Wonderful writing, Matthew. You perfectly capture the combination of magisterial grace, hard-won gravitas, and impish glee on Modern Times.
You also make a keen observation about the impact of black-and-white film on the way we remember sixties Dylan. Those images and performances are so deeply ingrained that it's easy to forget that life was actually lived in color back then. As a thought experiment, try imagining Dont Look Back and The Other Side of the Mirror in color. It's hard to do, right? And you kind of don't want to.
Then there's the footage from the 1966 tour. Great music, but also the document of a man on the express train to self-destruction. Sure, it was the drugs and the hostile crowds and the exhausting pace. But on some subliminal level, as a viewer, I think I've long associated that manic, debilitating process with his move away from black and white, as if the sudden immersion in a garish life lived in color was too much. Newsflash: forget the motorcycle crash--in 1966 Dylan overdosed on color!
Beautiful piece on the great man - never has the expression "gets better with age" been more appropriate. I'm building up to a Dylan blog (coming soon!) but want to get it right!
'Modern Times' is probably the one from his recent output I return to most often. ("When the Deal Goes Down" was played at my wedding.) I feel it's consistently his most interesting and exciting front-to-back album - both lyrically and sonically - so far this century, but who knows what the future holds?
That's such a great song to have at a wedding, and a wonderful commitment to make to each other!
I think at various times I alternate between thinking this, Love and Theft and Rough and Rowdy Ways are his 21st Century best but they're all just phenomenal records. Like you say, who knows what else we'll get. Maybe I'm greedy or maybe it's wishful thinking but I can't help but feel like there's one more great album to come
Wonderful writing, Matthew. You perfectly capture the combination of magisterial grace, hard-won gravitas, and impish glee on Modern Times.
You also make a keen observation about the impact of black-and-white film on the way we remember sixties Dylan. Those images and performances are so deeply ingrained that it's easy to forget that life was actually lived in color back then. As a thought experiment, try imagining Dont Look Back and The Other Side of the Mirror in color. It's hard to do, right? And you kind of don't want to.
Then there's the footage from the 1966 tour. Great music, but also the document of a man on the express train to self-destruction. Sure, it was the drugs and the hostile crowds and the exhausting pace. But on some subliminal level, as a viewer, I think I've long associated that manic, debilitating process with his move away from black and white, as if the sudden immersion in a garish life lived in color was too much. Newsflash: forget the motorcycle crash--in 1966 Dylan overdosed on color!
Beautiful piece on the great man - never has the expression "gets better with age" been more appropriate. I'm building up to a Dylan blog (coming soon!) but want to get it right!
Hey Steve, glad you think so! I'm absolutely with you on that and looking forward to reading your writing about him!
Listening to Fragments now and it's just brilliant!
'Modern Times' is probably the one from his recent output I return to most often. ("When the Deal Goes Down" was played at my wedding.) I feel it's consistently his most interesting and exciting front-to-back album - both lyrically and sonically - so far this century, but who knows what the future holds?
That's such a great song to have at a wedding, and a wonderful commitment to make to each other!
I think at various times I alternate between thinking this, Love and Theft and Rough and Rowdy Ways are his 21st Century best but they're all just phenomenal records. Like you say, who knows what else we'll get. Maybe I'm greedy or maybe it's wishful thinking but I can't help but feel like there's one more great album to come
All our faves together 🩷
Just like us! ❤️