An Ode to Bob Dylan

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Bob Dylan is rock n roll with a little vaudeville thrown in for fun. The music that

he plays is timeless and at recent shows he takes on the air of some civil war era

general blowing reverie on his harmonica. The band is cracker jack tight and can

stop, turn, and pivot on a dime. Bob Dylan is a very complex yet simple

multifaceted artist extraordinaire that has creativity oozing out of his being.

I just saw 5 midwest shows in a week and have been going to his concerts for 31 years. Something always keeps me comin' back for more... Thanks and ride

on Bob...

Jack Evans of WI 6:59AM November 29, 2009

The Times They Are A-changin' was NOT an anti-Vietnam song. What justifies your claim that it was?

Phil of MS 3:51AM November 29, 2009

My 6 year old sister pulled me over to her tin can radio to hear a raspy voice singing 'The Times They are a Changing'. I was 14.

When I was 28 I heard 'How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see' in that same raspy voice. It has changed my life forever. And I continue to be grateful.

I am now 67 and give thanks daily for Bob Dylan and for his guidance in this life.

He turned me on to working for peace, to serving humanity, to loving this most extraordinary genius of our times.

Alan M. Kapuler Ph.D. of OR 7:56PM November 27, 2009

I started listening to him in 1963 (When I was 12). My family banned it in the house so I ran around with friends whose parents would let us play it. He has had a part of a lot of my life; good and bad.

As I age, the words mean more to me than ever and I thank God I got to have him in my life.

Thanks for a very personal and interesting story.

Pete of NV 2:17PM November 27, 2009

that Bobby and Sting are gonna hit the road together and promote their Christmas albums. The promoters are handing out free lithium at the door to keep the suicide rates to a minimum. Joy to the World!

R.L. Schaefer of CA 11:45AM November 27, 2009

Yes--I know what you mean. After the awful "Allison" flood when people were using our freeways to sail sailboats, Dylan came to do our Rodeo, of all things! I hadn't been to the rodeo since Gene Autry was so drunk he fell off his horse. He did "High Water"...and I had the same reaction you did after 9-11. When he put "Houston" on his album, I was surprised, until I heard it. It is the old Houston, the small town Houston. I've been making poetry in jingle-jangle jumble since about 1952 (age 12). It is possible to do when you do what Dylan did--go to the street level. Old Houston especially was full of characters. Lamar and Bagby is off the bayou, near market square and the cotton exchange. My first memories are of that area. It was wild. We did have a sheriff who ruled with an iron will and a shiny star. Dylan goes all the way back to the Mexican War in his song...before my time. Mr. Dylan does have a way of finding our hearts and souls. Forgetful Heart makes me ache for the old generation we have all lost, as we watched them fade away. It is so very exciting to have a writer who can "chronicle" OUR own aging years, just as he did OUR youth! I am looking forward to what he has for us in the coming years. Every time I go to a concert it seems like some special gift, doesn't it?

Glenda in Houston of TX 11:31AM November 27, 2009

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Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm is a weekly Creators Syndicate columnist. Her op-eds on politics, culture, and history have appeared in newspapers across the nation, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. She previously worked as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun and The Hill. Jamie's first journalism job was as an assignment editor at the CBS News bureau in London.

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