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Saturday, July 20, 2002 |
Criticism
Judas Magazine is a critical magazine about Bob Dylan. Edited by the redoubtable Andrew Muir and Keith Wooten. The second issue just appeared, and it's a good one, with a really fascinating Clinton Heylin interview with Ellen Bernstein, for whom Bob wrote "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go." Lots of good stuff. One quote, though, I wanted to reprint. It's from a short piece by Alan Davis,commenting on an article in the previous issue. He quotes John Ruskin about criticism in general:
The greatest thing a human soul can do in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see.
Then Davis adds his own comment:
I've always found this to be at the heart of the most effective critical writing: 'I've seen this,' says the helpful critic, 'Here's how you can see it too.'
Davis is talking of Dylan commentary; the article he discusses, he says, made him see "To Ramona" in a new way, and that after he read it he never can hear the song the same way. This has happened to me in several cases in Dylan writing, in the first issue of Judas magazine, and in some others (though I don't remember the article he cites; I just don't pay atention to stuff about the Tarot). But this "I've seen this," is at the core of what blogging is all about. All too often, what's missing is the "here's how you can see it too" part.
7:46:52 PM Permalink
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Corporate Scandal Trading Cards
Here, to clear it all up, are Slate's Corporate Scandal Trading Cards—the fastest guide to America's top 10 business crackups. (And they even come with the Slate Guarantee: You can trade our cards with your friends—and they won't immediately lose 99 percent of their value! )
2:07:12 PM Permalink
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Corporate Socialism
Terrific editiorial in the Washington Post about our nation of corporate socialists.
Corporate Socialism -- the privatization of profit and the socialization of risks and misconduct -- is displacing capitalist canons. This condition prevents an adaptable capitalism, served by equal justice under law, from delivering higher standards of living and enlarging its absorptive capacity for broader community and environmental values. Civic and political movements must call for a decent separation of corporation and state.
1:25:58 PM Permalink
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War is the enemy of democracy
War is the Enemy. Terrific quote from James Madiso, via moveon.org:
"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended. Its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war...and in the degeneracy of manners and morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
1:08:21 PM Permalink
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Masked & Anonymous Concert
Chris Oxley posted to rec.music.dylan a report from Armey Archerd in Variety about the LA concert the other night for Masked & Anonmous, the new Dylan movie.
The "concert" was for Dylan's final scene in "Masked and Anonymous," which was filming on Stage 6 of Ray-Art Studios in Canoga Park. Among the songs he played/recorded for the film -- the traditional "Dixie." But he also played "If You See Her, Say Hello," "I'll Remember You," "Dirt Road Blues" and some new songs yet to be recorded -- on both electric and acoustic guitars.
Very interestng! "Dirt Road Blues" is the only song from Time Out of Mind that hasn't been performed live yet. The album track of that song is, as I understand it, a vocal and some other instrumentation recorded over a loop of a recording from a concert soundcheck. It's a good song, but doesn't, shall we say, break any new ground. It'll be nice to hear, though. Also look forward to "If You See Her, Say Hello," a magnificent song from Blood On The Tracks, and a song which has had a very interesting history with some major changes in concert versions.
In the story, set sometime in the future, John Goodman plays Uncle
Sweetheart, the manager of Dylan's character Jack Fate. Goodman
described the manager as "a combination Don King and Colonel Tom
Parker." Goodman drove out from New Orleans to play the role. "I'm
still pinching myself that I'm in this movie with him."
Uncle Sweetheart?
The six major players are Dylan, Goodman, [Jessica] Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz. The supporting players: [Ed] Harris, [Val] Kilmer, Angela
Bassett, Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Dern, Christian Slater, Chris Penn, Cheech Marin and [Steven] Bauer.
Some weird cast. There's cause for both chagrin and hope. The title of the thing is just terrible, as is Bob Dylan's name. On the other hand, Uncle Sweetheart is a great name, and the rest of the cast looks pretty good. Still, I'm not so sure I'm looking forward to this, especially with reports on the script being the way they are.
In related news: it looks like we'll get to see Bob in the Bay Area again this October. Definitely good news!
9:05:11 AM Permalink
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Oh No!
SFGate:
Barry Bonds strained his right hamstring while chasing down an Eric Karros drive to left-center in the 11th inning. He walked off by himself, very gingerly, and head trainer Stan Conte characterized the injury as "a significant strain of the muscle."
But he added, "The strain was low in the muscle, which is a good sign. The one thing I've learned with Barry is sometimes it looks really bad, but he comes back really quickly, like he did with his back in Colorado. That's why I'm holding final judgment until tomorrow."
8:27:12 AM Permalink
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© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.
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