Thanks, this is a fine article. I like what Obama said about Dylan in his Rolling Stone interview (14 October 2010):
"Here's what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you'd expect he would be. He wouldn't come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn't want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn't show up to that. He came in and played "The Times They Are A-Changin'." A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage--I'm sitting right in the front row--comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it--then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That's how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don't want him to be all cheesin' and grinnin' with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise."
Thank you, Graley for finding the connecting threads that you wove together so beautifully in this piece. My appreciation for all of the individuals mentioned in it has been enriched.
Perhaps it's my cynical nature but I take Dylan's comments about Obama's parents to be casting aspersions on their origins. Obama's father came to the USA as part of a NED program in the 50s to groom African leaders as part of the establishment of neo-colonialism that replaced European colonialism and entrenched low development and debt. Obama's mother worked for the CIA front USAID and married an Indonesian government official during that government's genocide of communist supporters in 65-66 (see 'The Jakarta Method' by Vincent Bevins).
Linking Obama's mother to Quantrill and Jefferson Davis for me suggests Dylan is pointing to her time working for the US government during the genocide.
Fantastic Graley - Thanks so much for writing and sharing this!
Thanks, this is a fine article. I like what Obama said about Dylan in his Rolling Stone interview (14 October 2010):
"Here's what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you'd expect he would be. He wouldn't come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn't want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn't show up to that. He came in and played "The Times They Are A-Changin'." A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage--I'm sitting right in the front row--comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it--then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That's how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don't want him to be all cheesin' and grinnin' with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise."
Thank you, Graley for finding the connecting threads that you wove together so beautifully in this piece. My appreciation for all of the individuals mentioned in it has been enriched.
Perhaps it's my cynical nature but I take Dylan's comments about Obama's parents to be casting aspersions on their origins. Obama's father came to the USA as part of a NED program in the 50s to groom African leaders as part of the establishment of neo-colonialism that replaced European colonialism and entrenched low development and debt. Obama's mother worked for the CIA front USAID and married an Indonesian government official during that government's genocide of communist supporters in 65-66 (see 'The Jakarta Method' by Vincent Bevins).
Linking Obama's mother to Quantrill and Jefferson Davis for me suggests Dylan is pointing to her time working for the US government during the genocide.