Shot Of Rhythm

[ Wednesday, March 28, 2007 ]

 

Goliath will be conquered

Got back yesterday from the Bob Dylan Symposium at the University of Minnesota, a three-day event that was really fun, informative and thought-provoking. Great speakers, a couple nice threads of discussion and debate that linked the panels/keynotes, and an overall spirit of engagement and curiosity that made the thing sparkle, in the way that many conferences simply never do.

My talk was about Bob Dylan and the Civil Rights Movement, but I ended up talking as much about Dylan's relationship to gospel music as any more obvious aspect of his connections with the Freedom Struggle. (Of course, anybody with an understanding of the Movement will know how deep, and complicated, those connections are.)

Don't believe Dylan's got some gospel in him, even before the (in)famous "Christian" period? Check it...

Nina Simone - "The Times They Are A-Changin'"

The Staple Singers - "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"

Chicago Mass Choir (feat. Regina McCrary) - "Pressing On"

On the box right now: Devin The Dude, WAITIN' TO INHALE.

Peace...

Dove With Claws [1:34 PM]