Word: dylan
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Familiarity breeds affection, as the old saying goes. And indeed I have so much affection for Bob Dylan that I have even found myself revoking, albeit half-kiddingly, new relationships based on the other person's dislike (or at times, dread) for Dylan. But who wouldn't feel inclined to give allegiance to an old friend over a new companion...
...such prospect accorded the following about Mr. Dylan's voice: "If incident sound waves move parts of my body in a way that causes annoyance, discomfort or pain, then any musical value is precluded because my body rejects these sounds even before my mind can appreciate them." And I have to totally agree with him: Dylan doesn't have the most soothing voice. Maybe I have a high tolerance for pain or masochistic tendencies...or (more likely) Bob Dylan is really all that he's cracked up to be (voice aside...
There was always uncertainty behind my defense of Dylan: Was I championing, in a figurative sense, a dead man? Since I had never heard him live in concert, it was difficult for me to determine whether he was all hype hiding behind a veneer of legend and recording technology. The question was never whether his heart was healthily thumping away--rather, pragmatically, if I saw him in concert, was he going to suck? And therein lies the peculiarity of affection: it fears the possibility of change. For our purposes, that would result if the familiar image of good Dylan will...
...just say that Dylan didn't suck...
...concert began with a solo set by Dylan's more melodiously-voiced counterpart, Paul Simon. On the whole, Simon's live performance did not live up to his recording reputation. His style which seems to border on world-music kitsch, was very treble emphasized and percussion heavy, assuming an almost flippant, less weighty framework. Beginning his set with many of his earlier works, especially many he originally recorded with Art Garfunkel, his renditions of "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge over Troubled Waters" were unconvincing testimonies of his solo career. But the latter-day Simon finally came out during less-instrumental tinged...