrowed his big brother's clothes just before the shoot commenced. Makes you just want to tweak his cheek and say 'awww'.

[John MacKechnie]

"Times They are a Changin" ain't half bad. Scared the hell out of our parents which made it even more fun to play.

[Paul Richardson]

As a note of interest, the girl in the photo, Suze Rotolo, passed away earlier this year. She was 67.

Paul

[ctein]

Dear MJ,

Yeah, brilliant composer, and I almost always prefer others' performances of his works.

But you're wrong about Dylan's best song. It's so clearly "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" and the best performance of it is by Richie Havens.

All of which brings to mind Leonard Cohen, whose music can bring tears to my eye and whose voice makes me wail in agony. Best Cohen songs-- tie between "Dress Rehearsal Rag" (sung by Judy Collins) and "First We Take Manhattan (by Jennifer Warnes).

pax / Ctein