Jon King Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 I'm curious. Have the forum members read and/or grokked Mr. Dylan's book? I'm in a buying mood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 This is the one I put on my Christmas List rather than the other one. Marcus is the best writer about Dylan IMO, and is a delight to read no matter what he is writing about: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 Get the new Sonny Rollins bio and get rid of any detritus on your coffee table. It's one bigass book! And as a bonus, it's about Sonny Rollins, not Bob Dylan. Win-Win!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 To me Sonny and Bob are equally important artists, worthy of these sort of books. But I don't have books on my coffee table and don't have an opinion on either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 Oh. I thought you were soliciting advice on what to do with your coffee table. My bad about that Nevertheless, the advice and the rationale behind it still holds! Or maybe you need a bigger coffee table? Some people do ya' know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 4 hours ago, JSngry said: Get the new Sonny Rollins bio and get rid of any detritus on your coffee table. It's one bigass book! And as a bonus, it's about Sonny Rollins, not Bob Dylan. Win-Win!!!!!! Is it well-written? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 We shall see. It's waaaay too bigass a book for a quick read. But Mark Stryker gave it a glorious advance notice in these pages, and I trust Mark like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 17 minutes ago, JSngry said: We shall see. It's waaaay too bigass a book for a quick read. But Mark Stryker gave it a glorious advance notice in these pages, and I trust Mark like that. I read some of the sample on Amazon, and the writing is solid. Interestingly, the author's other two books are on Lou Reed and Patti Smith rather than on jazz musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 Good for him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 Aidan Levy is a good guy and a smart guy. I am sure the book is worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon King Posted December 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 2 hours ago, JSngry said: Oh. I thought you were soliciting advice on what to do with your coffee table. My bad about that Nevertheless, the advice and the rationale behind it still holds! Or maybe you need a bigger coffee table? Some people do ya' know! Okay. Agreed that my coffee table already includes a diverse stack. Titles are: The Great Jazz Interviews (unread) was a Christmas gift; The Times Complete History of the World (unread) my grandson’s gift he left with us; What It’s Like to be a Bird (partially read) a gift; Wine for Normal People (wife’s) unread; Chasing Light (wife’s); Coronavirus Politics (academic insights including our daughter’s contribution) So, precious few that I purchased. I suspect, in our sphere, the covers and visual appeal and sentimentality are the standards for coffee table deployment. So, I’m all about effect and not so given to Jesuit scholarship. Hence, I’m trying to gauge the readability of Mr. Dylan (my favorite LP, New Morning; my favorite song, Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat) — and to “turn a new page.” BTW: never a big Sonny fan, however just yesterday bought a copy of “Sonny Meets Hawk!” Quite a document by my strict musical tastes. 7 hours ago, felser said: This is the one I put on my Christmas List rather than the other one. Marcus is the best writer about Dylan IMO, and is a delight to read no matter what he is writing about: Looks quite intriguing. Thanks for your suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon King Posted December 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 7 hours ago, jazzbo said: To me Sonny and Bob are equally important artists, worthy of these sort of books. But I don't have books on my coffee table and don't have an opinion on either. So, it’s not a matter of either/or in a contest to pick a book about Jazz or a book about Modern Song, and not a matter of picking but of respecting both books’ possibilities? Bravo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 Jesuit scholarship? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon King Posted December 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 3 hours ago, JSngry said: Jesuit scholarship? Extremely academic, rigorous study Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 10, 2022 Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 Beneficial for all, I should hope, not just for Jesuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted December 14, 2022 Report Share Posted December 14, 2022 As a coffee table book the Dylan is pretty good. Great pictures even if you aren't told who's in them. There are photo credits for copyright reasons but no mention of subject matter. I had no idea who was with Little Richard and Eddie Cochran on the front cover, though I did recognize Billy Crystal's dad at the Commodore Record Shop on the back cover. As to the content: The title is misleading unless it uses "modern" in the sense of "mid-century modern", and it's usually about records not songs. The latest persona Robert Zimmerman has created for Bob Dylan is that of grumpy old man. The book has been rightfully attacked for its misogyny but in fairness its generally misanthropic. Most of the essays are in the 2nd person singular as if the reader were the main character in the song. Usually (but not always) there is an additional essay giving interesting facts about the song, recording, or composers. (I suspect much of this is from Eddie Gorodetsky who gets a thanks at the beginning.) Taken in small doses it can be fun and even funny but reading several entries at a sitting is an uncomfortable experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon King Posted December 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 9 hours ago, medjuck said: As a coffee table book the Dylan is pretty good. Great pictures even if you aren't told who's in them. There are photo credits for copyright reasons but no mention of subject matter. I had no idea who was with Little Richard and Eddie Cochran on the front cover, though I did recognize Billy Crystal's dad at the Commodore Record Shop on the back cover. As to the content: The title is misleading unless it uses "modern" in the sense of "mid-century modern", and it's usually about records not songs. The latest persona Robert Zimmerman has created for Bob Dylan is that of grumpy old man. The book has been rightfully attacked for its misogyny but in fairness its generally misanthropic. Most of the essays are in the 2nd person singular as if the reader were the main character in the song. Usually (but not always) there is an additional essay giving interesting facts about the song, recording, or composers. (I suspect much of this is from Eddie Gorodetsky who gets a thanks at the beginning.) Taken in small doses it can be fun and even funny but reading several entries at a sitting is an uncomfortable experience. THANKS….for your helpful, first-hand reader’s response to my indecision re: the Dylan book’s purchasability. Your well-stated reply was focused and seemed to be fair (&balanced). Therefore, I’m relieved of buyer’s remorse and, I’m also eager to get my post-holiday order on its way. Again, thanks! JK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted December 15, 2022 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) 11 hours ago, medjuck said: As a coffee table book the Dylan is pretty good. Great pictures even if you aren't told who's in them. There are photo credits for copyright reasons but no mention of subject matter. I had no idea who was with Little Richard and Eddie Cochran on the front cover, though I did recognize Billy Crystal's dad at the Commodore Record Shop on the back cover. The cover pic had me stumped too as I was 1000% sure I have seen that pic before. I searched again and finally did locate it. It is in "Rockabilly - The Twang Heard Round The World" (by Greil Marcus, Peter Guralnick et al.). The girl is Alis Lesley ("the female Elvis"), an actual recording artist (and her name was real and NO nick imitating the King's name) but of course "a flash in the pan" compared to "the boy from Tupelo". Otherwise, no photo captions throughout the book? What were they thinking?? 🤨 Edited December 15, 2022 by Big Beat Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.