The recurring question that I ask myself when the haters speak up is: “Why?”Why is there so much contempt for cover musicians?Why do some players feel that you’re not a real musician unless you write your own songs?Why is it so much better to be an original artist…especially in today’s music climate?I try to answer it with logic, but I don’t always succeed.Maybe it’s the way some people were taught.Maybe they have never seen or played in a really good cover band.Maybe some people are just plain ignorant.
Month: August 2021
The song Bob Dylan wrote to insult John Lennon
They never entirely saw eye to eye.
It’s hard to ignore, too. Before their meeting, The Beatles’ lyrics were never the forefront of their songs with the melody always being the most essential factor, the group were happy to include “nonsense” lyrics if they sounded correct. The art of storytelling was never their forte until Dylan changed that and John Lennon was especially inspired by the singer-songwriter’s style, a factor which led him to write in more of a storytelling tongue than he previously had done.
The Beatles’ popularity was on a different stratosphere in comparison to Dylan at this time and, considering what he was doing was incredibly original, to have a watered-down version of his sound being lapped up by the masses quite rightly arrived as irritation. That said, whether the annoyance warranted him to write ‘Fourth Time Around’ is still questionable.
There is a degree of pettiness to Dylan’s actions, one which essentially saw him write a more eloquent version of ‘Norwegian Wood’ and showing Lennon how it’s done — which is hard not to admire.
Dylan even left Lennon a not-so-subtle message at the end of the track as he knew that his number one fan would undoubtedly study it. The last two lines see him sing, “I never asked for your crutch, Now don’t ask for mine” — which make his thoughts on Lennon hero-worshipping him evidently clear.
The star of Greenwich Village would change songwriting forever, his influence on advancing music by implementing poetry is immeasurable and would help turn the craft of writing lyrics from an afterthought an into the most integral part of a song. It was this factor alone which made The Beatles initially awestruck by his immense talent and, in truth, who can blame John Lennon for trying to channel his inner-Dylan?
Interview Goddo
What a great read!
On your radio show, some of the guests included Denny Doherty of the Mamas and the Papas (who you’ve said was one of your best interviews), Meatloaf, Alice Cooper and George Harrison’s ex, Pattie Boyd. You also met Bruce Springsteen at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1977, and talked with him about ulcers. But surely meeting Paul McCartney must have been the greatest celebrity meeting of ‘em all. McCartney is definitely the one. When I walked in his dressing room it was like seeing a cousin. I talked to him for about thirty minutes. McCartney is expert at making everyone feel at ease. His wife Linda was hovering about and she spotted the hand painted shoes I had on. She got right on me about them. I knew what she was driving at when she asked, “what are those made of?” But I assured her they were made of plastic, just like her. Like we’ve never seen photos of Linda in a fur coat. I don’t know if he’s read it, but Paul has a copy of Travels with My Amp, as does Elton John. Elton’s partner, David Furnish is a GODDO fan.
Source: Interview Goddo