The Problem with Dylan Trivia Contests at Carmody's During Dylan Fest

Scene from the opening reception for Monday's Dylan Fest Art Show.

We're midway thru Duluth Dylan Fest 2018 and the best is yet to come. Yesterday I was asked to share the Dylan Fest Trivia Contest we did at Carmody's Sunday evening. This was my fifth, maybe sixth, year of creating the contest and it would appear that my dilemma is irresolvable. The dilemma I'm referring to is the challenge of creating a contest that is easy enough to make newbies feel confident while simultaneously challenging the Dylanophiles.

When all is said and done, the Dylanophiles have pretty much internalized every song from every album, including the bootlegs, so stumping these folk amounts to an exercise in futility. They not only know the title of every album from the beginning, they know the title of every track, in order. Example: Blood on the Tracks begins with Tangled Up In Blue, followed by Simple Twist of Fate, etc. etc. etc.  So if I ask the question, "What Dylan album was Idiot Wind on?" half the trivia night competitors don't even need to wait for the answer options.

If I ask a question like, "Which of the following actors did NOT play Dylan in the film He's Not There?" you'll overhear someone at the next table say, "Did anyone here see that?" If I ask what the name of the character Dylan played in Masked and Anonymous, Dylanophiles all know it was Jack Fate before the multiple choices are offered. The other half are scratching their heads and wondering what Masked and Anonymous was.

You see the problem. And we still haven't gotten into the niche trivia yet. C'est la vie.

All that being said, let's roll out the trivia questions I invented for this year's contest. It's always multiple choice, so you can at least guess. Answers will be at the end of this post. Let me know what you think... It may help in the development of next year's contest.

DDF TRIVIA 2018
Note: It is a violation of the rules to use Google, Siri or any other assistance here.

Part One: NUMBERS
1. 10,000 Men is a Dylan song on what album?
a. Under the Red Sky
b. Shadows in the Night
c. Together Through Life
d. The Basement Tapes

2. Complete the title of this song: SEVEN ______
a. Miles Down the Road
b. Curses
c. Old Friends
d. Times Gone

3. What kind of Car is in the song "From a _______ 6" on Highway 61 Revisited?
a. Ford
b. Pontiac
c. Buick
d. Chrysler

4. On the album Self Portrait Dylan recorded a song titled "Days of _____"
a. 31
b. 49
c. 61
d. 59

5. How many Strong Winds blew on Bootleg #11?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 8
d. 9

6. Dylan has famously mentioned Highway 61 a couple times in his songs. What highway did he sing about on his first album?
a. Highway 209
b. Highway 51
c. Highway 22
d. Highway 1

7. Which of the following songs with number in them is incorrect?
a. I Shall Be Free #10
b. Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream
c. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
d. Workingman’s Blue #7

8. Love minus what number has no limit?
a. Zero
b. One
c. Three
d. Five

9. How many Miles does Dylan sing about on Time Out Of Mind?
a. a thousand miles
b. ten thousand miles
c. a million miles
d. ten million miles

10. On the album Down in the Groove, how fast does Dylan drive down a dead end street?
a. Sixty miles an hour
b. Seventy miles an hour
c. Eighty miles an hour
d. Ninety miles an hour

Part Two: PLACES
11. What town was Dylan stuck in when he had the Memphis blues?
a. San Francisco, California
b. Mobile, Alabama
c. Camden, New Jersey
d. Louisville, Kentucky

12. Dylan once mentioned seeing a movie with Gregory Peck in it. What town is featured in this song?
a. St. Louis
b. Los Angeles
c. Brownsville
d. San Antonio

13. Dylan once tried to become part of Bobby Vee’s band for a very short time as a piano player. Where did this take place?
a. Fargo
b. St. Paul
c. Denver
d. Chicago

14. Which country is mentioned in the song Idiot Wind?
a. Brazil
b. Germany
c. Italy
d. Mexico

15. “Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun” is the first line of a song about a romance where?
a. Cuernavaca
b. Durango
c. Cincinnati
d. Rio

16. On the album Together Through Life Dylan sings a song about a town where “you better do right” or the sheriff will get you. What town is this?
a. Miami
b. New Orleans
c. Oxford Town
d. Houston

17. Where did Dylan go to see the Gypsy?
a. Las Vegas
b. A little Minnesota town
c. Sunset Strip
d. A carnival in the desert

Part Three: PEOPLE
18. Whom did Dylan pity in his song on John Wesley Harding?
a. The carpenter
b. The immigrant
c. The childless widow
d. The broken soldier

19. Also on John Wesley Harding, whom did Dylan ask to not put a price on his soul?
a. The priest
b. His father
c. His landlord
d. A lawman

20. On the album Shot of Love, Dylan sang that he rode with this man in a taxi once for about a mile and a half, but it seemed like a couple of months. Who was he?
a. Martin Luther King, Jr.
b. Lenny Bruce
c. Nat King Cole
d. Woody Guthrie

21. 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

22. In two of Dylan’s 1960’s albums he recorded the song “Girl from the North Country.” The second time it was a duet with whom?
a. Kris Kristofferson
b. Waylon Jennings
c. Harry Belafonte
d. Johnny Cash

Part Four: CLOSING TIME
23. The renovated Nidaros Cathedral is a sanctuary in Norway decorated with fabulous architecture and numerous sculptures depicting various characters from the Bible. Which one of these sculptures, on the Northwest Tower, used the face of Bob Dylan?
a. The Angel Gabriel
b. John the Baptist
c. Michael the Archangel
d. St. Luke the Physician

24. Bob Dylan has been a musician, a songwriter, painter, sculptor and more. His latest venture is a whiskey business. The name of his whiskey was taken from what familiar Dylan song?
a. All Along the Watchtower
b. Forever Young
c. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
d. Caribbean Wind

25. To find the schedule for the rest of this week’s Duluth Dylan Fest, you should go to what website?
a. BobDylan.com
b. BobDylanWay.com
c. BobLinks.com
d. Highway61Revisited.com

* * * *
ANSWERS
1. a----2. b----3. c----4. b----5. b----6. b----7. d----8. a----9. c----10. d
11. b----12. c----13. a----14. c----15. b----16. d----17. b----18. b
19. c----20. b----21. b----22. d----23. c----24. c----25. b

* * * *

All in all, it was a fun way to spend an evening with friends. A member of our Duluth City Council was there playing, himself an avid Dylan fan. And tomorrow, when we cut the cake at Bob Dylan's first home on the Duluth Central Hillside tomorrow, it's my understanding that the mayor will be present to share the moment. The house is a yellow duplex at 519 3rd Avenue East. Will we see you there?

LATER TODAY, join us in the Great Hall at the Depot as the artist Skye discusses her remarkable forest of tapestries based on the songs of Bob Dylan, "Shakespeare's in the Alley." Wednesdays are Free so take advantage of this rare opportunity. Afterwards the Poets of the North Country will convene in the Duluth Playhouse.

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Get into it.

Tara Lynn Austin: Without Limits (An Artist Interview)

This summer the Duluth Art Institute is featuring the work of Tara Lynn Austin in the Morrison Gallery at the Depot. The show, titled Boreal Ornament, will be on display through July 1. Ms. Austin recently completed her MFA in Madison after having previously studied art as an undergrad here at UMD.

With it being Duluth Dylan Fest this week, there is an impressive installation in the Great Hall at the Depot by the artist Skye called Shakespeare's in the Alley featuring 44 textile panels adorned with Dylan song lyrics. Wednesday the artist will be giving a talk at 5:30 in the Great Hall followed by a Poets of the North Country event in the Playhouse. I would strong recommend coming early to the artist Skye's exhibition and visiting the DAI upstairs on the fourth floor for the three exhibits there as well.

What follows is an exchange with Tara Austin about the work she is doing.

EN: As I look through your website I see that colors and designs have been a long time interest. Were you fascinated by colors and design as a child? Can you share a story about your first recognition of patterns and design in your world?

Tara Lynn Austin: I grew up near Grand Marais, MN, so I was fortunate to be surrounded by nature. I was fascinated with plants and spent a lot of time reading plant identification books. Identifying plants takes careful observation and recognition of pattern and detail. The changing seasons and variety of colors found in nature inspires me, from the iridescence of hummingbirds, the vivid green of spring growth, the sugar maples in fall and the purple skies in winter.

EN: Who were your biggest influences at UMD? You really make a lot of vivid designs from our natural world.

TLA: I worked with Professor Ryuta Nakajima who reinforced the notion of science and art. I became interested in Victorian botanical illustrations while I was at UMD, especially those of Ernst Haeckel, and I spent a lot of time in the greenhouse. I started reading about the mathematics found in nature, like golden spiral, Fibonacci sequence, and fractals.

EN: When did you begin working on plexiglass? What kind of materials do you use to create the works now on display at DAI?

TLA: Boreal Ornament is all paintings made on plexiglass or glass. I became interested in working on these transparent materials when I saw a painting by Barbara Rossi at the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2016. The depth she was able to create was amazing and since then I have been experimenting with different painting techniques on both the front and back of the plexiglass or glass.

EN: I can’t help but believe you’ve gained a following of people interested in where your work will lead you. Whats your next step?

TLA: Right now I am working on a plexiglass painting as well as completing a rosemaling apprenticeship. The organic nature of this Norwegian folk art is beautiful, and I have enjoyed learning about the technique and history. I hope to continue my research of rosemaling and incorporate some of its process into my paintings.

EN: Do you have any favorite artists whose work inspires you?

TLA: I was fortunate to see Gerhard Richter’s exhibition in Prague last summer, and I enjoy the op art of Briget Riley. I also find inspiration from Scandinavian textiles like Markimekko and Josef Frank.

* * * *

Related Links
Opening Reception for Boreal Ornament
Online Gallery, Tara Lynn Austin
Interview with the artist Skye

Meantime art goes on all around you. Engage it.

Five Minutes with Skye on Her Remarkable Bob Dylan Tribute "Shakespeare's in the Alley"

In May, Bob Dylan will be 77 years old. In light of this the Duluth Dylan Fest (DDF) committee has settled upon the theme Twins for this year's week-long Dylan celebration. Dylan was born in the Twin Ports (14* blocks East from Twin Ponds), and when he left his Hibbing home for college he moved to the Twin Cities. His zodiac sign is Gemini, a.k.a. the Twins. There are some who have called his double album Blonde On Blonde his best or most important. Many more symbols could be extracted from his discography as well, no doubt. (eg. I and I.)

Every Twin Ports Dylan fan misses Zimmy's and the Dylan Days celebrations they carried off before Zimmy's closed. Hence it has been important to these local fans that the torch be a bright one here. Two years ago Bob turned 75, which made that DDF a very special one with many unique features including the public display of a portion of Bill Pagel's private memorabilia collection. (See Einstein Disguised As Robin Hood.) Last year, the Nobel Prize gave the annual DDF a shot of adrenaline, bringing media attention from all over the world to Duluth's native son. So in the aftermath, the local comrades wondered, "What next?"

It was at this point we learned of Wisconsin artist Skye's text-based art installation featuring the song poems of Bob Dylan. It was a massive and magnificent undertaking titled Shakespeare's in the Alley: A Tribute to Bob Dylan, which first made its appearance a year ago at the MOWA (Museum of Wisconsin Art) in West Bend, near Milwaukee.

EN: What was your motivation to undertake a project of this scale?

Skye: I would say my motivation was a passion for Bob Dylan’s work. I became so full with an enthusiasm for his work, that it had to “overflow” in some way or other. Because of my background as a visual artist, it took the form that it did. I wanted to pay tribute to him for personal reasons, but also because of his impact on the world. In a sense, I wanted to wrap myself in his words and music. I wanted to live inside of his work. I wanted it to pour over me. I knew the power of words writ large from previous stenciling projects I had done. I felt the scale needed to match the scale of Dylan’s genius, if that is even possible. Imagine 80-100 panels hanging in the Grand Lobby of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. That might do it.

EN: You have been working for 10 years on this. When you first started did you have any idea what you were getting into?

Skye: Well, I guess you could say yes, it started 10 years ago. But 10 years ago I simply saw the film “No Direction Home“ about Dylan in the 1960’s. I was “struck” by something in that film and the interesting juxtaposition of Dylan in his 60’s looking back at himself in the 1960’s, as well as many others looking back on that time. The film prompted me to look into his music again. I had not really followed Dylan since the late 70’s, so there was a lot to catch up on. I listened to everything I could from the local library and then slowly began to collect all of his studio albums. I read a lot of books about him (and still do) and watched films and documentaries. For 2 years this was a love and passion of mine, an interest. The installation grew out of that passion. I wanted to pay tribute to an artist who had moved me so much. It was his life of work that so inspired me. And most especially his late career renaissance. I have to say, the panels came into my vision on my morning walks, sometime in 2009/2010. They would unroll in front of me in the invisible world, the dream world. At first I resisted it. But I began to see the power and strength of such a project. Back then, I knew I wanted the work to span his whole career. I thought perhaps I would choose 30 songs. I stopped at 44, but really it should probably be closer to 100 songs. So, in that way, I didn’t know what I was getting into. Nor did I know that I would be paying tribute to the 2016 Nobel Laureate for Literature, although by the time I completed 44 song panels and had poured over his music and lyrics for 4 years, I knew he deserved it. The stenciling of the panels was done from the summer of 2011-fall of 2015, sometimes more, sometimes less.

EN: Can you share one or two things you learned from creating this work?

Skye: I learned about following a strong vision to its conclusion, regardless of what anyone thinks about it. I learned about the beauty of paying tribute to another artist... for the most part, the ego falls away. And I was reminded again that great art comes from mysterious places, places of whispers and dreams. Bob Dylan’s art has given me glimpses into those places and sometimes, at it’s very best, transports me there. Creating this work allowed me to hang out in the landscape that is Bob Dylan in a very intimate way... I learned that genius is a Lonely realm, but Mystery and Beauty are there as well.

EN: How did you decide on the name “ Shakespeare’s in the Alley” ?

Skye: One of the songs in the collection is “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again“ There are a few lines in the song:

Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
with his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking with some French girl
who says she knows me well

I shortened it to Shakespeare’s in the Alley, mirroring the line in the song and, in my mind, referring to Dylan as the Shakespeare of our time.

* * * *

This year Duluth Dylan Fest will run from May 18 thru May 27. You can find more information about points of interest and schedule of events as they are finalized here at BobDylanWay.com.

*14 = 7+7