dream about bob.

i had a dream last night that i was a part of some sort of high school class/focus group. we set up shop on the stage in walkerville’s auditorium, and the teacher (or group leader, if you like) played us a snippet of a brand new bob dylan song. the bit we heard went:

love is a pile of shit
you set it on fire
just to watch it burn
love is a dung heap
you piss on it
just to make it stink

then she hit the stop button and the critique began. she said she felt bob was shamelessly tapping into the sound of his classic 60s albums like highway 61 revisited and blonde on blonde, and the whole thing smacked of hollow nostalgia. a few other students made comments that more or less agreed with her. i put up my hand and said i thought there was a subversive element at work that was being overlooked. he was intentionally emulating the “thin wild mercury” sound he hadn’t come anywhere near in decades, yes, but it was being used in service of words that were venomous, bitter, and weary in a way young bob dylan never was. the grizzled “old bob” voice also added another layer. a guy who looked a little like idris elba nodded in acknowledgment, and said he detected some buried sadness, as if bob was singing to someone he simultaneously reviled and cared for, imparting his knowledge that nothing good can ever last. as the debate raged on around me, i was a little taken aback by the realization that i’d actually raised my hand and participated; i wasn’t normally one to do that sort of thing back in high school.

i wish i could remember the chord progression and vocal melody of bob’s song. at least the lyrics stuck with me. upon waking, i thought, “that’s some pretty angry stuff right there. i don’t think i’ve ever heard bob swear in any of his songs. and i’ve heard a lot of bob’s songs.” those lyrics are positively westian, when you get right down to it.

good on you, dream bob. spray that venom all over the place.