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Today's
Stories
December
7, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
American Fantasies: Psst! Hey Buddy,
Did You Hear How Well the War's Going?
December
6, 2004
Paul
Craig Roberts
Paranoia and Pre-emption: Is the
Bush Administration Certifiable?
December
4 / 6, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
Politicize the CIA? You've Got to
be Kidding
Joe
Bageant
Dining with the Rhinos
Alan
Maass
Reporting from the Ground in Iraq: an Interview with Patrick
Cockburn
Brian
Cloughley
Democracy, Bush-style, in the Gulf
Laura
Carlsen
Latin America Shifts Left
Lenni
Brenner
Jefferson, Madison, Bush and Religion
Anna
Ioakimedes
Brazil's Haitian Mission: Doing God's Work or Washington's?
Uri
Avnery
Widow of Opportunity?
Fred
Gardner
Supreme Court Hears Medical Pot Case
Dave
Zirin
Steroids to Heaven
Jackie
Corr
Mining Camp Blues: the Red State Variation
Don
Fitz
Will Greens Abandon IRV?
Lucy
Herschel
"Art can be a Weapon of the Oppressed": an Interview
with Artist Anthony Papa
Richard
Oxman
No Angels in America: Bashing the Gay Play
Ron
Jacobs
Holiday Greeting Card
Poets'
Basement
Collins, Albert, LaMorticella
December
3, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Lie Then Escalate
Ben
Tripp
Fun With Boycotts: How to Shop in a
Time of Crisis
Joe
Allen
Murder in El Salvador: the Assassination of Teamster Organizer
Gilberto Soto
Matthew
B. Riley
Human Rights Court Fails Lori Berenson
Meir
Shalev
In the End, It is the Violin that Wins
Bob
Wing
The White Elephant in the Room: Race and Election 2004
Christopher
Brauchli
When McCain Bit His Tongue
Sasan
Fayazmanesh
The EU, the US, Israel and Iran
December
2, 2004
Tito
Tricot
No Justice in Chile: I'm a Torture
Survivor in a Country Where Torturers Still Run Free
Behzad
Yaghmaian
The Murder of Theo Van Gogh and Muslim Migration
Dr.
Susan Block
Lana and Me: Meetings with Remarkable Apes
Frank
/ Chowkwanyun
Liberalism and Its Bounds
Lee
Sustar
Standoff in Ukraine: the Bad v. the Corrupt
Patrick
Cockburn
Another Grim Record in Iraq
Mark
Engler
Seattle at Five
Michael
Donnelly
Something Stinks in South Bend: the Firing of Tyrone Willingham
Nate
Collins
The Bay Area Mall on an Ohlone Burial Grounds
Saul
Landau
The Assassination of Danilo Anderson
December
1, 2004
Phillip
Cryan
Associated with Whom? Rightist Bias
in Wire Coverage of Colombia
Dave
Zirin
What's the Matter with "Leon"?:
Budweiser's Racist Commercial
Ghali
Hassan
Iraq's Health Care Under the Occupation:
200 Children Die Every Day
Donna
J. Volatile
Beware Western Nations Threatening "Democracy"
Patrick
Cockburn
How Saddam Tried to Arm the Insurgency
Nick
Meo
Chemical War Over Afghanistan
Mike
Ferner
The Battle of Toledo
Mokhiber
/ Weissman
Shame and Determination on Global AIDS Day: 40 Million and Rising
Kathy
Kelly
Looking the Other Way: the Real Crimes
of the UN in Iraq
November
30, 2004
Jennifer
Van Bergen
The Veil of Secrecy
Toni
Nelson Herrera
Meeting Kurtz: When Art is a Crime
Paul
Craig Roberts
The Bush Delusions: Successful at Incompetence
Patrick
Cockburn
The Insurgency Strikes Back: There Are No Safe Havens in Iraq
Chuck
Munson
WTO Protests Five Years Later: Seattle Weekly Trashes Anti-Globalization
Movement
Adam
Williams
Citizenship Sold: Back to Business in Indiana
Gregory
Elich
A Dangerous Turn in the US Plans for
North Korea
Website
of the Day
Read Lynne Cheney's Lesbian Novel Online!
November
29, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Blowback in Ukraine: The Hand of
the CIA?
Omar
Barghouti
"The Pianist" of Palestine:
Roadblock Concerto at Gunpoint
Mike
Whitney
The US Media and Fallujah: How to
Market a Siege
Uri
Avnery
The Abu Mazen Style: "Give Me
Some Credit!"
Matt
Vidal
Globalization and Economic Inequality: a Look at the Numbers
Patrick
Cockburn
An Interview with Iraq's Foreign
Minister
Alan
Farago
Sex Change and Salvation: God, Girly Men and Endocrine Disrupters
Justin
Huggler
Bhopal 20 Years Later
Antony
Loewenstein
How Australia Reported Arafat's Death and Legacy
Gary
Leupp
Ukraine: Poll Results Aren't the Real
Issue
Website
of the Day
Mosul: Images from a Kill Zone
November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
November
26, 2004
Peter
Feng
Gavin Newsom: Man or Machine?
Greg
Moses
It's the White Vote, Stupid
Liaquat
Ali Khan
The Devil's Work: Bush's Minority Appointments
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should Be Banned from Canada: a Memo to the Ministry
of Immigration
Dave
Lindorff
Nation of Sheep, Turkey of an Election: Urkrainians Show the
Way
Gary
Corseri
When Black Friday Comes...
Paul
Craig Roberts
Whatever Happened to Conservatives?
Website
of the Day
Iraq Pipeline Watch
November
25, 2004
Willliam
Loren Katz
Giving Thanks to Whom?: "Thanks
to God We Sent 600 Heathen Souls to Hell Today"
Mitchel
Cohen
Why I Hate Thanksgiving
Mike
Ferner
An Uncommon Mom
November
24, 2004
Gila
Svirsky
License to Kill: the Example of Violence
is Set by the State
Winslow
T. Wheeler
The
Other Mess in Congress
Christopher
Brauchli
The Company He Keeps: the Syndicate of Tom Delay
Dave
Lindorff
Double Standards on Exit Polls: Hypocrisy Sans Irony
Ron
Jacobs
The Occupation of Iraq is the Root of t he Problem
Ken
Sengupta
Witnesses: War Crimes in Fallujah
Diana
Barahona
The Final Holocaust or Why I Voted for Ralph Nader
John
L. Hess
Safire the Shameless
Jason
Leopold
Did Harvard Hire (Another) War Criminal?
Jeffrey
St. Clair
The Mark of McCain: the Senator Most Likely to Start a Nuclear
War
Map
of the Day
Now and Then: 2004 v. 1860
November
23, 2004
Forrest
Hylton
Bush and Uribe at the Beach
November
22, 2004
Dave
Zirin
Fight Night in the NBA: Selective Outrage
in Detroit
Paul
Craig Roberts
On to Iran: We Won't Get Fooled Again?
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should be Banned from Canada
Kathie
Helmkamp
Our Son: a Marine Who Won't Kill
Ken
Sengupta
The Triangle of Death: "This is Now the Most Dangerous Place
in Iraq"
Mike
Whitney
Greenspan's Hammer
Roger
Burbach
Why They Hate Bush in Chile
Website
of the Day
Fed Up with Government Lies and Corporate Spin?
November
20 / 21, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
The Poisoned Chalice
Todd
May
Religion, the Election and the Politics of Fear
Abbas
Ahmed Ibrahim
The Horrors of Fallujah: a First-Hand Account
Kevin
Zeese
Mishandling Nader
Landau
/ Hassen
After Arafat
Tom
Barry
The Vulcans Consolidate Power: The Rise of Stephen Hadley
Fred
Gardner
Pot Shots: Ask Dr. Todd
Justin
E.H. Smith
Triumph of the Will: the Sequel
Carl
Estabrook
Where We Are Now
Gary
Leupp
Imperial History-Making vs. Reality-Based Thought: a Dialogue
Dave
Lindorff
Apocalypse Soon
Jenna
Michelle Liut
Plans Colombia and Patriota: Wanton Wastes of Money, Manpower
and Lives
Mickey
Z.
The Granma Moses of Radical Writing: an Interview with William
Blum
Greg
Moses
The Same Old Struggle Against Imperial America
Sharon
Smith
Abortion Rights and the Election: What Now?
Ron
Jacobs
Sandwiches and Car Bombs
Ben
Tripp
Raising d'Etre: Finding Money in Hollywood These Days
Richard
Oxman
Basketbrawl Two Pointer: Iraq Rules!
Gilad
Atzmon
Politics and Jazz
Poets'
Basement
LaMorticella, Albert, Ford, & Anon.
Website
of the Day
Voice of the Forest
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante
Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click
Here for More Stories.
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December 7, 2004
The Insufferable Interview
Down
With Dylan
By
RICHARD OXMAN
"All the truth in
the world adds up to one big lie"
-- Bob Dylan
"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night."
-- Dylan Thomas
"I used to care but - things have changed."
-- Bob Dylan
"And I am dumb to tell a weather's wind
How time has ticked a heaven round the stars."
-- Dylan Thomas from
The force that through the green fuse drives the flower
There's only one Dylan. For me. Thomas,
not Bob. No contest.
From about 1917 to 1927, when
Samuel Beckett grew from a boy of eleven to a young man of twenty-one,
anyone walkin' up O'Connell Street in Dublin would pass a post
office that had been left...unattended, a wreck. Growin' into
manhood, my favorite playwright witnessed "demolition, not
glory" lookin' at that sorry excuse for a building. And
I don't believe for one moment that the young Protestant "stayed
aloof" of what it emblematized. (1)
Taking in Bob Dylan during
the highly-touted 60 Minutes Ed Bradley interview this evening,
I had a clear view of something that had been demolished. Nothing
glorious emerged during the scandalous segment...which was, apparently,
set up by CBS/Viacom/Simon & (shyster) Schuster to hawk the
Song and Dance Man's recently written memoir titled Chronicles
Volume One.
Ah, so that's why we got his
first television interview in 19 years.
I trust that readers can get
past the Legend (with a capital "L," please note)...and
his many AccomplishmentS (two capitals!), so as to absorb the
ABOMINATION that is bobboh. Oh, maybe it'll help to note that
no one ever liked Dylan's lyrics (plus) more than me.
Go ahead and ask the obligatory
question of what went wrong, 'cause I have a very cute answer
for you...at the end. It's what spurred me on to stay up late
tonight (with these negative thoughts before turning in).
In fact, perhaps a few questions
are in order. To wit, why did Dylan refer to his parents as
"he and his wife?" What moves a person to say that
they were "born to the wrong parents?" Mmm...maybe
it has something to do with one's definition of "destiny."
"You know somethin' about yourself that no one else does...which
must be kept to yourself." I remember feelin' like that
in early high school, late grade school moreso. I also had a
LOT of trouble, distance --you name it-- with my (now dead) folks.
That bit about how his parents
thought Hibbing was The Capital of the World, when Bob saw clearly
that --for him-- New York City was the CotW meant something special
to me. It meant that he, obviously, never read Black Elk Speaks...or
anything of the sort...or that he simply doesn't embrace that
kind of non-New York thinking.
How'd Dylan come to change
his name from Zimmerman of Hibbing to Bob So-and-So? "It's
the land of the free," said Bob D. Wow. I think that got
to me...more than anything else. No, I'm serious. That's all
he said (though he might have muttered something to the effect
that "you can do what you want" also). Please don't
bring in anything about the cutting room floor here. I used
to have TV and radio gigs, interviewing stars (quite a bit lower
on The Ladder), and...that was him, trust me.
I mean...how does one go through
thirty minutes of such an experience without a single reference
to another star (except Elvis!). And if he did mutter someone's
name that I missed...under his undoubtedly strange breath...I
know that he uttered zero words about The Wallflowers, his son's
band. Of course, he's under no obligation to do so. (2).
Oh yes, no words about any
wars either from The One-Time Master of Anti-War Song.
He would rather be known as
a Zionist and/or a Song and Dance Man than to be billed as The
Archbishop of Anarchy? Y'know, maybe that was a better line
than the one above about "Land of the Free."
All of those who just shouted
out (without permission) that BD was simply being modest...step
to the right. Not to the left. That's whereabouts his songs
were sermons, contrary to his protestations in Michael Rudutsky's
profane production tonight. What about those of us who heard
them as sermons of sorts? Oh, we "must not have heard them."
People used to visit him and
plop down labels in his presence...that had nothing to do with
him? They claimed to know him, and wouldn't except that the
Real Guy was different than The Image? Y'mean like what happens
with every star with every teenybopper...and most adult fans?
This wouldn't be half so bad, if Bob hadn't brought up the fact
that someone once insisted that he was into Organic Food. Why?
Because he blew a great op for an Incredible Plug...by vying
for a shrug of the shoulders...as if to simply say "That's
not me."
Would it have been so difficult
for him to jump outside of himself for a moment, and put in a
good word for good eating? I guess so...if you've chosen to stay
inside for the full thirty minutos.
How 'bout "Lying"...during
these times of Official Mendacity in not Mend A City, but Tear
Up Cities Around The Globe Times? "You only have to think
twice about lying to yourself and to God." That's it?
Well, I guess I know who in the Bush family is gonna be the first
person to purchase the soon-to-be-released Chronicles Volume
One in Crawford's closest Crowns.
What a clown. (4) Okay, you
don't have to accept the mantle of Prophet/Messiah. But Barnum
& Bailey Bob? Like Uncle Miltie might say, Make Up!!!
I could go on and on, believe
me, with such ditties as Downer Dylan calling God the "Chief
Commander," and his absolutely absurd take on his "Like
a Rolling Stone" being selected as The Number One Song of
All Time (by Rolling Stone Magazine). But he's not worth it.
Or, rather, our heartbeats are much too valuable.
If you don't see BD as an enemy...write
to me. And if you do...write to me. There are things to do
about Arrogance and Greed in this country whether or not the
target is Bush or Bob.
That quote above, the one from
the wonderful movie Wonder Boys...which is off of a lovely
sounding BD track titled "Things Have Changed," is
a bit disingenuous. To wit, things haven't changed for that
writer. He NEVER cared. (3)
In five punishing capital letters.
NOTES:
(1) The famous post office
was the site of the 1916 Easter Rebellion; Hugh Kenner, in A
Colder Eye: The Modern Irish Writers (Balimore: The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1983), p. 263, suggested that Beckett was not
moved by the image or memory.
(2) Which reminds me that
editors who deal with me would be under absolutely no obligation
to respond to personal emails from me, notifying them that I
have terminal cancer...even if they had been posting my stuff
for years.
(3) Bob Dylan's avowed "lack
of commitment" is a far cry from, say, that of Brendan Behan's.
The former was formed from selfishness, the latter lilting in
The Realm of Distrust.
(4) Recent participation in
"women-as-sex objects-ads"...in full Daliesque cosmetics
contributes to this, certainly.
Richard Oxman, a former resident of the Seth Boyden Housing
Project in Newark, New Jersey (and quite familiar with what good
Bob Dylan did for Hurricaine Carter), can be reached at dueleft@yahoo.com.
He now lives in Los Gatos, CA...where there are no housing
projects, and where most people think the oddest things about
the Song and Dance Man.
Weekend Edition
Features for November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
|