Handwritten Lyrics to Dylan's Desolation Row: Sneak Preview of the May William Pagel Exhibit at Karpeles

The weeks have been barreling along like a freight train this year. Hard to believe we're just a week away from the month of May and the kickoff of the Duluth Homegrown Festival, an eight-day celebration of local music and related enthusiasms. The end of the month is eight-day Duluth Dylan Fest, a perfect set of bookends to one of the Northland's nicest time of the year.

Dylan Fest has added quite a few new events this year, one of the most significant being the public display of a number of items from William Pagel's private Dylan memorabilia collection. In addition to collecting backstage passes, letters, Dylan books and recordings, he also purchased the duplex in Duluth's Central Hillside where young Robert Zimmerman lived the first six year of his life, walking distance from Nettleton Elementary School. For the first time a small portion of the Pagel collection will be shared with the public at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum. This exhibit will be on display throughout the month of May and not just during Dylan Fest.

There's at least one item to be displayed that I am not at liberty to talk about, an item so rare I'm not sure anyone even knows of its existence. There's another that will settle an old score regarding a matter of Dylan history.

One of the many documents you'll see if you visit are the original handwritten lyrics from Desolation Row. Each displayed item will have a printed legend describing its significance. Here's an example of the kinds of stories that will accompany the documents.

Desolation Row handwritten lyrics 

This memorial now stands at the site of the hanging. 

Recorded on August 4th, 1965, this song closed out Dylan’s sixth studio album, Highway 61 Revisited. It was the longest song on the album at eleven minutes twenty-one seconds. The song is predominantly acoustic, although an earlier take with electric instrumentation was recorded on July 29th, 1965. Some have suggested that the first verse could have been influenced by a tragic event in the city of Duluth’s history, in which three African Americans were lynched in downtown Duluth. Postcards were sold of the lynching, and the three men worked for a carnival passing through Duluth. The first verse states:

They’re selling postcards of the hanging
They’re painting the passports brown,
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They’ve got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they’re restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row

There are nine more verses in the song. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song at #187 in their “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

* * * *
If you're coming in from out of town, the monument pictured here can be found at the corner of Second Avenue East and First Street, on the corner where this tragic event occurred. It is the only memorial to a lynching in the United States. May we never forget. (For further reading see Michael Fedo's The Lynchings in Duluth.

* * * *
For highlights of this year's Duluth Dylan Fest visit this page or follow along on the Fest's Facebook page.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Enjoy the music. 

Intersecting Collaborations: May As Arts Month

The Pugilist by Andrew Mathhiassen

Collaboration: working together to achieve a goal.

I've not seen any official announcements, nor have I heard of an official name but the month of May has received an official endorsement from both Mayor Ness and Mayor Hagen as a month to celebrate the arts here in the Twin Ports.

The idea was given birth in the course of the past year through the collaborative efforts of the the Twin Ports Arts Align (TPAA), a network of artists across all disciplines that is serving as a catalyst to incubate and stimulate a vibrant, sustainable arts culture in the Twin Ports. Through their synergy they aim to educate, inspire and support the spirit and economy of our region.

After an initial kickoff event in late April the official time frame for Twin Ports Arts Month will be from April 28 thru June 2. The concept, as I understand it, is to have each week of the month set aside as a time to consciously showcase the various arts activities that are already happening here. Each week will feature a different facet of the cultural jewel that is the Twin Ports Arts Scene.

Kicking off the month will be our already-celebrated Homegrown Music Festival, Apr 28-May.Following this will be Visual Arts Week from May 6-12. May 13 through 26 will be comprised of Dance/Theater/Opera/Literary Arts/Classical Music and Dylan Days. The DuSu Film Festival will bring the month to a close May 29-June 2.

Since this is not just a Duluth Arts Month, I asked Erika Mock to share briefly what is happening on the Superior side of the bridge in May.

Phantom of the Gallery

"The calendar is still growing here in Superior," Mock explained. "So far The Red Mug will feature ‘Blood Oranges’ curated by Jeredt Runions. Phantom Gallleries has a thrilling line-up to include: ‘Shift’ large-scale paintings by Sarah Brokke that address the feeling of the fragile balance we are all making; ‘Gridded Geometry’ paintings, collages and floor sculptures by Adam McCauley; new explorations in the beauty and complexity of grids, arge-scale abstract stained glass by Patricia Davey. There will also be Busking Installation by Rachel Nelson. Superior Night is Wednesday May 8, with multiple receptions in the planning. We’re also thrilled that the City of Superior is completely supportive of Twin Ports Arts Month and is joining the City of Duluth in its marketing."

Anyone who's ever seen the explosive force a whale makes when it emerges from the deep knows the great energy that preceded that moment that took your breath away. So it is that there is a great energy stirring below the surface here that will soon emerge in a manner akin to spectacle. This spring during arts month you're invited to be part of something very special, and maybe even historic.

Working together can make it happen.


Featured eBook of the Day: The Breaking Point and Other Stories
Photo credit: Phantom of the Gallery by A. Perfetti