(np) Dylan's _Chronicles vol 1_ AuH20

[Joe Allonby]

Reagan also praised Lech Walesa as an ardent anti-communist, despite
the fact that Walesa was a union boss who thought that the puppet
state was not pro-worker enough.

Walesa was so communist he scared the communists. Reagan didn't see it
that way. By the way, there is a hilarious Glenn Beck interview when
he discovers that Springsteen's Born in the USA actually says negative
things about America.




On Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 11:30 AM, Richard Ryan <himself at richardryan.com> wrote:
> Excellent (and very funny) points about the Republican cognitive
> dissonance (or rather the odd lack of it) in re: Dylan and Communist
> gun runner Rick Blaine.  One might also cite the notorious mid-80s
> instance of Ronald Reagan and George Will citing Springsteen (more or
> less a democratic socialist in his politics) as an exemplar of
> American capitalist ideals.
>
> As for being an unreliable narrator, it may be what separates the
> greater story tellers from the windy re-spinners of hackneyed old
> tales.
>
> On Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 12:56 PM, Joe Allonby <joeallonby at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I have to agree with Mark. Dylan is an unreliable narrator. I think
>> that is an artistic decision. He doesn't want you to know. Much of the
>> power of his songs comes from the ability of the listener to identify
>> with the narrator. If you know too much or if the lyrics are too
>> specific, that connection can be endangered. He's protecting his art
>> FROM politics.
>>
>> I know conservative Republicans who love Dylan and  find him
>> inspirational. By "Blood on the Tracks", Dylan was writing songs that
>> elevated being in love to an act of mythical heroism. It's like Lord
>> of the fucking Rings and every poor shlub wants to be that hero in his
>> mind. Even Pat Buchanon could listen to "Tangled Up in Blue" or
>> "Simple Twist of Fate", identify with the narrator, and say "Wow! I
>> want to be THAT fucking guy!".These are the same people who feel no
>> guilt for identifying with Rick Blaine in "Casablanca" even though by
>> their definition he's a commie terrorist.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 4:34 PM, Jed Kelestron <jedkelestron at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Politics was always one because there were people who were trying to
>>> change things. They were involved in the political game because that
>>> is how they had to change things. But I have always considered
>>> politics just part of the illusion. I don't get involved much in
>>> politics. I don't know what the system runs on. For instance, there
>>> are people who have definite ideas or who studied all the systems of
>>> government. A lot of those people with college-educational backgrounds
>>> tended to come in and use up everybody for whatever purposes they had
>>> in mind. And, of course, they used music, because music was accessible
>>> and we would have done that stuff and written those songs and sung
>>> them whether there was any politics or not. I never did renounce a
>>> role in politics, because I never played one in politics. It would be
>>> comical for me to think that I played a role. Gurdjieff thinks it's
>>> best to work out your mobility daily.
>>>
>>>       --Bob Dylan in Playboy interview (March, 1966)
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Richard Ryan
> New York and the World
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