Released in 1973, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was a Western directed by Sam Peckinpaugh. Bob Dylan’s involvement in the film apparently started when he ran into novelist and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer, who told Dylan that he was writing a screenplay about the relationship between Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. Hearing about theContinue reading “Billy 4”
Category Archives: Bob Dylan
Blind Willie McTell
There’s a running joke for those of us who regularly listen to WTF with Marc Maron Podcast. Maron talks for an hour twice a week with comedians, actors, and musicians. The joke is the understanding that when he talks with a musician, eventually, Maron will talk about how music always comes back to the blues,Continue reading “Blind Willie McTell”
Ballad of a Thin Man
“Who is Mr. Jones?” Nora Ephron and Susan Edmiston asked Bob Dylan in an August 1965 interview. Dylan responds: “He’s a real person. You know him, but not by that name….He’s actually a person. Like I saw him come into the room one night and he looked like a camel. He proceeded to put hisContinue reading “Ballad of a Thin Man”
Angelina
ConcertinaHyenaSubpoenaArgentinaArena When I was first getting into Bob Dylan, I laughed about this song with my old friend and Dylan running mate Mike Vago (author of the Wiki Wormhole column and host of the podcast Why Is This Not a Movie?). Namely how this song seemed like a dare: “Hey Bob, write a song withContinue reading “Angelina”
Ain’t Talkin’
“Ain’t Talkin’” is a supreme work, the last song in the sequence of Modern Times. Released in 2006, it is one of a few songs on our list released in the 21st century and the most recent one in Bob Dylan’s catalog that we will be considering. Modern Times is a mixed bag of aContinue reading “Ain’t Talkin’”
Abandoned Love
Officially released nearly 10 years after the studio recording, this song of doomed love marks a transition between Blood on the Tracks, released in January 1975, and Desire, which came out exactly a year later in January 1976. “Abandoned Love” demonstrates traits from both projects. The only known performance of the song was July 3,Continue reading “Abandoned Love”
Welcome to Recliner Notes!
Let’s kick things off on Recliner Notes by recognizing Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday with a year-long celebration of his music. I have compiled a list of 80 of my favorite Dylan songs; each will get their own post exploring what makes them significant to me. I’ll write about the songs in alphabetical order (with aContinue reading “Welcome to Recliner Notes!”
Recliner Notes 