I could write about Bob Dylan ad nauseum. Some people do. He is the greatest American songwriter. That's what President Obama called him when giving him the Medal of Freedom yesterday at the White House. I totally agree. Did you see the shot of Bob and the prez? Priceless. Check out the video, Obama couldn't keep from laughing.
A local musician friend of mine here in Cleveland was in New York City mastering his new album a few months back. The engineer says Dylan had recently been in the studio finishing up an album. That was news to me. I still haven't heard anything of a new Bob Dylan album. I do hope it's true since the man has been on a roll for the past 13 years or so.
Some people complain about his gruff voice these days. Hell, they were complaining about his nasally voice in the early 60s. Then they didn't like his twang on Nashville Skyline. I love the fact that he can change his vocal style to suit his age and physical ability. It's yet another dimension to his well-tended enigma. Again, look at that photo.
I miss his radio show on Sirius. It ran three seasons, the last being the shortest. They are all classics. He and the crew created wonderful theater of the mind hearkening back to the radio days of the 1930s and 40s. They keep running them though. It is hard to tire of them. Actually I found a site that digitized and tagged them all so I'll have them always. It's a must for a radio fan like me.
The world would just not be the same without Bob Dylan. There are so many stories about the man, some astonishing, some head scratching, some hilarious. And then there's the songs. The best body of work in popular music.
