Bob Dylan and his band are coming to Champaign on Thursday to play at the Assembly Hall. He will be playing with California band Dawes opening for him. Those are the objective facts about the performance that I know for certain.
Because he is Bob Dylan, however, there was no way to get anything more than that.
Really, go to his website and see if you can find any trace of a press contact or anything of the sort. You can’t, but that’s okay because it fits very well with the image of Bob Dylan that has been cultivated since he first broke out in 1963 with The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
What good would an interview with Bob Dylan be, really? If you don’t know who Bob Dylan is, you likely will not have clicked on the link to read this article anyway. I mean, he’s Bob fucking Dylan.
So, for our preview of his show in Champaign, I’ve decided to let others do the previewing — not with objective facts, but with their opinion about the man and his music. I’ve compiled words from a few people involved in the C-U music scene who’ve shared their favorite Dylan song and a little bit about what it means to them.
I’ll start:
Editor’s note: if you’re using a broswer other than Chrome, you might run into some problems with the mp3s embedded. We’ve linked YouTube videos to the titles if you have issues. — PS
“Corrina, Corrina” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan released in 1963
[[mp3 bob_dylan_corrina_corrina]]
I thought about picking a song with a more important message, but I really love the way this song kind of embodies what made Bob Dylan famous. This song, a traditional folk song, was transformed ever so slightly and became something easily identifiable as a Bob Dylan song. In that way, it’s a microcosm of his career, because he didn’t really shatter the earth when he went electric; he just slightly altered the predominant way of thinking about folk music. Plus, it’s a really pretty song and I like to sing along to it while I’m driving around.
Seth Fein — founder, Pygmalion Music Festival; publisher, Smile Politely
“Hurricane” from Desire released in 1975
[[mp3 bob_dylan_hurricane]]
Quite honestly, I’ve never been much of a Dylan fan, and that’s partially a result of never having much been into “folk music,” as it were. I love the lore of his going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, and certainly, anyone who sings the chorus, “Everybody must get stoned,” over and over and over is a winner in my book, but on the whole, it’s just kind of boring to me.
But “Hurricane” tells a story, and does so in a passionate and important way. And sure, I liked the movie, and felt as though it was socially relevant at the time, but above all, the song is featured in the movie Dazed and Confused in the first scene where our protagonists are seen walking into The Emporium for the first time, a teenage hangout to end all teenage hangouts, complete with pool tables, high school chicks that looked like they were 25, and sixers of beer at the ready. So, in my teenaged mind, that scene, and that song, will always hold a special nostalgia in my heart.
Isaac Arms — singer/guitarist, Withershins
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” from Bringing It All Back Home released in 1965
[[mp3 bob_dylan_subterranean_homesick_blues]]
This song is Dylan’s freak-poetry delivered in concentrated form. The accompanying video is iconic and demonstrative — the man bothers to make the dominant element his words (both in the video and his career), but yet when the lyric’s come and gone he discards the cards as if they were rose petals scattered in jest or simply a tissue he’d finished using.
Also, Radiohead.
Don Gerard — Mayor of Champaign
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan released in 1963
[[mp3 bob_dylan_dont_think_twice_its_all_right]]
When I first began playing with Steve Pride and His Blood Kin, and had switched from playing drums terribly to trying to learn to play bass, I did a one-off gig with a group dubbed “Cowboy Coffee.” Edward Burch was the ringleader and Jay Bennett was the ringer. One of the tunes we played was “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” and performing that with those guys sealed the deal for me. I loved the doc Don’t Look Back, and always thought the Byrds proved what a great pop songwriter he was; however, the Cowboy Coffee gig on WEFT somehow made me a lifelong fan.
Matthew Campbell — drummer, Common Loon
“It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” from Bringing It All Back Home released in 1965
[[mp3 bob_dylan_its_alright_ma]]
This song is my favorite as much for its manner as for its content. It’s seven and a half minutes of contempt that is both completely devastating and utterly liberating, delivered coolly and tightly-reined. It’s fuck you, and all of this, and I’m dropping out; “But it’s alright, Ma, it’s life and life only.” It’s masterful.
Mike Ingram — DJ Mingram; guitarist/singer, Mike & Kayla; owner, Amnesiac Booking
“Boots of Spanish Leather” from The Times, They Are A-Changin’ released in 1964
[[mp3 bob_dylan_boots_of_spanish_leather]]
Picking a favorite Dylan song might be excruciating for some, but for me I go right to “Boots of Spanish Leather.” I’m not sure any other Dylan song has devastated me so (though many have tried). It’s another situation where there isn’t really a chorus, and he’s just working things out through chunks of verse. There is a mourning and ache in this song that sucks me in every single time. And that little stretched-out bit at the end where the chords are played twice as long while he drones, “Spanish boots of Spanish leather”? Perfect.
Patrick Lyke — drummer, Finer Feelings; guitarist, Mille Nomi
“Just Like a Woman” from Blonde on Blonde released in 1966
[[mp3 bob_dylan_just_like_a_woman]]
I was a late bloomer to Bob Dylan. Like The Kinks and Neil Young, his body of work was so intimidating that I didn’t know where to start. However, when I finally took the plunge, it was well worth the trouble. The first song of his to catch my attention was “Just Like a Woman.’ To me, the chorus means that, while someone appears strong and maybe even menacing, she can be just as vulnerable as the rest of us — and I like that.
*Bonus: My favorite Dawes song
“Peace in the Valley” from North Hills released in 2009
[[mp3 dawes_peace_in_the_valley]]
Though Dawes is rapidly becoming a more common name among music fans, the band has skirted along the fringes of indie music for the last few years, quietly putting out some of the smartest and most heartfelt music around. The band’s sound is often likened to the Laurel Canyon sound of the ‘60s (a comparison it is impossible to debate); the true beauty of Dawes comes through Taylor Goldsmith’s words. Goldsmith has an eloquent, succinct way of weaving a story over a verse, chorus, and bridge. My favorite song by Dawes, “Peace in the Valley,” I liken to their version of Wilco’s “At Least That’s What You Said”; musically the songs are similar and lyrically they share a search for deeper meaning, though Goldsmith is looking within himself rather than to a relationship. Dawes is a great addition to Dylan’s tour, and I believe they will win a few fans with their opening performance, because it’s hard not to fall for the stories Goldsmith packs into his songs.