21 Questions: Dylan Fest Trivia 2019

Illustration by Kristi Abbott

Well, it's official. I lost my job as the creator of the Duluth Dylan Fest Trivia Contest. Evidently, and I was warned repeatedly, my questions were too hard. Oh well.

My view was that the Trivia Contest could serve as a way to learn more things about Bob. Even if you didn't know the answers, by playing you could learn things.

What follows are 21 questions I'd prepared for this year's Duluth Dylan Fest.

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1. Which Author Does Not Yet Have a Book in Print About Bob Dylan?
a. Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas
b. Duluth Blogger Ed Newman
c. Rolling Stone Music Critic Greil Marcus
d. Horror Fiction Writer Stephen King

2. Since the beginning of the Never-Ending-Tour Dylan has averaged how many concerts per year?
a. 31
b. 131
c. 81
d. 100

3. What did Dylan say publicly after he survived his health crisis in 1997?
a. “Thank you, Jesus.”
b. “I thought I was going to see Elvis.”
c. “When in Rome do as the Romans do.”
d. “I may have to cancel tonight’s show.”

4. What nationality is Bob Dylan?
a. Half Jewish, Half German
b. Half Jewish, One-Fourth Italian, One-Fourth Spanish
c. Half Jewish, One-Fourth Lithuanian, One-Fourth Mixed
d. Half Jewish, and the other half Jewish

5. Dylan’s father, Abe Zimmerman was a graduate from Central High School in Duluth in 1929. He especially liked baseball, basketball and golf. He used to golf at both the Enger and Lester River Golf Courses. Why didn’t he golf at the Northland Country Club?
a. It was too expensive.
b. It was too challenging.
c. It was anti-Semitic.
d. He could never get a tee time.

6. In 1964 Dylan wrote a piece of prose titled 11 Outlined Epitaphs in which he recalls a number of features from his early memories of Duluth. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in 11 Outlined Epitaphs?
a. The honkin’ foghorns
b. The blinking lighthouse
c. The rainy mist
d. The rocky cliffs

7. What sign of the Zodiac is Bob Dylan?
a. Capricorn
b. Virgo
c. Gemini
d. Cancer

8. There were four movie theaters owned in part by Robert Zimmerman’s uncles. The young Bobby Zimmerman enjoyed going to the movies, and later wrote a song called Brownsville Girl that references Gregory Peck. What Gregory Peck movie does this song refer to, which young Dylan undoubtedly saw.
a. The Paradine Case
b. The Gunfighter
c. Moby Dick
d. To Kill a Mockingbird

9. How old was Bobby Zimmerman when his family moved from Duluth’s Central Hillside to the one-industry union town of Hibbing?
a. 8
b. 7
c. 6
d. 5

10. In the late 40s when the Zimmermans were settled in Hibbing, the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 44 was….
a. Guns
b. Polio
c. Tuberculosis
d. Flu

11. Which artist has NOT been recorded performing Buddy Holly’s song “Not Fade Away”?
a. Rolling Stones
b. Johnny Mathis
c. Bob Dylan
d. Grateful Dead

12. The most recent Bootleg Series is titled More Blood, More Tracks. Which features outtakes from Blood on the Tracks. Which of these songs from that album did not get recorded in Minnesota?
a. Tangled Up In Blue
b. Idiot Wind
c. Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
d. Simple Twist of Fate

13. Which of the following artists did NOT do a cover version of Dylan’s “If Not For You” from his album New Morning?
a. Sarah Vaughn
b. George Harrison
c. Elton John
d. Olivia Newton-John

14. What was the name of the Hibbing High School Yearbook when Bobby Zimmerman was in school there?
a. The Parasite
b. The Hematite
c. The Hermaphrodite
d. The Anthracite

15. Which of these characters was in the song Desolation Row?
a. Louis the King
b. T.S. Eliot
c. Mack the Finger
d. Georgia Sam

16. In what Blonde On Blonde song will you find the line, “Jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule.”
a. To Ramona
b. Fourth Time Around
c. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
d. Visions of Johanna

17. The civil rights protest song “Only a Pawn in their Game” is about the murder of what important civil rights leader?
a. Emmett Till
b. Medgar Evers
c. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
d. Malcolm X

Photo: Bill Pagel Archives. Warfield Theater SF, 1979.

18. In which album from Dylan’s Gospel Trilogy period did the song Dead Man, Dead Man appear? 
a. Slow Train Coming
b. Saved
c. Shot of Love
d. World Gone Wrong

19. The album Greatest Hits Volume 3 selected which song from Dylan’s album Blood on the Tracks? 
a. Tangled Up In Blue
b. Hurricane
c. Changing of the Guard
d. Ring Them Bells

20. Which Song from Greatest Hits Volume 3 is also the title of the album it appears on?
a. Silvio
b. Knocked Out Loaded
c. Jokerman
d. Under the Red Sky

21. To find the schedule for this year's 2019 Duluth Dylan Fest, you should go to what website?
a. BobDylan.com
b. BobDylanWay.com
c. BobLinks.com
d. Highway61Revisited.com

YOU CAN ALSO FIND THIS YEAR'S SCHEDULE HERE.

Now that wasn't so bad, was it? With the exception of question one, most answers can be found online fairly easily.  The answer to question one is d, Stephen King.

ANSWERS BELOW IN THE COMMENTS

Dylan Trivia: Everything You Know Is Wrong

One of the features of Duluth Dylan Fest each year is the Dylan Trivia event at Carmody's Irish Pub. For 51 Sunday nights throughout the year Carmody's hosts a trivia contest featuring miscellaneous trivial themes. Then there's Dylan Fest in which the questions deal with all things Dylan.

As the author of a few of these Dylan Trivia contests I tend to notice news items with Dylan ties as they cross the ticker. For example, last week I saw a news story that the doors to the historic Chelsea Hotel were auctioned off. Several trivia questions came to mind. Here are two.

1. How many of the following famous people did NOT ever call the Chelsea Hotel "home" at one time or another?
Mark Twain, Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Dylan Thomas, Jim Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Arthur C. Clark, Allen Ginsberg, Stanley Kubrick, Dennis Hopper, Robert Crumb, Claes Oldenburg, Cher, Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Jane Fonda.

Answer: None. At one time or another all these folks stayed in the Chelsea Hotel.

2. The door to Dylan's room in the Chelsea Hotel went up for auction this past week and sold for how much?
a. $20,000
b. $50,000
c: $100,000
d. $400,000

Answer: You can find the answer here. (If the Vice link fails, try Google.)

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"Dylan Discovers a New Way of Seeing" 

Originally I planned to have this post yesterday as a FLASHBACK FRIDAY in which I re-posted one of the Dylan trivia blog posts from the past. Thursday's explosion at a refinery in Superior rocked the city and upended my plans here.

In 2016 I shared DO YOU LIKE DYLAN TRIVIA? The aim, of course, was to remind blog readers that Trivia Night is one of the events we have each year at Dylan Fest.

Last year, after DDF was over I received a link to another Dylan Trivia questionnaire titled TANGLED UP IN THE BIBLE: A BOB DYLAN QUIZ. It was fun, and perhaps a prescient preview of Dylan's Bootleg #13: Trouble No More which would be released late last year. You can find David Buckna's original quiz here on Facebook.

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DON'T OVERTHINK IT
The main point of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink is that we should learn to trust our instincts and not overthink things. We "think without thinking" he says. Granted, this is an oversimplification, but when it comes to trivia contests with nothing at stake, unless you are super-competitive, then have fun and don't overthink it.

On the other hand, I guess there's always the contrarian view, which Weird Al is happy to provide in this video.

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Related Links

Dylan Fest Schedule can be found here at BobDylanWay.com
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Meantime life goes on all around you. Engage it.

All Along the Watchtower All Around the World... with Echoes

Ten years and 1.5 million pageviews ago I wrote a blog post about Dylan's enigmatic All Along the Watchtower. In re-reading it today it dawned on me that the title of the album Love and Theft might even be an echo of these two characters, the Joker and the Thief.

Yesterday a friend sent me a link to the video below, Playing For Change. It's a fascinating way to interweave cultures, to visibly show us -- as well as dramatically and aurally -- how diverse we are as a human family, yet can simultaneously be united through song and through music.

Shortly after Paul Simon released his Graceland album a documentary was produced showing how Simon incorporated South African sounds and other influences into the rich fabric of his music for this production. At one point in the film he is giving a workshop to youth about how to write a song. He said, "Begin with one true thing," and then add another and another.

I can't help but hear this approach to songwriting in many of Dylan's songs, especially this one, which begins, "There must be some way out of here." Which (after introducing the characters) is followed by, "There's too much confusion. I can't get no relief."

Many have called the song apocalyptic. It is certainly enigmatic and like the Joker, it is a perpetual riddle without resolution. "And the win begins to howl." (Does anyone else here see a tie between that line and the opening of Allen Ginsberg's most famous poem,  "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness"? Or a reference to another Dylan classic, "Blowing in the Wind"?)

How many of these layers of connective tissue are intentional and how many serendipitous?

* * * *
An Amusing Anecdote
Two or three years ago we were at Carmody's for Dylan Trivia on the second night of Duluth Dylan Fest. One of the questions pertained to this song All Along The Watchtower. When the scoring was taking place at the end of the contest, as the MC read the answer, someone at the next table said, "I thought Jimi Hendrix wrote that." Our table of Dylan Fest friends laughed.

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Related Links
The Musicians on Playing for Change
Buy the Album here

Tangled Up In The Bible: A Bob Dylan Quiz

During the course of Duluth Dylan Fest this year I received a number of interesting emails, including this one, a trivia quiz whose central thread happens to be spiritual references in the works of Bob Dylan. At the end of the questions you'll find a link to a Facebook page where the answers can be found.

TANGLED UP IN THE BIBLE: A BOB DYLAN QUIZ 
By David Buckna

In the history of popular music, few figures loom as large. This quiz explores Dylan's biblical connections.

"There's mystery, magic, truth and the Bible in great folk music. I can't hope to touch that. But I'm going to try.” – Bob Dylan, in a 1963 interview

QUESTIONS

1. As early as 1962 Dylan made an allusion to Jesus in song: "To preach of peace and brotherhood/ Oh, what might be the cost! / A man he did it long ago/ And they hung him on a cross." Name the song.

2. According to author Ronnie Keohane, what one line from Masters Of War (1963) has Dylan consistently omitted from his concerts since 1979?

3. In 1968 Jimi Hendrix recorded what is considered to be the most notable cover of a Dylan song. Name it.

4. What movie soundtrack album did Dylan release in 1973?

5. What are the titles of Dylan's three gospel albums?

6. On what 1980 Keith Green song does Dylan have a harmonica solo?

7. What’s the first line of Jokerman (1983)?

8. The line "One says to the other no man sees my face and lives" is from what Dylan song?

9. For what 1997 album did Dylan win three Grammy awards?

10. What Dylan album includes Tryin' To Get To Heaven?

11. What "rock" hymn did Dylan perform Feb. 2, 1999 at a concert in Pensacola, Florida?

12. After years of speculation, it was confirmed in 2001 that Dylan was the model for this bronze statue on top of the north-western tower of Nidaros Cathedral (Trondheim, Norway). Who does the statue depict?

13. When 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley asked Dylan in 2004, "Why do you still do it?" (perform), Dylan replied: "Well, it goes back to that destiny thing. I mean, I made a bargain with it, you know, long time ago. And I'm holdin' up my end...to get where I am now." When Bradley asked, "Should I ask who you made the bargain with?" what was Dylan's reply?

14. What Dylan rarity from Under The Red Sky (1990) did he perform July 10, 2005 in Schaumburg, Illinois?

15. What are the first two lines of Spirit On the Water (2006)?

16. The Bible was Dylan's theme for the Sept. 6, 2006 edition of his Theme Time Radio Hour, on Sirius XM Radio. Whose 1930 version of John The Revelator did Dylan play?

17. In a 2009 interview to promote Dylan's Christmas In The Heart album, Bill Flanagan – referring to O Little Town of Bethlehem – told Dylan he "delivered the song like a true believer." What was Dylan's reply?

18. He said on May 29, 2012: "Today everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude. There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. All these years later, he's still chasing that sound, still searching for a little bit of truth, and I have to say that I am a really big fan." Who said it?

19. What song on Dylan's 35th studio album is 14 minutes long?

20. According to Christian minister/author Steve Stockman, what song on Tempest "is dripping with the images of the Jewish Passover or the Christian idea of atonement"?

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Answer Key: Here.

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In 2015 I interviewed Scott Marshall, author of a book about Dylan's spiritual side called Restless Pilgrim. One of the comments I received in response to that interview was an inquiry from someone wanting to know if his more in depth manuscript on this theme had been published. This past week I learned that, in fact, it's being released this month. You can check it out here on Amazon, Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life.

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"May your wishes all come true... and may you stay forever young."

Olof Björner's Bob Dylan Yearly Chronicles

RESEARCH TOOLS DEPT.

Suppose you're writing an article, or maybe even a book, on some facet of Bob Dylan's life and you need to verify some information about, say maybe, a concert in 1974. You know you read about it in one of the many books you'd read about Dylan, but you can't seem to recall just where that reference was.

Well, here's a place where you can turn: Olof Björner's Bob Dylan Yearly Chronicles.

Like you, Olof Björner is a Dylan fan. Unlike you, he is far more organized, and has spent decades documenting Dylan's live performances and recording sessions. His website, bjorner.com, features details of every live concert and studio recording from as early as 1956. That's right, Dylan was just fifteen.

Dylan fans come in all varieties and forms. Some collect the albums, countless others go beyond that and collect the bootlegs. Some collect memorabilia, and others strive to take in as many concerts as possible. The Swedish-born Björner evidently enjoys researching information, and he's spent a lifetime gathering it, ultimately producing a 13-volume set on these subjects, Olof's Files: A Bob Dylan Performance Guide, which was issued by UK publisher Hardinge Simpole, available on Amazon.com.

In short, if you ever have to assemble a Dylan Trivia Contest, you really needn't look any further than to Olof Björner's comprehensive work.

Speaking of trivia contests, Carmody's Pub in Downtown Duluth hosts a trivia night every Sunday at, I believe, 9 p.m. and during our annual Duluth Dylan Fest, the theme is Dylan, as you would expect. Here are some of the kinds of questions you might hear asked on that particular evening.

1. In April 1965, fifty years ago this month, Dylan's single Subterranean Homesick Blues/She Belongs To Me spent eight weeks on the charts, peaking at what number in the U.S.?
a. #4
b. #17
c. #39
d. #51

2. The same release spent nine weeks on the charts in the U.K. and peaked at what number?
a. #1
b. #9
c. #23
d. #44

3. Dylan has been in quite a number of films. In March 1972 what film was released in which Dylan appeared.
a. Billy the Kid
b. Don't Look Back
c. Renaldo and Clara
d. The Concert for Bangla Desh

4. On May 29, 1988 Dylan made a guest appearance in a concert starring what former member of The Band?
a. Levon Helm
b. Robbie Robertson
c. Rick Danko
d. Richard Manuel

5. What was the venue for Dylan's concert in New York on August 28, 1965?
a. Max's Kansas City
b. Madison Square Garden
c. Radio City Music Hall
d. Forest Hills Tennis Stadium

Well, if you want the answers, you know where to look. And maybe we'll see you at Carmody's next month, if not sooner. If you see me, say hello.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Embrace it.

The Usual Fun: Trivia Night at Carmody's

The Master of Ceremonies always makes it special.

Carmody's Irish Pub in Downtown Duluth is becoming the annual place to be on Sunday night during our North Country Dylan Fest. Sunday's have been trivia night there for many years, but one evening per year it's Dylan-themed trivia. And the answers, my friend, are blowing in the wind.

This year I was given the privilege of creating the contest, and in the usual fashion it is a multiple choice quiz in which even if you're clueless, your odds are still one in four. Here's a chance to test your wits, and one-up your friends.

1. Which of the following is NOT a Dylan related website?
a. ExpectingRain.com b. BobDylan.com c. boblinks.com d. MrTambourineMan.com

2. Why did Dylan, who lived in Woodstock, NY, not perform at Woodstock?
a. He was not in the mood. b. He was recovering from a motorcycle accident. c. He was packing for the Isle of Wight festival that he was headlining. d. He was producing a film in Hollywood.

3. The Martin Scorsese documentary about Dylan is titled….
a. Don’t Look Back b. No Direction Home c. Dylan Does Dixie d. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

4. In addition to being a song writer, Dylan is also…
a. A sculptor b. A clarinet player c. A novelist d. A physics professor

5. Which of these is the latest release from the Dylan catalog?
a. Tempest b. Bootleg Series, Volume 10 c. The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration d. The Best of Bob Dylan Volume 4

6. Which song was NOT the first song on a Sixties Dylan album?
a. Like a Rolling Stone b. Girl from the North Country c. If Not For You d. The Times They Are A-Changin’

7. Bob Dylan Way in Duluth starts on…
a. Highway 61 b. Michigan Street c. Positively Fourth Street d. Grand Avenue

8. The tender and beautiful song Lay Down Your Weary Tune was performed live only once, in 1963. If you wanted to hear it today, which album would you need to listen to?
a. Highway 61 Revisited b. Biograph c. Bootleg Series Volume 12 d. Another Side of Bob Dylan

9. This is one of Dylan’s longest songs. It begins with these lyrics: With your mercury mouth in the missionary times And your eyes like smoke and your prayers like rhymes
What is the title of the song?
a. Nettie Moore b. Dreaming of You c. Highlands d. Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands

10. Which of these was NOT a double album or double CD?
a. Blonde on Blonde b. Greatest Hits Volume 2 c. Bootleg Series Volume 7 d. Together Through Life

11. Scarlet Rivera was the featured violinist on Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue and What Album?
a. Blood on the Tracks b. Infidels c. Desire d. Street Legal

12. One of Bob Dylan’s best friends broke his neck in an accident in high school. When Dylan later became famous he remained a life-long friend. His name was:
a. Jack Frost b. Larry Kegan c. Bill Berg d. Ian Bell

13. Dylan, when interviewed by Rolling Stone, expressed his feelings about Duluth in this way:
a. He didn’t want to talk about it. b. “When I was in Hibbing I wanted to be Little Richard.” c. “I like the way the hills tumble to the waterfront and the way the wind blows around the grain elevators.” d. “I’ve often thought I should have been born in San Francisco.”

14. Which of these people did NOT play Dylan in the film I’m Not There?
a. Luke Wilson b. Cate Blanchett c. Richard Gere d. Christian Bale

15. Only a Pawn in Their Game is about the shooting of what civil rights leader?
a. Malcolm X b. Blind Willie McTell c. Dr. Martin Luther King d. Medgar Evers

16. What two instruments did Dylan play in his 2013 concert in Bayfront Park
a. Harmonica and guitar b. Guitar and Piano c. Piano and harmonica d. Tambourine and Guitar

17. How old was Bob Dylan when he moved with his family from Duluth to Hibbing?
a. 9 b. 6 c. 3 d. 11

18. Dylan has performed this song in concert 2198 times, more than any other song he’s written, but it was not on his first 8 albums. What is…
a. Tangled Up In Blue b. Blowing in the Wind c. All Along the Watchtower d. Norwegian Wood

19. When did Dylan first meet the Beatles?
a. August 1964 at the Delmonica Hotel b. Backstage on the Ed Sullivan Show, January 1964 c. Backstage at Dylan’s first concert in Manchester, England, April 1965 d. June 1965 at the Chelsea Hotel

Zane B: Winner of the Scarlet Hair

20. Dylan won a Grammy for what comeback album in the late 90’s?
a. Love and Theft b. Time Out of Mind c. Modern Times d. Christmas in the Heart

21. Dylan has famously produced quite a few LONG very long songs. Which of the following is the shortest? a. Desolation Row b. Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands c. Highlands d. Fourth Time Around

22. Which of these writers did NOT write a book about Bob Dylan?
a. Greil Marcus b. Howard Sounes c. Kiki Stone d. Robert Shelton

23. Which of the following albums was NOT part of the trilogy of albums recorded during Dylan’s “Gospel Period”?
a. Shot of Love b. Oh Mercy c. Saved d. Slow Train Coming

24. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Which one of these was not one of the questions?
a. How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a man?
b. How many years must some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?
c. How many ways must he seek till he finds a path to that satisfied mind?
d. How many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died?

25. In what song did Dylan write this line: “There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.” a. Jokerman b. World Gone Wrong c. All Along the Watchtower d. All the Tired Horses

Tonight the celebration continues with Dylan-Themed Grog Time featuring Russ Sacker and Jamie Ness at Tycoon's Alehouse in Duluth. That will begin at 4:00 p.m. And tomorrow is our Dylan-Themed Art Exhibition and Poetry Showcase at The Red Mug in Superior with a start-time of 6:30 p.m. Hope to see you on the scene.

Crack team of Dylan scholars discusses accuracy of question 19.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Embrace it.

Answers:
1-10: d, c, b, a, c, c, b, b, d, d
11-20: c, b, c, a, d, c, b, c, a, b
21-25: d, c, b, c, c

Bob Dylan at the Lincoln Memorial: Chimes of Freedom as Contemporary Anthem

"Well here's another clue for you all..." `John Lennon

The North Country Dylan Celebration kicks off on Friday May 16 and runs through Saturday May 24. On Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m. Carmody's Pub will be hosting the annual Dylan Days Trivia Contest. Test your wits against the pros and win fabulous prizes!

I thought I would use this occasion to pass along some useful information that might help you correctly answer one of the questions in that evening's game. Yes, I was able to catch a peek at the questions this year, which disqualifies me from winning unfortunately.

In fact, two evenings ago I watched a Perry Mason re-run in which one of the students cheats on an important exam, with dire consequences. Followers of the show, or Earl Stanley Gardner's books upon which they are based, know there is always a murder and always an attractive woman somehow in the formula. You won't have to worry 'bout killin' with regard to the trivia contest. It's an utterly safe and fun competition. And yes, every question has to do with Dylan-related trivia.

So the clue for you here is with regard to the question, "Which website is NOT a Dylan-related website?"

I routinely use Bobdylan.com as a resource regarding albums, song lyrics (not always reliable but usually), song data (as in how many times a song has been performed live), as well as news and information about his music as well as his art shows. ExpectingRain.com is a useful mashup of all the Dylan stories compiled from various sources including blogs, YouTube videos and the Wall Street Journal.

BobLinks.com is a third resource for all things Dylan. Bob Links is a tremendously useful tool for following the Never Ending Tour as site manager Bill Pagel has been cataloging set lists and reviews from every concert on record. If you scroll down the page you'll find a calendar of scheduled upcoming appearances for Dylan and his band. If you scroll below the calendar you will see set lists and reviews of every concert this past year, and all the way at the bottom you will see links to every concert by city, by date, and maybe some day by mood.

I mention all this because I acquired this photo of Dylan which was taken on January 17, 1993. I was interested in learning more about where he was and what songs he played that day. As it turns out, Bob Links had the answer. That particular day Dylan made a surprise appearance at the Bill Clinton Inauguration Concert at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the same place where he thirty years earlier sang Only A Pawn In Their Game during the Washington Rights March. The song he chose to perform was "Chimes Of Freedom backed by a big band led by Quincy Jones and watched by the presidential family, whose members seem to find the performance great (Bill), hilarious (Hilary) and unbelievable (Chelsea).

Later the same night Dylan turns up at the "Absolutely Unofficial Blue Jeans Bash For Arkansas" held at the National Building Museum in Washington where he performed "To Be Alone With You" backed by Steven Stills and The Band.

Chimes of Freedom was released on his album Another Side of Bob Dylan. As I reflect on its lyrics I hear it as an anthem for the Sixties, a contemporary Star Spangled Banner. In fact, some of the language itself conveys the flashing drama of the 25-hour shelling of Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write what has since become our National Anthem. The noise and chaos must have been deafening and terrifying, but in the dawn's early light he could see that the banner still waved, inspiring renewed hope.

Dylan echoes this moment of revelation in the fifth stanza as "the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting." Instead of the visuals of a flag or banner, the repeated refrains cite the "chimes of freedom flashing," a sensation both visual and aural, and a basis for hope -- for all -- in the midst of turbulent times.

Chimes of Freedom

Far between sundown’s finish an’ midnight’s broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An’ for each an’ ev’ry underdog soldier in the night
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

In the city’s melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden while the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin’ rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an’ forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin’ constantly at stake
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An’ the unpawned painter behind beyond his rightful time
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Through the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for-granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an’ blind, tolling for the mute
Tolling for the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an’ cheated by pursuit
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Even though a cloud’s white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
An’ the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An’ for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Copyright © 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1992 by Special Rider Music

# # # # 

EdNote: This blog entry and others like it have the aim of raising awareness for the upcoming Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan concert which will kick off the 2014 North Country Dylan Celebration in Duluth and Hibbing. Sacred Heart Music Center, May 17, 2014. For tickets to this great event visit dulutharmory.org/events.

If you wish to help, visit the Salute Facebook page and share with your friends by clicking the Invite button. 

A Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan is a presentation of the Armory Arts and Music Center and Magic Marc Productions.

All Along the Watchtower, Revisited

Every Sunday evening Carmody's Pub in Downtown Duluth offers up a trivia contest, and this week was no exception. Being that we're in the middle of our North Country Dylan Celebration, the theme was properly oriented to the man whose 72nd birthday is being honored this week.

Twenty-five multiple choice questions were presented, and as last year many were pertained to exceedingly obscure details from the life of our contemporary bard. One in particular produced an especially amusing answer. The moderator, a bearded fellow suitably named McKinnon (this being an Irish pub), had asked the question, "Which Dylan song has he played more than any other?" The answer, if you wish to verify, can be found at www.bobdylan.com where the lyrics of every Dylan song can be found, along with the number of times each has been played in concert. Several, like Ballad of a Thin Man and Highway 61 Revisted have been played more than a thousand times, 1082 and 1780 respectively. But none exceeds All Along the Watchtower, which Dylan has played in concert 2,125 times to date. 

It was comical to overhear a group of young people say somewhat confusedly, "But that's a Hendrix song." It has to make you smile.

Hewitt Station performing All Along the Watchtower.

Last night Duluth Dylan Days moved to Beaners Central for an open mic night. Singer/songwriters were invited to sing a Dylan tune and one of their own compositions. Hewitt Station hosted, opening with a gravelly Girl from the North Country. Later in the program Hewitt sang a heartfelt rendition of All Along the Watchtower and one couldn't help but be reminded of the evening before.

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If anyone is interested in simply studying the poetry of Bob Dylan, that is, to study his songs and their lyrics as poetry, I commend to you John Hinchey's Like A Complete Unknown. Hinchey at one time taught literature at Swarthmore College. He brings insights that often might escape the casually listener, especially in the more surreal and ambiguous songs.

What Dylan does that many (if not most) great writers do, is to derive insight and imagery from direct observations of literal, concrete things. His language, however, explodes with splashes and starbursts of creative exuberance.

Hinchey himself is a vibrant writer, so writer-critic meets songwriter-artist in this 270 page overview of Dylan's poetry from 1961-1969. Hinchey stated his intention to write four subsequent volumes, a decade by decade panoramic overview of the tapestry that Dylan has woven with words.

Hinchey called Dylan's John Wesley Harding album "the comeback of all comebacks." It is an album very different from his previous series of in your face snarl and vim, following on the heels of Blonde On Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited. This was not my favorite Dylan album at the time, in part because I didn't care for the recording quality. It felt thin. But the songs have plenty of meat.

The most evocative song in this collection, and most memorable in part because of Jimi Hendrix's wonderfully haunting rendition, is All Along the Watchtower. From the first line, it carries you into a vivid sandstorm of expectation.

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

"There must be some way out of here" said the joker to the thief.
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief

Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth

None of them along the line know what any of it is worth.”

"No reason to get excited", the thief he kindly spoke.

"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke;

But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,

So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."

All along the watchtower, princes kept the view

While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.

Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,

Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.

Copyright ©1968; renewed 1996 Dwarf Music

So, what does it mean? Here we are forty-five years later and the song still intrigues. Who are the joker and the thief? What is the moment in time that is being defined here? 

There are a variety of websites where song meanings are discussed. Some of the interpretations of songs are quite amusing, but a brisk read often unveils new glimmers of light for previously shadowed text. Songs like Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harem or Horse Latitudes by the Doors will bring on interesting comments. So does this song, wrapped in mystery as it is.

For me it's the first line that gets you. "There must be some way out of here..." Out of these circumstance? Out of this corner I've painted myself into? Out of this world and it's sorrows? The next line unveils a little more. Confusion. "I can't get no relief." The situation is a conundrum that toys with his mind.

Hinchey sees the joker and the thief as representing the sacred and profane parts of his Dylan the trickster, "mythic master of limits and boundaries." Hinchey writes that the difference between the two, both here and elsewhere in Dylan's work, "is that the joker merely evades limits; the thief finds ways to render them permeable."

The commentary in Hinchey's book is too lengthy to re-record here. Needless to say that he and others writing of the song see in it an "apocalyptic moment" toward which this scene is leading. I myself get mesmerized by how much vivid content this tightly coiled song contains while still remaining shrouded.

What follows here is an alternative shade of interpretation from one of the websites I noted where people share their attempts to explain lyrics. This was posted by someone with the handle eveland on 11-30-2004.

I remember reading an article about this song when it first came out (I believe 1968) by Paul Williams in Crawdaddy magazine, which was a cheaply produced, but very serious, intellectual magazine published by Williams. The thing that stuck with me from the article was that Williams compared the structure of the song to a moebius strip (because the starting point of the lyrics is actually in the middle of the song & the song opens with the middle part of the lyrics) & felt it gave the song a claustrophobic feel (because you come into it & leave it in the middle). The starting point would be "All along the watchtower" & then after the line "Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl", the next line would be "There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief", the joker & the thief being the two riders who were approaching, of course. This makes perfect sense to me & seems right. As far as the actual meaning, my own opinion is that it's a philosophical piece about how one finds meaning in a chaotic & very imperfect world. The joker sees this world & can't take it seriously because it's so false & is depressed because he can't find a way to make sense of it. The thief has come to this same realization in his past, but has found a way to move beyond it & create his own meaning. So it is, in effect, a parable about existentialism. Or maybe I'm totally wrong... 

As I was saying, the song toys with your mind. Pure Dylan.

Tonight you will not want to miss Dylan movie and music night at Redstar Lounge at Fitgers. John Bushey has assembled an underground film collage of live Dylan performance which will be shared beginning at 8:00 p.m. Music by Snobarn to follow. Celebrate with us.
 

Trivia Contest Tests Mettle of Even the Most Die-Hard Dylan Fans

As you know, this is Dylan Fest week in Duluth and since it is not getting the media coverage it deserves I will be picking up the slack here for the next few days. Mr. Dylan turns 71 this Thursday, and it's a week long series of event both here in Duluth where he was born and in Hibbing where he grew up and came of age.

Last night was the second annual Bob Dylan Trivia Contest at Carmody's Irish Pub downtown. It's a seriously fun venue and from what I've been told they have trivia contests every single week here. One of the bartenders has lungs o' leather and can really project, which is quite the task in a noisy pub. The crowd gathers, gets a bit rummy and in a most orderly and punctual fashion the competition convenes, pens and paper provided so you can write your answers as you go. And no, you do not have to be a Dylan fan to play. They do 51 other themes throughout the year and you're always welcome. They have prizes, too.

When I arrived at nine, a pair of musicians called Cowboy Angel Blue were playing some really nice Dylan songs. If you ever see their names on a docket, it'll be worth your while to check in. They're from up near Virginia, Mn, about an hour North.

At shortly after nine the contest was called to order. John Bushey, host of KUMD's Highway 61 Revisited, assembled the questions again this year. And they were hard uns. Bushey said last year the questions were too easy and nearly everyone got them all correct, so he bore down and stymied us with some pretty obscure material.

This is a multiple choice quiz, so you can still get a few right even if you don't know the answer. Here are a few sample questions:

6. What year did the "Never Ending Tour" begin?
a. 1986
b. 1988
c. 1990
d. 1994

7. Which musician spent the most time touring with Bob Dylan?
a. Levon Helm
b. G. E. Smith
c. Tony Garnier
d. Charlie Sexton

I kicked myself afterward because I should have known it was Tony. He's a great bass player and been with Bob a long time. You can see him in Masked and Anonymous (the story of Jack Fate) and he was here in Duluth in 1998 at the DECC and in '99 with Paul Simon.

Well, some questions were a biut easier, like this one:
11. Dylan mentioned seeing Buddy Holly at the Duluth National Guard Armory when accepting a Grammy award for this album:
a. Planet Waves
b. Modern Times
c. Love and Theft
d. Time Out Of Mind

Other questions into some really obscure regions.
13. When asked in an interview if he could go back in time to see any event what was Bob Dylan's response?

The answer, my friends, was not blowing in the wind. I did not know that he would have liked to have been there to see Houdini escape from a box in the East River in NY.

What fraternity house did he live in while at the U of MN? The song "Forever Young" was written for whom? Which early Dylan song was John Lennon of the Beatles first attracted to?

Well, you get the picture. It was fun and I hope they do it again next year. And this week I hope you can make it to a few of the other events happening here in the Northland as we celebrate Bob's 71st. Details here at BobDylandWay.com

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Have a great week. Wish you were here.