Whoever it was in 1969 who named the very first Bob Dylan bootleg album “Great White Wonder” may have had a mischievous streak. There are any number of ways you can interpret the title — most boringly, the cover was blank, like the Beatles’ “White Album” — but I like to see a sly allusion to “Moby-Dick.” In the seven years since the release of his first commercial record, Dylan had become the white whale of 20th-century popular song, a wild, unconquerable and often baffling force of musical nature who drove fans and critics Ahab-mad in their efforts to spear him, lash him to the hull and render him merely comprehensible. --- Bruce Handy, NYTimes ____________________________________________ I figured we can start fresh with Bob Dylan. Couldn't resist this photo of him striking a Woody Guthrie pose. Looks like only yesterday. Here is a link to the comments building up to this reading group.
For Bo:
ReplyDeleteMy other summer reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/books/review/Royte-t.html
Right smack dab in the middle of "War & Peace" I finally got my hands on a copy of Mary Beard's "Fires of Vesuvius".
ReplyDeleteSince I haven't "had my life" in Lambert Strether's phrase, I wondered who had ended up with my it. Mary Beard is the one who got the life I'd have had if I'd only had my "druthers".
Avrds,I'll look in the book review in the morning.On a like note the NYTimes home delivery natl sunday edition is going up to 7.50 a week which I think brings an end to my long association with the Sunday print edition.The newstand price right now is 5.00
ReplyDeleteOh, that's too bad. I pay $7.00 or $7.50 here for the Sunday edition here. It's the only print edition I can get of the Times unless I get it via mail.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Bozeman many years ago, I could have the Sunday Times delivered in the afternoon, but I don't think they have that service here. I should check. I still love reading a real paper.
The daily here, alas, isn't worth paying for (it's an Iowa chain paper), although I'm beginning to think I should resubscribe just because I often miss what's going on at the university or whatever.
Chartres, is that Mary Beard, the historian? I don't know that book. In fact, if it's the same person, I know nothing about her. (Or, if it's not the same person, obviously know nothing about that Mary Beard either.)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure which person I'd like to change lives with. Maybe Wallace Stegner? He wrote history and fiction and commentary about the West. But that's not an easy path for any one, much less a woman, to follow in. I keep plugging away trying to make it up as I go a long I guess.
Interesting article in the Sunday NYTimes mag today on Bill Clinton and his world.Also a nice essay in the back of the book review about a book edited by Mark Kurlansky on regional American Food.It was originally a Federal Writers project that was scrapped with the advent of the war and was lying about a storage area at the Library of Congress all these years.
ReplyDeleteI saw your comments about the Times last night but didn't realize it was going up here in the NY metropolitan area until I bought the Monday paper for $2. Little Monday paper! How does it go up by 33-1/3% all at once? I never got a raise such as that. Now I see that Sunday's paper is going from $4 to $5. I bought the paper every day from the time I moved here until the daily went from $1 to $1.25. Then I bought it occasionally an didn't realize for a while that it went to $1.50. They must not want us to buy it, even here in NYC. Unemployment is way up and now the cost of the paper is too. I know they are in trouble, but it's their own doing.
ReplyDeleteWatched the first part of the NBC Life in the White House program last night and was fascinated by what happens in a day -- including a quick trip off grounds by the president to pick up burgers and fries for the office, and a burger with ketchup for dorky Brian Williams.
ReplyDeleteI wish the film crew could have stayed in some of the meetings -- I would have sat through them gladly -- but of course when the substance started they ran the cameras out. Still, it was well worth watching.
And couldn't help but notice the interview in the Blue Room, which figures prominently with Lincoln.