Comrades From The North
As we wander through this adventure of Dylan deeds and assorted archives we are pleased to welcome you back on board for the next set of instalments. One thing is guaranteed - there is always something going on in the Dylan firmament these days. The man himself is in the throes of yet another bout of extensive touring and shows no sign of quitting. Once again, the voice is just that bit harsher, lower and flatter and as always, its not possible to please everyone but there are magical episodes during most shows which re-affirm why we all continue to turn up.
There are usually one or two pretty interesting side-shows when Dylan hits the road and this year has been no exception. On the recent UK tour, Dylan popped in to St. Andrews University in Scotland to receive an honorary degree. His attendance seemed to cause a certain furore in the UK press as he did not attend for the whole ceremony and he looked a little bored, yawning away at one point and hiding behind his programme. It's understandable to a point. He works at night, the road is tiring adn degree-awarding ceremonies do tend to run on a tad. However, he keeps on turning up for awards and often looks out-of-place or awkward so it begs the question, why? If you want an interesting perspective on this question check out The Bridge issue 2 in which John Stokes contemplates that very point.
The world is soon to see another major text on Dylan when Paul Williams publishes his long-awaited new volume. We are pleased to report that we are able to extensively review this tome, ahead of publication, in this issue of The Bridge. Better yet, we have been able to interview Paul about his new work. We think you will find the outcome both interesting and stimulating. There is no doubt that Paul has provided yet another major addition to the Dylan library.
As we write thei Dylan is touring in the States on a double bill with Willie Nelson. Initially the tour has been uneventful with shorter Dylan sets which are slightly predictable in terms of the set-lists. However, things started to get interesting by the Aberdeen show when Dylan and Nelson finally teamed up for a song - Milk Cow Blues, at that! As we said at the top, tere is always something goin' on. Make sure that you know what it is!
And to each of you, may you climb on every rung ..........
Mike and John