Simply Lou: Some People Feel the Rain, Others Just Get Wet

article and illustration by Lou Davenport

I thought I would start 2019 off by writing about one of my favorite musicians, Bob Dylan. There’s so much information about his 6 decades as a singer, songwriter, artist, Nobel Peace Prize for literature winner and soon to be distiller of “Heaven’s Gate,” a 7-year-aged top shelf bourbon. I’ll never cover his entire life in one column. This will just be some thoughts and trivial facts I’ve learned along the way about this incredibly eccentric and super talented man.

“The answer my friend, is blowin’, in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind”

Robert Allen Zimmerman, born May 24, 1941 to Abe and Beatrice Zimmerman in Hibbing, Minnesota. That’s his real name. There’s so many stories and tales of how he became “Bob Dylan” nobody knows what is true or not. He likes to make up stuff, probably because he hates giving interviews. There’s half truths and outright lies about everything he says. He did not get the name “Dylan” from his mother nor was he ever an orphan from Chicago, Oklahoma or New Mexico. He was not the illegitimate son of “carnies” out of Cheyenne, Wyoming. My favorite was he lived with a tribe of Sioux Indians although there were no Sioux Indians anywhere near Hibbing, Minnesota.

“Don’t think twice, it’s alright”

He grew up in a middle class neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota. His house was the only stucco house in the neighborhood, and he lived there until he graduated from high school in 1959. Dylan had a good childhood, although he was alone a lot of the time. Both of his parents worked, and he was left to entertain himself most of the time. He had few friends, because he was “odd.” He was a thinker, a loner and a dreamer way back then. He sat beside the railroad tracks for hours and dreamed of all the places he’d go, but the truth is, he never caught a freight and rode the rails with the hobos.

“Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re trying’ to be so quiet”

His best “friend” was basically his radio, and he listened and dreamed. He had an “insatiable yearning to see what was in the world.” It was probably frustrating for a kid so imaginative, so hungry for knowledge and wishing for a stage for his untapped creative abilities in Duluth, Minnesota in the 50’s.

“Lay lady lay, lay across my big brass bed”

I first heard Bob Dylan when I was fourteen, and although I loved the music, I had no idea what he was singing about. Some songs’ meanings were obvious, but most were a bit strange to my ear. But I also love the interesting word combinations and the strange characters of which he sings. I never tried to figure what the songs meant, I just liked them. I find them very visual. At fourteen, I sure didn’t know anything about “analytical analysis” and even now, I don’t know much more. Let the work speak for itself! Some of the analyses of Dylan’s songs really try to give meaning to something that doesn’t mean anything! People read a lot of things into some of them. But, maybe that is what makes Dylan so great! You can interpret them any way you want! He sure doesn’t care! He’s been quoted as saying “I’m sick of people asking, ‘What does it mean?’ It means nothing! They’re just songs!”

“Johnny’s in the basement, mixin’ up the medicine”

I read once that Dylan just loves words. He loves to put different combinations together to see how they sound. If he likes them, they stay. Same with sounds. Do certain ones sound good together? Do they not? Do the sounds and the word combinations work together? I love that about him! He is definitely enjoying what he’s doing and if he plays a little prank on us, that’s even better with him!
“The rag man draws circles up and down the block”

I’m definitely no expert on Bob Dylan, but I think I’ve read enough and listened enough to be able to say I think he would be a difficult man to deal with. He is very private, in fact, at the moment, nobody seems to really knows where he lives. If he does grant an interview, he may answer questions; he may not. He’s been known to be arrogant and downright mean. I think I’d be so intimidated by him I wouldn’t be able to speak. Oh! He also hates for fans to tell him how much certain songs mean to them. Yeah, I’d be a little scared of him. I hope it’s just a defensive mechanism, since he values his privacy. I really hate thinking of him as a mean old man, but, even so, I still love his music.

“Lord knows I’ve paid some dues getting’ through, Tangled Up in Blue”

Dylan has been an artist/musician for 6 decades and during those decades he and his style of music have changed right along with the times. When he quit being a “folk artist” and started using his electric guitar, his fans rebelled. They hated his new sound. But he just kept on keeping on, and there again, I like that about him. He really does paint a lot of his album covers and does metal sculptures as well.

“What’s a sweetheart like you doin’ in a place like this?”

His looks have changed through the years, too. His hair is still crazy and wild (his trademark) but sometimes he has worn eyeliner, had a pencil thin mustache or a scraggly beard and bigger “stache.” His clothes have changed, too. He was real big on cowboy style suits for a while, along with cowboy hats. Other times he’ll have a “lounge act” looking suit. You just never know. He’s never static. He enjoys keeping fans wondering what he’ll do next.

“You got a tight connection to my heart”

Dylan, as many rock stars do, developed a severe drug problem. He was spiraling out of control when someone talked him into taking a break. He was completely burned out and needed a long rest. As legend goes, Dylan was riding his motorcycle and wrecked. (not true) Supposedly, he suffered a head injury, so all of his upcoming obligations could be put “on hold.” That rest probably saved his life.

“Don’t get up gentlemen, I’m only passing through. Things have changed.”

“The Band” and he got together that summer while he was taking some time off. They rented a big house near Woodstock, NY and ended up recording together. They were his “house” band for awhile. The recordings they made were made into an album called “Big Pink.” In the last few years, Dylan gave some of his unfinished lyrics and poems to producer, T. Bone Burnett. He assembled several musicians and singers, and they took the lyrics and turned them into finished songs. They named the album, “The Basement Tapes II.”

“There must be some way outta here, said the joker to the thief”

Dylan was married to the mother of his five children, Sara, for many years. After dealing with his touring, drinking, drugging and just being “un-involved” they finally divorced. His career was already suffering and record sales were lower than ever. He tried many large tours but his popularity was still “tanking.” Needless to say, he lost a lot more than his family, he lost his best friends.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, I was alright til I fell in love with you”

It was about this time Dylan, who is Jewish, found Christianity and “preached” to anyone who would listen, he had been reborn. His concerts changed completely and were mostly gospel songs with gospel back up singers. His new songs were not well received. His audience came to see him, the real Bob they knew and appreciated not “Brother Bob Dylan.”

“It’s soon after midnight and I’ve got a date with the fairy queen”

Years of hard work, touring, drugs and drink finally began to take their toll. Dylan decided to slow down and concentrate on writing. He is quoted, “I can only be me, whoever that is.” That is one of my favorite sayings, and it is true in his case. I think he finally figured out his fans liked the style of music that had first attracted them. In 1997, “Time Out of Mind,” debuted and was one of his most successful albums to date. In 2001, “Love and Theft” was a smash, followed in 2006 by “Modern Times.”

“A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall”

His latest albums have been songs taken from the “Great American Songbook.” His unique voice gives these classics a brand new unique sound. “Shadows in the Night, 2015,” “Fallen Angels, 2016,” and the latest “Triplicate” came out in 2017. All of them include such classics such as “The Old Black Magic,” “It Had to Be You,” and “Stardust.” Bob is a pretty good “crooner!” And I hope he keeps “on keepin’ on for a long, long time!” Happy New Year, Y’all!

“She wears an Egyptian ring that sparkles before she speaks. She’s a hypnotist collector, you are a walking antique.”