Guitars from old New York

[Pottel]

isn't it? much more interesting then the usual interviews, where he plays safe and tells about the guitar catalogue smelling and stuff..

[twm]

Sorry, my PC's running slow today; I think the ISP does its maintenance over the weekend.

Anyway, I'm glad the interview is of interest to MK fans. Because my primary interest is Dylan and because my wife doesn't collect everything MK, I'm never sure what's out and about and what's not.

SONGTALK isn't published now but I have about half a dozen issues from the early 1990s and, if you are at all interested in songwriting, it is well worth looking out for copies. Most issues have interviews with several musicians and songwriters. The one with the MK interview has fewer than normal because the Paul Simon interview is massive (it ran over to the next issue) and because they ran an article on the first 50 years of BMI. Even so, it has interviews with Art Garfunkel, Mick Taylor and Paul McCartney, though the latter is only a page long.

Editor Paul Zollo knows his stuff and asks good questions and is also good at prompting interviewees quite subtly. Because it is a publication for songwriters (it was published by the National Academy of Songwriters) it tends not to go for the usual showbizzy stuff, concentrating on the inspiration, art and craft of songwriting. I think the interviewees know this and respond accordingly. They have also read the previously published interviews with their peers and counterparts, and do not wish to make fools of themselves.

I hope I've said enough to encourage you to keep your eyes open for copies

[Hophead]

Did some digging on Songtalk and came up with this interview with Dylan...I realize you guys have probably already seen this but in case you haven't...http://www.interferenza.com/bcs/interw/1991zollo.htm. Bob seemed to have quite a laugh doing it  .

[twm]

I think the Dylan interview exists as an audio recording with maybe an extra question. You'll notice Elliot Mintz interjects at one point towards the end. I seem to recall that he asked for one bit not to be used. It could have been something about a non-Dylan song (People Who Need People, perhaps).  Some of it is great, Dylan saying that his songs are more confessional than professional, for example. It's like he was saving up that line for the right moment and this was it. It has a symmetry about it, a symmetry that I've used in the past, that Dylan's songs are more allusive than elusive. I also like the bit where Zollo quotes a lyric and Dylan responds by saying something like... Wait a minute, let me guess which song that's from ... and then gets it wrong. Priceless!

[Jules]

I wondered during the Glasgow show if Dylan uses a screen with the lyrics or something on stage. He has so many songs and he changes the songs from show to show (sometimes many songs) and the lyrics are usually long and very specific... Is it possible that he has the ability to remember all his lyrics?

[Hophead]

Going back to the original post..I wonder if Mark has one of Mr. Kelly's guitars..he has so many guitars from other NYC area luthiers..Rudy Pensa and John Monteleone to name a couple. I'm sure there are more. I feel a question for Guy coming up.

[twm]

Mr Kelly said that Dylan did have one of his guitars, the body being made from the wood from one NYC building and the neck from the wood of another. One of the buildings was the Chelsea Hotel. I forget the other.

Certainly, in the past, Dylan has had lyrics on printed sheets but (a) it isn't sure that they are the whole lyrics and some have suggested that it is just the first lines of verses and (b) this seemed to be during a particular period of time and he seems not to do so more recently at all shows. That seems to be the view of Dylan people.  There have been times when Dylan has forgotten lyrics or stumbled over lyrics in concert but he has also omitted lyrics and significantly changed lyrics compared with the album verses, as well.

There is a well-known occasion at the Supper Club when he was having difficulty starting a song and a girl (one I've met but don't really know) called out the first line and away he went. The next song, just to test her out I guess, he stepped forward and asked her the first line before he began it. She got it right, of course. I know this to be true (even though I wasn't close enough to witness it myself) because one of my friends was standing near her and told me.

[Fletch]

Thanks for the MK interview scans!!!

It read like a very 'happy' interview. Mark was clearly in a good mood. Some nice added insights to the usual stock answers to songs.

[Pottel]

Thanks for the MK interview scans!!!

It read like a very 'happy' interview. Mark was clearly in a good mood. Some nice added insights to the usual stock answers to songs.

exactly fletch!

[Pottel]

Mr Kelly said that Dylan did have one of his guitars, the body being made from the wood from one NYC building and the neck from the wood of another. One of the buildings was the Chelsea Hotel. I forget the other.

Certainly, in the past, Dylan has had lyrics on printed sheets but (a) it isn't sure that they are the whole lyrics and some have suggested that it is just the first lines of verses and (b) this seemed to be during a particular period of time and he seems not to do so more recently at all shows. That seems to be the view of Dylan people.  There have been times when Dylan has forgotten lyrics or stumbled over lyrics in concert but he has also omitted lyrics and significantly changed lyrics compared with the album verses, as well.

There is a well-known occasion at the Supper Club when he was having difficulty starting a song and a girl (one I've met but don't really know) called out the first line and away he went. The next song, just to test her out I guess, he stepped forward and asked her the first line before he began it. She got it right, of course. I know this to be true (even though I wasn't close enough to witness it myself) because one of my friends was standing near her and told me.

remember the year (or even exact date) that this happened TWM? wanna check if i have it in my collection and listen to it.

[twm]

The four Supper Club shows were over two nights in November 1993. Dylan stepped forward in front of the mike, as I understand it, so I'm not sure exactly what would be heard. I'll try to get the details.

[twm]

I've asked my friend and this is what he said:

Third show, which is to say the first show second night. The song was One More Cup of Coffee. The intro went on and on and Bob was obviously floundering, in fact if I remember right what she told me was she heard him ask Tony for the first line. He didn

[Pottel]

yup, got it, gonna take a listen to it now:
Bob Dylan
Supper Club
11/17/93 (Early Show) &
11/17/93 (Late Show - Incomplete)

Taper: Lee J Randell

Source: Audio discs transferred from low gen cassette (2007).

Sound is excellent and I do not believe this particular recording has
circulated before now.

Disc One: 11/17/93 (Early Show)

    1.  Ragged And Dirty (traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
    2.  One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)                         
    3.  Blood In My Eyes (traditional, arranged by Bob Dylan)
    4.  Queen Jane Approximately
    5.  I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
    6.  Disease Of Conceit
    7.  I Want You
    8.  Ring Them Bells
    9.  My Back Pages
    10.  Forever Young

Concert # 535 of The Never-Ending Tour. 1993 concert # 79.

Concert #79 with the 9th Never-Ending Tour Band: Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar),
Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar), John Jackson (guitar),
Tony Garnier (bass), Winston Watson (drums & percussion).

1

[Pottel]

but the next song seems to have been blood in my eyes (great song by the way)

[twm]

Yes, my friend indicated that the second song was at a later show, not the next song after "Cup Of Coffee"

"Weeping Willow" was an absolute bonus. Some years ago, I happened to be speaking on the phone to the guy who, back then, ran the Bob Dylan website at just the time he had got permission to post some Supper Club audios in the "Performance" section. He asked me which song I'd like and I answered immediately "Weeping Willow", as it was a one-off performance. A week or so later, it was on the site.

As is inevitable, somebody downloaded all the material that had been posted (a mixture of old and new, soundboard and audience recordings, covers and Dylan originals), selected the more unusual stuff and produced bootleg CDs. This did not go down well.  Later, they got other people to do the site (Sony/Columbia staffers, I believe) and all the recordings got taken down.

Have you seen the list of what was posted, Pottel?