I just read ‘Chronicles’, part 1 of 3 in the memoirs of Bob Dylan. Read it in about 3 days, too fast to truly retain much, I had an understanding with myself that I would have to revisit the book soon, maybe even immediately after finishing to soak it all in and lock his verbiage in the back of my head. I wanted to document my thoughts here before I read it again, before the immediate excitement wears off…
It was captivating, Dylan’s attention to detail and his poetic nuances made the stories come alive and jump off the page. He must kept amazing journals along the way, no way could I remember a what the shape and make of a rug on the floor 30+ years removed was. Never thought I’d want to, I’d like to nowadays. Because it puts you in the story, in the room with him with no heat, home-made furniture, wood-floors, you can see it all with pristine detail. His perception of a simple brush of air after meeting his future girlfriend is something that puts you in his shoes, puts his feelings on you. Everybody knows that breeze, it could be the dead of winter and if for the right girl could warm you like June night in the Caribbean.
His stories are inspiring, mainly his belief that ‘something’ would happen. He never really knew how it would all fall into place, he just started at the end and worked his way to it. That’s what all the new-age guru’s and preachers tell you too. I believe ’em, I just believe Bob more. He’s more authentic and has no reason to lie to me.
I found it endearing, his admiration for Woody Guthrie. I had gathered Bob was influenced by the late folk-singer/renaissance man I didn’t know how truly consumed Dylan was. He said he played and listened to nothing but Woody for a long while, even started dressing like him. Dylan even felt like the torch was being passed to him through the records, he knew he had to pick up where Woody left off – and he did. Surpassed everybody, including the Ramblin’ Jacks and Joan Baez’s of the world who early on were thought of as untouchable. Dylan understands that he had a destiny, maybe not sure of what it was, but understood he was living one out. It’s admirable and inspiring, leaves a good taste on your soul.
If you are a real out n’ out Dylan-Head than he gives a lot of new twists on major parts of his life to wrestle with, he also gives you the opportunity to seek out new writers and artists that he was digging at various periods of his life. Now that I know more about what he was listening to and who his contemporaries were, Dylan’s earlier records take on new shapes to my ears, as if they are now more capable of comprehension. It”ll be cut as apart of the fabric of my life, a sanctified anthology.