Seth Rogovoy's Blog, page 6

"In light of Dylan's lifetime of spiritual and religious seeking, there might be a second level of meaning in the blood on these tracks" – PopMatters

"The question of Dylan's religious affiliation has been brought back to the forefront because of Seth Rogovoy's book, Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet. In light of Dylan's lifetime of spiritual and religious seeking, there might be a second level of meaning in the blood on these tracks; perhaps he is also alluding to the blood of sacrifice, known to him in the sacrificial system of the Hebrew Scriptures." – Jim Mello, "Bargaining for Salvation," PopMatters

CONCERT REVIEW: Jakob Dylan, Albany, N.Y., 4.17.10

Cut to the chase: he played only one hit song by his "other" band, the Wallflowers: "Three Marlenas," which fit in swimmingly with the rest of his set list, drawn entirely from Jakob Dylan's two recent solo albums, 2008's Seeing Things and this year's Women +  Country.

And no, for those who still expect it, he did not play any songs by nor acknowledge his relationship to his father. Duh. Why should he?

Then again, he doesn't need to, because as Dylan matures – he turned 40 last December – he...

Bob Dylan's Passover history – from Bob Dylan Examiner

Today's post on Bob Dylan Examiner recounts Dylan's long relationship with the holiday being celebrated around the world tonight. The Examiner also asked for my own comments on Dylan's reliance on the Passover story in song, which begins with "When the Ship Comes In" and extends throughout his career, including so-called Christian songs like "When He Returns" and "Saved" and, more recently, "Thunder on the Mountain," the kickoff track of Modern Times.

Bob Dylan's Hometown Wants Him Back – At Least for a Show

The tourism bureau of the Iron Range, the region of Northern Minnesota where Bob Dylan grew up, has launched a campaign ostensibly to lure the famed rock poet back home for a performance.

Presumably what the bureau also had in mind in launching a new website, Come Home Bob Dylan, was garnering a little publicity for the isolated area renowned for its stark beauty and cold winters.

The website includes an online petition calling on Dylan to come home to Hibbing, Minn., as well as sharing pages f...

"those who labor in the vineyards of Dylanology … owe Rogovoy a great debt" – Ron Rosenbaum

In "Bob Dylan: Messiah or Escape Artist?," his review of BOB DYLAN: Prophet Mystic Poet, in the premiere issue of the new Jewish Review of Books, critic Ron Rosenbaum - a columnist for Slate and the author of Explaining Hitler and The Shakespeare Wars, who is working on a book on Bob Dylan for Yale University Press – hails Seth Rogovoy's "exemplary research" and says that "...those who labor in the vineyards of Dylanology … owe Rogovoy a great debt for persuasively tracking so many Dylan...

Artwork Inspired by "BOB DYLAN: Prophet Mystic Poet"

Bernard Zalon is a printmaker in New York City specializing in etchings.  He does great work – a lot of it inspired by his urban surroundings – which you'll see when you visit his website.

In The Heights by Bernard Zalon

Zalon contacted me recently to share one of his newest creations, called In the Heights, which on the surface seems to capture a typical scene out front of 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, which some may recognize as the world headquarters of the...

"This book explores some previously unrevealed truths of the Jewish foundation of some of Dylan's songs." – Whole Phamily

The blogger Whole Phamily, who describes the blog as "An exploration about the connectivity of names, people, and ideas in the Jewish community and beyond," takes note of BOB DYLAN: Prophet Mystic Poet, saying that "there is no denying that Dylan is a part of the Whole Phamily and he has his Yiddishkeit to thank a bissel.  This book explores some previously unrevealed truths of the Jewish foundation of some of Dylan's songs."

there is no denying that Dylan is a part of the Whole Phamily and...

"a fascinating perspective on Dylan and his songs" – Folk Roots/Folk Branches

Veteran music journalist and broadcaster Mike Regenstreif says that BOB DYLAN: Prophet Mystic Poet offers readers "a fascinating perspective on Dylan and his songs" in his review of the book that ran in the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin and is reprinted on his own blog.

Bob Dylan to Perform in Jewish Homeland

Bob Dylan's 2010 World Tour is rumored to be swinging home to the Promised Land, where Dylan will perform at HaYarkon Park in Tel Aviv on May 27.

The concert takes place just three days after Dylan's 69th birthday, picking up on a tradition of Dylan's of visiting Israel on his birthday begun in the early 1970s.

The concert will mark Dylan's first in the Jewish state since he performed three shows in 1993 in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba.

Dylan's first concerts in Israel took place in 1987 in...

The Vatican Disses Dylan

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the Vatican disses Bob Dylan because "despite his 'great poetic vein' … he paved the way for generations of unprofessional singer-songwriters who have 'harshly tested the ears and patience of listeners' with their tormented stories."

Honestly, there is more than a grain of truth to that, although it's hard to see how Dylan is to blame for all the cut-rate wannabes that followed in his wake.

And I don't just mean Donovan.