Dylan Is His Theme: A Visit with K.G. Miles, Author of the Troubadour Tales Series

K.G. Miles

Earlier this spring I learned that K.G. Miles, author of two books devoted to places Bob Dylan has had relationships with -- London and New York -- was assembling a book about Bob Dylan's life in Minnesota. Miles first two books are the first in a four-part series under the umbrella Troubadour Tales.  The Minnesota volume is slated for 2023. 

The third book in this series will be released later this month, August 18. The theme in this third book has to do with Dylan's relationship to Dylan Thomas. To enrich its value Miles reached out to Dylan Thomas expert Jeff Towns. It looks to be an eye-opener for many Dylan fans. 

It's fun to see the variety of approaches authors have taken with regards to the music and life of our generation's most significant singer/songwriter.

EN: How did you first become interested in the music of Bob Dylan? 

KG Miles: My Auntie Di took me to the Isle of Wight in 1969 and as about 9 years old my only real memory was of these alien creatures!. I came from a housing estate in South London where everything was pretty grey. She may as well have taken me to Mars!

Nevertheless, as with the Beatles and Elvis, there was never a time in my life when I wasn't aware of Bob Dylan. 

Like many people who were too young to remember the 60's I had to work chronologically back from Bob's music. My entry point, as it was for a lot in the UK, was More Greatest Hits, an astonishing double album that wasn't just a greatest hits at all and still stands the test of time as the most extraordinary introduction to Dylan's music. 

As a teenager the poster on my wall was from Dont Look Back (this poster now proudly hangs in a frame at The Dylan Room in the Troubadour Club in London).

Despite punk hitting (as with Sgt. Pepper, punk never really changed music at all!) the Big Bang for many in the UK (and places like Japan) was the 1978 tour. As many did, I queued all night on the streets of London for tickets and the overspill festival at Blackbushe kick started the modern music festival. (People don't realize that the old hippy festivals such as Glastonbury had been and gone. Only when they saw the success of Blackbushe, did they start up again.)

I was hooked completely from then on and I can't believe that he is still in 2022 making extraordinary, new music....and next month I am off to see him again at The Palladium. Astonishing.

EN: You’ve published two Troubador Tales books about Dylan – Dylan in London and Dylan in the Big Apple. What sets these apart from the many other books about Dylan?

KGM: There are hundreds upon hundreds of Bob Dylan books and we are decades on from the publication of Not Another Bob Dylan book! For the Bob Dylan in London book, with my co author Jackie Lees, we very much wanted to impart what we had found about Bob in London to other fans. It was astonishing that Bob Dylan in London had never been a book before. (Hundreds upon hundreds of books are just telling us what Bob means by his lyrics and 99% of it is likely to be wrong. Also sometimes Gibraltar just rhymes with Altar!). We also wanted people to use the book as a guide, so there is a map. Jackie and I had been on a pilgrimage and we wanted others to see the wonderful places in a currently sparse music tourism. We also wanted the books to be an easy read. Too many Dylan writers start to think they ARE Bob Dylan and make the books turgid in an attempt to be deep and meaningful. Bob Dylan is fun and so are the books. I want a reader to get the joy and to turn each page thinking, "Wow! I never knew that!"

Easily the best review I had was one that said the Troubadour Tales were "refreshingly non academic!"

EN: What is the third book about that you’re releasing later this summer?

KGM: I was lucky that I got approached by great publishers, McNidder & Grace and they wanted 4 books. Bob Dylan in London had been a great success. (A Number one Amazon bestseller...beating Tom Jones!) For the third I wanted to explore the creative links between Bob and Dylan Thomas. (And yes, I have definitively proven in the book that he got his name from the Welsh poet. 

To me Bob and Dylan Thomas are the two rock n roll poets. They are the only artists who truly master the art of Performed Literature. I was so lucky to have on board a Bob fan and an expert on Dylan Thomas, Jeff Towns. We explored the creative Venn diagram, the links that tie the two men, everyone from the obvious such as Patti Smith and Arthur Rimbaud to the less obvious such as Nelson Algren and Johnnie Ray. It was a joyous project in every way!

As both men appear on the cover of Sgt. Pepper, we were honoured to have the same cover artist for our book...Peter Blake. We are hoping that you can indeed judge a book by it's astonishing cover!

EN: I think writers enjoy researching as much as writing because of all the things we learn along the way. What have been your two or three biggest insights gained while writing and assembling these books?

KGM: So many insights! From finding the correct chronology for Bob's first London visit to the finding of the extraordinary George Margolin from Greenwich Village for the Big Apple book. Mostly though, anyone who looks at the life of Bob Dylan will see from Dinkytown to London to Greenwich Village and beyond, that when a door opened for him, he just ran through. As someone for whom a door opened at the age of 61 it is a lesson for life. Run through!

I hope also there is an insight in the books into the real Bob Dylan, the man you hear on Theme Time Radio who gets so much joy from music, who embraces the full fat fun of life.

EN: How many more books do you have planned for this series?

Marc Percansky (center) with the artists from Brazil
who painted this six story high mural in Minneapolis

KGM: After Two Dylans there is hopefully one more Troubadour Tales book. I had thought of Japan which holds a special place in Bob's heart, as he does from them. It was too difficult to do when travel was restricted. It is a strange and mysterious place to a boy from South London.

Bob Dylan in Minnesota is a work in progress and in addition to you, Ed,  I have been overwhelmed by the friendliness and enthusiasm from Paul Metsa, Spider John Koerner, Marc Percansky, Matt Steichen, Kevin Odegard etc. Minnesota people are clearly wonderful and for me it is important to get this book absolutely right so that it can be the definitive, useable guide to Duluth, Hibbing and Dinkytown. I love visiting and giving a talk at the Tulsa Center but to me there is only one place that Center should have been... Minnesota.

EN: Where can people find your books if they want to purchase?

KGM: Bob Dylan in London and Bob Dylan in the Big Apple can both be bought via any bookseller or are about $9  (so a steal!) on Amazon. Two Dylans will be out on 18th August and on Amazon over here. If you know someone with Amazon Prime it can be soon winging its way to any Bob Dylan fan in the world!!

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Here's one of the many kind reviews of Miles' book on London, by Harvard prof and author Richard Thomas who gave a John Bushey Memorial Lecture at Duluth Dylan Fest  a few years back:

‘The Troubadour, where Dylan played in 1962 on his first trip out of America, the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, venues of the mid-1960s masterpiece performances before and after “going electric”, the triumphant return to Earl’s Court in 1978, and Camden Town, scene of a 1993 Dylan stroll and photo session. These are just some of the places in this endlessly invigorating city to which Jackie Lees and KG Miles take us in Bob Dylan in London: Troubadour Tales, their highly readable and essential archaeological tour through Bob Dylan’s London, a city that has always been dear to him.’

Professor Richard F. Thomas, Harvard University

Author of Why Bob Dylan Matters

Related Link

A Visit With Richard F. Thomas

Laura Leivick's Take On Bob Dylan's December 5 Show at the Beacon

Photo courtesy Laura Leivick

I recently learned that O. Henry, the short story writer who made twist endings famous 120 years ago, used to get ideas for stories by hanging around busy hotel lobbies and eavesdropping on conversations. I identified with this because I, too, have had a number of blog posts triggered by things I overheard.

So it is that I enjoyed the opening of lines of Laura Leivick's lively review of Dylan's show last night at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side. The veteran writer (NYTimes Magazine, WSJ lit critic, Rolling Stone copy editor, etc.) and lifetime Dylan fan (how many of us began with Bob's first album) shared this review of the December 5 concert.

* * * *
ONE MORE TIME AROUND
Tonight, after the Dylan concert at the Beacon, I heard two guys in the 20-30-something age range, who had seen the show, having a manic exchange about how amazingly Bob's work defies age. "He could be 30," exclaimed one who looked like he might be 30 himself. Oh, yeah? That kind of stagecraft--not to mention the setlist--was built over a lifetime.

It was a great concert no matter how you slice it, though it took me a while to catch on. The opener was puzzling--Bob singing "Things Have Changed," great! but playing electric guitar--why? (If it's because he can, well, I guess that's as good a reason as any.) Soon enough, however, he was building up a head of steam, and by the time he reached the final encore, he was tearing up the place. I saw a bank of scofflaws, their cameras a-blazing; people were dancing in the aisles, even the skinny spaces between rows of seats. Near the stage, a girl with blond bobbed hair bopped so joyfully I thought Bob should put her in a wheel barrow and wheel her down the street.

I got off to a slow start--I was jarred by the volume of the new drummer, Matt Chamberlain, and thought his sound lacked variety for a few songs. Or maybe the acoustic balance was off (or my hearing was, or where I was sitting was a problem—tho’ mid-orchestra should be good).

But by the time Bob was singing "Trying To Get To Heaven," accompanying himself on piano, I had recovered. Tony Garnier played the violin. If that doesn't open the door, nothing will.

Next up, the night's power-packed versions of "Pay in Blood" and "Early Roman Kings," and then the mood changed utterly and we got "Girl From the North Country" with Donnie Herron's haunting, Irish-inflected fiddle. Best version I ever heard. I held my breath.

Photo courtesy Philip Hale from previous show.

I guess I should note that the stage didn't resemble a supper club tonight, as it has during other Beacon runs, and the band wasn't dolled up in matching dinner jackets. Bob was dressed fancy for the occasion and wore no hat. The stage was set up so that when he left the piano he could easily and quickly be center stage singing and playing harp or guitar.

I was sort of embarrassed by "Not Dark Yet," which Bob sang from center stage with Herron on pedal steel. I'd call it corny--the pause between "It's not dark yet" and "but it's getting there" struck me as pure melodrama. However, the hard truth is it's Bob Dylan singing his own song about (his own?) mortality, so that's that.

The last four songs and the two encores left us all screaming. Hope we'll reconvene next Fall.

* * * *

Thanks, Laura, for contributing your insights here. Rich! What a privilege we've all had who took advantage of the opportunity to catch one or more of the shows on this fall's chapter of the NET.

Tonight (if you're reading this Friday) is the last of 10 performances in the Big Apple, with a final punctuation mark for this leg of the Never Ending Tour at The Anthem in Washington DC Sunday evening. If you can find a seat, take advantage.

Related Links
Another Review of Last NIght's Concert, by Johnny B
Dylan at the Beacon--Philip Hale Shares Why Fans Keep Coming Back for More
A Brief Glance at the Life of William Sydney Porter, a.k.a. O Henry 
Spotlight on Writer and Expecting Rain Contributor Laura Leivick
Start Spreading the News: Dylan Still at the Top of His Game in the Big Apple

Start Spreading the News: Dylan Still at the Top of His Game in the Big Apple

Photo courtesy Nelson French.

For two decades from 1990 to 2010 Bob Dylan and his Never Ending Tour averaged 100 concerts a year. At 77 years old no one can quibble if the veteran performer has slowed down. Monday Dec 3 Dylan will be in Philadelphia for his 85th concert this year, after winding up a series of seven performances at the Beacon Theater in New York. Not too shabby.

I have a number of friends who attended one or more of these New York concerts that began on November 23. I tried twisting a few arms to get reviews. All said the shows have been phenomenal.

Laura Leivick, a familiar name on ExpectingRain.com, was one of these who attended and agreed to weigh in with her own perspective on the concert she attended.  (Thank you.)

* * * *
Can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a Dylan concert. He was in really good voice (best I've heard him in years), full of energy, and it seems he's finally used to being onstage without a guitar. When he wasn't at the keyboard (during "Scarlet Town," I think it was), he seemed freer moving around and gesturing for emphasis.  The band was brilliant. I'm not going to fall all over myself explaining --if you're here reading this, you know. The concert followed the now-familiar format: Dylan sang and played piano (plus some harp solos that tore up the place) for two hours straight, pausing only during the brief blackouts between songs that allow for changes in the setup.

I sat a little too far off center for an unobstructed view of Charlie Sexton, and wound up focusing on Donnie Herron, who does magic on every instrument he touches -- he played five tonight: pedal steel, lap steel, banjo, violin, electric mandolin (I checked on Bill Pagel's indispensable BobLinks site (http://www.boblinks.com/112918s.html).

As usual, I hated a few of Dylan's current versions of his songs -- "Like a Rolling Stone" (a mess except for Tony Garnier on bass) and "Don't Think Twice" (a calculated, corny performance) were the worst. But to my delight, I finally cottoned on to a few others, notably "Pay in Blood." Sometimes it can take years for a song to kick in for me.

Frankly, ole Bob was wearing me out (a new one on me) as the set was drawing to an end. Then the annoying big guy sitting in front of me began phone-filming the finale, a major "Blowing in the Wind" (hallelujah for that arrangement -- Donnie played a celestial country-style violin) and I...well, I smacked him* on the shoulder and said, "Stop it!" He did.  (*EdNote: The big guy, not Donnie.)

The young musician sitting next to me, astonished, said, "You really scared him!"

Then, gloriosky! Dylan came out and took a bow. I was there.

- by Laura Leivick

Laura Leivick is a regular contributor to Expecting Rain. One of her essays is featured in the recently published Dance in America, edited by Mindy Aloff.

Another friend shared this YouTube video (audio only) of the November 24 concert at the Beacon.  According to Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands, this is Dylan's 78th concert this year, which varies from the count at BobLinks... It is what it is.
And here's a review from Glide Magazine.

Meantime life goes on all around you. Engage it. 

Street Art In the Bay Area and Big Apple

This building in SF caught my attention a few years back.

Last week when I shared examples of L.A. street art it brought to mind some of my San Francisco meanderings a couple years back and the street art I saw there. The building at the right here was striking because I'd never seen anything like it. Instead of graffiti or bright murals, it was a living sculpture with furniture falling out from all the windows.

What triggered my memories of SF was an article at ARTINFO.com on the 20 Best Spots to See Street Art in New York City. As the slide show demonstrates, the New York street arts community is quite talented, and busy. Personally I hate most articles that claim to designate ten or twenty things as the best of everything else, like the best actors of all time and top ten Dylan songs of all time. Usually it's just a person speaking authoritatively about his or her own opinion. Nevertheless, these kinds of articles do cause buzz or a bit of chatter amongst friends who get a chance to say, "Well, what about...?"

It used to be that graffiti artists worked on walls beneath underpasses and other out-of-the-way spaces because the work was unsanctioned. (i.e. illegal) Today's graffiti artist is now a street artist and their work is receiving a much higher level of recognition. Certainly building lathered with color are more interesting than abandoned structures that have been condemned but are yet to be dismantled.

I went to a Vegas auto show party once in which two dozen graffiti artists had been flown in from Detroit to create a wall of art during the course of the evening while suited executives sipped cocktails and talked about the industry. It seemed an odd juxtaposition.

For what it's worth, we have some really exceptional walls in Duluth and Superior, and I'm looking forward to seeing more in 2013.

The images below are from a wall in SF circa 2010. I wake earlier than everyone else so I walked the streets with my camera. How many times I've wished my eyeball were a camera, but there are a lot of fairy tale wishes in life that just ain't gonna happen.