Dylan sings "Here Comes Santa Claus"? You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

This is weird. Good, but weird. I never thought I'd live to see the release of a Bob Dylan Christmas album, but according to Bob's website, that's exactly what's going to happen on October 13.

Now don't get me wrong. I admire what Dylan's doing - donating all of the proceeds of this recording and teaming up with two international charities to help feed the hungry. I salute him for it. But a Christmas album featuring "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland" and "The Little Drummer Boy"?

He's Doing It Again

Just ignore the image above; it's not true. But this is exciting: Bob Dylan's new studio album, Together Through Life will be released on April 27. There's a brief interview with Bob here.

Classical Dylan?

This morning I was poking around to see who won Grammy awards last night. (I always watch the Oscars, but never the Grammys.) I didn't really care about much of what I saw until I ran across the Grammy for Classical Contemporary Composition: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan, - John Corigliano

What? You gotta be kidding me. Hadn't heard about this.

The album also won a Grammy for Classical Vocal Performance: Hila Plitmann, soprano.

Here's the story from composer John Corigliano:

A colleague suggested that I look into the poetry of the songs of Bob Dylan. Having not yet listened to the songs, I decided to send away for the texts only … and found many of them to be every bit as beautiful and as immediate as I had heard – and surprisingly well-suited to my own musical language … these would be in no way arrangements, or variations, or in any way derivations of the music of the original songs, which I decided to not hear before the cycle was complete … I intended to treat the Dylan lyrics as the poems I found them to be. Nor would their settings make any attempt at pop or rock writing. I wanted to take poetry I knew to be strongly associated with popular art and readdress it in terms of concert art – crossover in the opposite direction, one might say. Dylan granted his permission, and I set to work.

I'm listening to it now for the first time. (The album is on the Naxos label, which is great since our library allows us streaming music access to almost all of the Naxos titles for free. Maybe your library does also. Check and see.) It's just my first listen, but it's pretty amazing how Corigliano has tapped into the intensity and power of Dylan's lyrics without ever having heard the music. If you're not a classical/art music fan, this may not be your thing. Then again, it could introduce you into a whole new universe of music.

The Bob Dylan Report

A few weeks ago, Cindy and I had the following conversation:

Cindy: "Is Dylan going to sing a lot of his old stuff at the concert? The acoustic songs? That's the Dylan I like."

Me (shaking head): "That guy's not gonna show up. Even if he does some of his old stuff, it won't sound the same."

Cindy: "But...that's what I like!"

Me: "Would you want to sing 'The Times, They Are A-Changin'' the same way for 40 years?"

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Dylan took the stage Friday night, opening with "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," which wasn't too surprising. He also continued his habit of singing in a style I call "Delayed, non-sustained catch-up." Lots of performers do this, but none more than Bob. It works on just about any song: you wait until a few beats after the vocal should begin and run the words together in a mad dash, obliterating any possibility of sustained notes (or for that matter, melodic content).

I'm used to this from live Dylan, so it was no surprise. But what did surprise me was Dylan's voice sounding like a foghorn trapped inside a tuba. It was really awful. (Yes, more than usual.) I wondered if he was sick or was about to be sick onstage, expecting him to sing "Everybody must get stoned, starting with me."

The next few tunes didn't really improve much and I was beginning to sense Cindy's disappointment.

But Bob bounced back from whatever ailment had assaulted him with a strong "Rollin' and Tumblin'" from Modern Times, which sounded much better than the earlier tunes. It always seems Dylan is more focused on his newer songs in concert, almost like he's trying harder. Or if he's doing an older tune, he usually sings more coherently if he's fooled around with the arrangement (which he did a few times Friday night).

OLD DYLAN JOKE:

Q: What's the hardest job in the world?

A: Sign language interpreter at a Bob Dylan concert.

Dylan kept with his recent practice of playing his electric guitar on the first three numbers before relegating himself to the keyboard. Maybe he's gotten to the point where he feels more comfortable in the black suit and pale gray hat without the guitar weighing him down. (He's a pretty thin dude, after all, and at age 66 you can't afford to take too many chances. I think just showing up is commendable.)

I guess Columbia, Maryland is close enough to Washington DC for Dylan to sing "Masters of War" in a slow, mournful blues that was one of the show's highlights for me. The main highlight was Dylan's band, the best I've heard him take on the road: absolutely tight moving with incredible drive and energy, and featuring blistering soloists.

Bottom line: Cindy and I both enjoyed it. She even said she'd like to see him again. Much more to write, but since few Dylan enthusiasts are reading (Hi, Trent), I'll just close with the set list. Good to see you again, Bob. Try some hot tea with honey.

SET LIST (* = harmonica)

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)

Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues

Simple Twist of Fate*

Rollin' and Tumblin'

Workingman's Blues #2

Desolation Row

Beyond the Horizon*

Honest With Me

When the Deal Goes Down*

Highway 61

Ain't Talkin'

Summer Days

Masters of War

ENCORES

Thunder on the Mountain

Blowin' in the Wind*

Dylan, etc.

Cindy and I are counting down the hours until tonight's Bob Dylan concert at the Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD. It'll be my sixth time to see Bob live, Cindy's first.




And as all Dylan fans know, the highly unorthodox/experimental Dylan biopic I'm Not There will be released on November 21. The film recently shared the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival with Abdellatif Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet. Cate Blanchett also won a Best Actress award for her portrayal of Dylan. Yes, Cate Blanchett. Check out this clip.

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If for some insane reason you haven't bought the new anthology Best American Fantasy (Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds.), do it now, if only to read Chris Adrian's superb story "A Better Angel," one of the most powerful stories I've read this year. (But don't stop there.)

How Does It Feel?

As all music fans (and people with a heightened cultural awareness) already know, today is Bob Dylan's birthday, always a cause for celebration. (Bob turns 66 today, for those of you keeping score.)

So you ask, "How can I celebrate Bob's birthday?"

There are several ways. Here are but a few. Yet, if you feel a bit more daring, you might try one of these:

Walk up to a stranger and snarl, "How does it feeeeeeeel?"

Hang out on Highway 61. (This, of course, depends largely upon your geographical area.)

Dress up like Shakespeare and stand in an alley, any alley.

Depending on the weather in your area, stand in the middle of a clear, sunny spot and exclaim "A hard rain's a-gonna fall." (Sackcloth and ashes optional.)

Dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free.

If you're in the Washington DC area, go visit the Masters of War and sing any or all of the song. (Prepare for at least one night in the slammer, depending on the intensity of your performance.)

Get stranded in Mobile.

Rehearse with tuba players around the flagpole.

Look for places with music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air.

Hang out with a trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field (one of my all-time favorite Dylan lines).

Serve somebody. (You gotta do it, you know.)

The possibilities are endless. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Bob!