Re: What Is ...?--(mostly playful) musings (re Dylan)

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

Turns out full name of the book, in case anyone's interested, is BOB DYLAN 
APPROXIMATELY:  A PORTRAIT OF THE JEWISH POET IN SEARCH OF GOD. Wolf's 
quoting of a partial title sounded familiar ... whereupon I discovered that 
I actually _have_ this book!!  Oh, well--one of zillions of wonderful 
books--some of them, unfortunately, about Jewish music--that I haven't read 
(I mean, it's unfortunate that I haven't read them).  Some day ... Thanks 
for replying, Wolf.  More about Dylan quotes and doo-wops very soon (so we 
can put it behind us, like the Independent Prosecutor?)--I promise!


>From: "Kame'a Media" <media (at) kamea(dot)com>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Re: What Is ...?--(mostly playful) musings
>Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 15:44:37 -0400
>
>
>
>Robert Cohen wrote:
>
> > Since I too find this exchange often provocative and often somewhat 
>funny, I
> > guess I'm pleased at having unexpectedly prompted it (that is, w/ Bob's
> > initial prompting).  A few not very vital thoughts:  Bob's "Does it have
> > Jewish significance?" (as opposed to "Is it Jewish music?") question is 
>a
> > very useful distinction--I'll have to keep that in mind (pedagogically 
>and
> > otherwise).  In re same:  I think the way in which Gershwin, as a very
> > self-conscious outsider (and wannabe not), appropriated American/Black
> > musical idioms into his work is very much of Jewish significance, 
>whatever
> > we make of (i.e., in this, Jewish, context) the music itself.  I don't 
>know
> > if we can say the same of Dylan, though, _musically,_ in an outsider 
>sense,
> > but maybe; I don't, FWIW, see Carole King (nee Klein, BTW) or Burt 
>Bacharach
> > at all; and I don't even (thankfully?, he says philistinely) _know_ the
> > music of most of the others!  Dylan surely does have Jewish "stuff" 
>going on
> > in some amount of his work, though, and I'd, at least, find it 
>interesting
> > if people wanted, when they have a chance (i.e., when it would be fun 
>and
> > there's something more important and less enjoyable that they _should_ 
>be
> > doing--see Robert Benchley's priceless essay on this), to share their
> > thoughts on this. (Stephen [sp?] Pickering wrote a book on it.)
>
>Bob Dylan:  The Jewish Poet in Search of G-d
>
> > _I,_ FWIW
> > (no doubt little), have my personal nominee for the most Jewish line he 
>ever
> > wrote--a free brownie or cupcake for whoever can identify it!
>
>"And like Goliath they'll be conquered"
>                       (When the Ship Comes In)
>
>"They murdered six million; in ovens they fried
>The Germans now too have G-d on their side"
>                           (With G-d On Their Side)
>
>"G-d said to Abraham: "Kill me a son"
>Abe said: "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
>                                      (Highway 61 Revisited)
>
>With a time-rusted compass lamp
>Aladdin and his lamp
>Sits with Utopian hermit monks
>Side-saddle on the Golden Calf
>And on their promises of paradise
>You will not hear a laugh
>All except inside the Gates of Eden
>                                   (Gates of Eden)
>
>Wolf
>
>
>
>
>


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