Updated insights into Bob on his almost-never ending tour

We are reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road … and this is the first video we’ve seen that’s survived the robots of internet control.

There is a dichotomy of attitude towards copyright and sharing on the internet in 2021 … the spiders might as well be from Mars and the robots wield a sword of control as draconian as Damocles.

It could be Bob’s people of course throwing a cloak over the stolen moments of his concerts – and quite right they should too.

But bootlegging has been a major part of Ol’ Bob’s career, it gave him an underground reputation, made people hungry for his work and helped us feel that we were part of something special.

And we were – we were a part of the confusing, passionate world of imagery, angst and fabulousness that Bob had created.

We felt closer to him because we’d become the elite, the fans who got the latest from his world first.

So, from being stuck inside a mobile with the Chicago blues again, we’re sharing this video.

Below too are a selection of the first reviews as Bob Dylan hits the road again on his Never Ending Tour … if you’ve managed to see him over the last week or so, share your thoughts here.

REVIEWS and preamble

Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…

Andrea and I were still on the highway in Spain as Ol’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.

He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.

Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan.

And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.

And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.

No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.

Next he joined the other legends in Chicago …

After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca where we were staying, I trawled around the net for reviews.

I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.

Let’s begin with Chicago as he finds his feet

On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links, Adam Selzer wrote:

 
CHICAGO:

“I’m amazed at how clear his vocals are; all traces of the wolfman growl
of a few years back are gone, except when he needs them. 

“I Contain Multitudes” was the highlight of the night for me. Instead
of spending most of it at the piano, consulting the lyric sheets, Bob was
center stage the whole song, clearly enjoying himself and really acting
the song out, prowling around at a crouch like a cartoon character.  

“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the first surprise of the night, was bouncy and
loose.  

“Bob tried to do “Black Rider” from center as well, but forgot a couple
of lines in the first verse and moved back to piano for most of it. The
flub seemed to cost him some confidence, though the rest of the lines were
well delivered. This show really does sleep with life and death in the same bed.”  
 
 Mark S wrote:

 “I saw Bob Dylan in 2021 and it was like seeing your grandpa, who you love very much, walking a tight rope. It was captivating, I was rooting for him, and it was extremely entertaining to see him succeed.!

 

Bob Shiel:

“Bob Dylan came to Chicago tonight, perfectly timing his customary 
week-within-Halloween appearance in the Windy City, historically one of 
his most visited venues in his illustrious career as a live performer. But this 
wasn't any ole Bob Dylan show.  

This tour is all about Rough and Rowdy Ways.  Although all these songs 
sound good live, I Contain Multitudes and Key West stand out as stellar 
melodic arrangements with mesmerizing lyrics, which Bob is delivering quite 
intelligibly. I saw no evidence of the lyric or sheet music reliance reported 
in Milwaukee on night 1 of the tour.   
The overall sound of the band is similar to that fantastic Fall 2019 tour, 
and new drummer Charlie Drayton almost imperceptibly follows Bob and
the rest of the band, allowing Bob, at 80, to not have to strain to be 
heard over the other 5 members of the band.  

The magic of Bob's veteran multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron was 
evident on When I Paint My Masterpiece when his fiddle played off Bob's 
piano beautifully. Bob Britt is back. As for the new guitarist, Doug Flavio, who is technically 
filling the legendary shoes of Charlie Sexton, although that ain't happening, 
one gets the feeling he will play a more and more prominent role as his
first tour progresses.  

After introducing the band, something he hasn't done for what seems like 
forever, Bob said something like, "We love Chicago, just like you do." Well, 
the feeling goes for you, too, Bob. We really do love you and wish you all 
health and happiness in this world so lucky to still have you in its midst.” 

 

FROM MILWAUKEE:

Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”

Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about things than Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were

clearly heard.  
 
“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in
1971.  Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doing
during his time off – nothing.  “Most Likely You Go Your Way and
I’ll Go Mine” followed.   . 

 “Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casual
fans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your Baby
Tonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” 
Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and
“Soon After Midnight,”
“When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet but we still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. 
We may not see him tomorrow”

Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a very
special show.  In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob's own
way, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at center
stage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd...”

Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”

Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.

Good on ya Bob!

#bob #bobdylan #neverending #neverendingtour #2021 #roughandrowdyways

Updated insights into Bob on his almost never ending tour

We are reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road .. Chicago and Milwaukee below

Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…

Andrea and I were still on the road highway in Spain as O’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.

He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.

Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan.

And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.

And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.

No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.

Next he joined the other legends in Chicago …

After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca where we were staying, I trawled around the net for reviews.

I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.

Let’s begin with Chicago as he finds his feet

On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links, Adam Selzer wrote:

 
CHICAGO:

“I’m amazed at how clear his vocals are; all traces of the wolfman growl
of a few years back are gone, except when he needs them. 

“I Contain Multitudes” was the highlight of the night for me. Instead
of spending most of it at the piano, consulting the lyric sheets, Bob was
center stage the whole song, clearly enjoying himself and really acting
the song out, prowling around at a crouch like a cartoon character.  

“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the first surprise of the night, was bouncy and
loose.  

“Bob tried to do “Black Rider” from center as well, but forgot a couple
of lines in the first verse and moved back to piano for most of it. The
flub seemed to cost him some confidence, though the rest of the lines were
well delivered. This show really does sleep with life and death in the same bed.”  
 
 Mark S wrote:

 “I saw Bob Dylan in 2021 and it was like seeing your grandpa, who you love very much, walking a tight rope. It was captivating, I was rooting for him, and it was extremely entertaining to see him succeed.!

 

Bob Shiel:

“Bob Dylan came to Chicago tonight, perfectly timing his customary 
week-within-Halloween appearance in the Windy City, historically one of 
his most visited venues in his illustrious career as a live performer. But this 
wasn't any ole Bob Dylan show.  

This tour is all about Rough and Rowdy Ways.  Although all these songs 
sound good live, I Contain Multitudes and Key West stand out as stellar 
melodic arrangements with mesmerizing lyrics, which Bob is delivering quite 
intelligibly. I saw no evidence of the lyric or sheet music reliance reported 
in Milwaukee on night 1 of the tour.   
The overall sound of the band is similar to that fantastic Fall 2019 tour, 
and new drummer Charlie Drayton almost imperceptibly follows Bob and
the rest of the band, allowing Bob, at 80, to not have to strain to be 
heard over the other 5 members of the band.  

The magic of Bob's veteran multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron was 
evident on When I Paint My Masterpiece when his fiddle played off Bob's 
piano beautifully. Bob Britt is back. As for the new guitarist, Doug Flavio, who is technically 
filling the legendary shoes of Charlie Sexton, although that ain't happening, 
one gets the feeling he will play a more and more prominent role as his
first tour progresses.  

After introducing the band, something he hasn't done for what seems like 
forever, Bob said something like, "We love Chicago, just like you do." Well, 
the feeling goes for you, too, Bob. We really do love you and wish you all 
health and happiness in this world so lucky to still have you in its midst.” 

 

FROM MILWAUKEE:

Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”

Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about things than Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were clearly heard.

“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in 1971. Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doing during his time off – nothing. “Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine” followed. . “Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casual fans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and “Soon After Midnight,” “When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet but we still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. We may not see him tomorrow”

Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a very special show. In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob’s own way, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at center stage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd…”

Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”

The Chicago Sun said: “Irascible at any age, Dylan at 80 didn’t treat the evening in stately surroundings like a museum exhibit. He said precious little. He simply walked onstage and began playing songs, introducing new ones and subverting his classics. That still-invigorated approach drew his most ardent fans back to a crowded concert hall. That act and those songs spoke volumes.“

Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.

Good on ya Bob!

#chicago #milwaukee #bobdylan #roughandrowdy #neverending

Lionel Blair, that British icon of dance and light entertainment, has sadly died. He was 92.

Lionel had appeared in Give Us a Clue and Celebrity Big Brother in recent years but had entertained the all on TV for more thAN six decades.

He died with by his family at his side.

His agent said tonight: “He got to a very ripe old age and died in their company, which is lovely.”

Lionel was born Henry Lionel Ogus in Canada and moved to Britain when he was just two years old, with his family settling at Stamford Hill.

He originally trained as a dancer, but decided he wanted to pursue a career in acting in 1947.

#lionel #blair ‘actor #dancer #92

Reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road

Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…

Andrea and I were still on that highway in Spain as Ol’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.

He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.

Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan. And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.

And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.

No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.

After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca, I trawled around the net for reviews.

I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.

On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”

Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about things than Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were clearly heard.

“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in 1971. Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doing during his time off – nothing. “Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine” followed. .

“Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casual fans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and “Soon After Midnight,” “When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet but we still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. We may not see him tomorrow”

Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a very special show. In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob’s own way, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at center stage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd…”

Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”

Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.

Good on ya Bob!

#bobdylan #roughandrowdy #worldtour #milwaukeefamous

The secrets are almost out …

For years, as a father campaigning against parental alienation and as a working journalist, I have had my freedom to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth strangled by laws supposedly designed to protect our children.

But family laws in the UK – and to a large extent across the world – have deliberately created separation and heartbreak.

And these sick and draconian laws operated by the family courts have actually perpetuated the desire of social workers, councils, lawyers, Cafcass, alienating parents and judges to keep their child-snatching secrets.

I make no apologies for my tabloid language, a major part of my job has always been to fight for those who are beleaguered and battered by the cold and vindictive bastions of our society.

But finally the beginnings of some good news … journalists should soon be able to report on what takes place inside these courts, albeit initially only in a very small number of local courts.

The head of family courts, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has put forward a series of proposals after a two-year review.

And these – we all hope – will go a long way to ending the secrecy of family hearings. For so many shameful decades they have been held behind closed doors.

An organisation I have a lot of time and respect for, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, has developed a framework for what it describes as a family court reporting pilot.

Sir Andrew is said to consider the framework as a first step towards implementing new reporting rules. The proposed pilot gives accredited journalists the right to report from family courts, rather than having to make costly and time-consuming applications to the judge.

This is one of the most heinous secrets the family courts do not share … they make journalists pay for a chance at reporting ‘the truth’. But only ‘the truth’ the court wants to be revealed.

And our sherry-sipping, dinner party-attending, middle-class judiciary has the final say on what ‘truth’ can be told.

They are the judges who hanged us all.

Some of the state’s most draconian powers – to remove children from their parents, to have them adopted, to deprive children of their liberty – have been exercised by these people in secret for more than half a century.

And people like me are banned by law from reporting any of the detail of these hearings, including human rights breaches by local authorities and poor practice by judges.

We can watch from the ‘press gallery’ but if we report on what’s going on, we face being found in contempt of court and being sent to jail.

Family members too are banned from talking about injustices they feel have taken place in family courts. They too face jail.

For decades broken-hearted parents and children have had their right to freedom of speech stolen by the very people who say they are protecting us.

Let’s welcome this break-through by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and support all broadcasters, writers and journalists who are battling for the right to tell the truth about our lives.

#familycourts #judges #socialworkers #journalists #thetruth #families #children #parents #parentalalienation

A personal view by Andrew Brel, a father, musician and writer

Sadly the status quo with family court represents multiple billions annually, from which many establishment figures, Lords and Ladies, benefit.

You are not the only person who knows the extent of corruption in family law in which this example of Ann Longfield covering up to keep the secret of the secret courts secret still is but the tip of an iceberg.

Below that tip is a legislature in which an appointed judge who has passed a simple Deputy District Judge exam, can rule with complete autonomy, free from any oversight, and protected in law from any appeals process.

From my example, witness tampering by a family court judge is completely acceptable, whereas in any other branch of British law it would be a criminal offence. In every case that is contested in family court, parental alienation and child abuse are a certain outcome, along with enormous payments to members of family law of money that will never go to the child being abused in this process.

But qualified immunity for family law members remains the status quo – and for that reason they cannot call the child abuse of parental alienation with the clear terminology CAFCASS have recorded.

That would require a redo of the very fabric of this multi billion pound business.
So; their narrative remains. There is no such thing as parental alienation. Everything is fine for the 10,000 children CAFCASS report as abused by family court judgment annually.

Did ex-child boss Anne ignore parental alienation as she told Boris to end institutional bias?

#parentalalienation #family #courts #parents #children

UPDATE:

The year began with a defeat for an attempt to extradite Julian Assange has remained in Belmarsh prison since an attempt to extradite him failed at the beginning of the year.

Now the appeal begins at London’s high court and there are potential game-changers in the long-running saga of the Wikileaks co-founder’s future.

One of them is an almost unprecedented package of assurances from America that Assange would not be held under the strictest maximum-security conditions and could serve jail in his native Australia.

There are concerns over Assange’s mental health and fears that he might be a suicide risk in a US prison.

On a personal basis I have little time for Assange for many reasons, including the fact that he has led people to believe he is a journalist, something he patently isn’t and probably never will be.

But, sadly, in many ways I still say that we in the news business still have to stand up and support him…

Original think-piece: It is likely that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out this week whether he will finally be extradited to the US and face 175 years in jail.

Assange – who is 49 years old – faces 18 charges, including plotting to hack computers and conspiring to gather and disclose national defence information.

The mathematics ‘genius’ is said to have conspired with notorious defence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers.

WikiLeaks is not a news platform, does not have a mandate to deliver properly defined news. And it doesn’t adhere to any real defined editorial controls.

But the decision in January could not only throw Assange into hellish hidden celebrity for the rest of his life, it could have massive consequences on the freedom of the world’s press.

So, sadly, all of us REAL journalists need to back the man often described as an ‘information terrorist’ no matter what we think about him personally.

Many hard-boiled journalists like myself believe that he is a great pretender as far as investigative journalism is concerned … yes, he has co-authored a book and, sure, he is an honorary member of an Australian journalist’s union.

And, let’s face it, he did reveal secrets people wanted to keep quiet. That is a cornerstone of a journalists job.

But it is the way he did it all that is the problem.

A large part of the news industry agrees with me and, certainly, he should have many ethical questions to answer.

Put simply, he was instrumental in publishing vast amounts of unedited material which, almost certainly, put his sources at risk.

None of it had been through the necessary journalistic processes and considerations it needed.

‘WikiLeaks’s method of dumping data on the public without looking in to the motivations of the leakers leaves it open to manipulation,’ Committee to Protect Journalists boss Joel Simon said.

Also Assange fell out with the editors of The Guardian and the Times who were at least attempting to apply proper tests of journalism.

And don’t forget he is a hacker – something any real journalist would not stoop to (or at least would never admit to these days).

He has been accused of rape too, the case against him only being dropped because “the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question”.

Julian is also a fugitive from the law and has broken bail … there’s lots more of course.

But with all this said, it is true that his case could have an irreparable effect on journalism and so we journalists need to fight his corner.

Not for him, but for our own sakes and the sake of a free and informed world.

If successful, his prosecution would be likely to criminalise investigative journalists.

His prosecution is a real threat to journalists around the world who could potentially be prosecuted for publishing classified information.

As journalists we need to fight for freedom of speech and the freedom of the Press to report. We can not let the right to gather, receive, or publish information of public interest be eroded.

Otherwise we might as well shut down the presses and go home.

The liars, the cheats, the conmen, the criminals, the politicians and the conglomerates will have won at a time when the common man and woman are already on their knees because of a very suspect pandemic.

So, sadly, right now we have to stand up for Assange and be counted.

#assange #julian #US #media #wikileaks #rape #hacker #

He struts his dad-dance stuff on a Zimmer-man frame and lusts after an ex at 76

The Penny just hasn’t dropped has it Rod! Strutting like a cross between an ageing peacock and Max Wall, sounding like Leggin’ Flip and doing a bit of dad hand-jiving doesn’t cut it any more...

And ‘nicking’ the essence of an ancient Bob Dylan song makes you a bit of a t*t – not a hit!

Okay, okay I don’t dislike Rod and I’ve seen him in concert a number of times. He is a consummate performer.

I’m just poking a bit of fun at him really. But with One More Time as a comeback song, I think he’s made a number of mistakes … not only with his missus, but with his mate and his image.

Surely, when you’ve been having relationship problems with your ‘special constable’ very beautiful, much younger wife, you shouldn’t write about an ex-lover and how you wish to… well go back there.

You taught me how to nasty in those naughty high heel shoes,

The Devil wears Prada
We were lovers for a while, but it all came crashing down
The sex was immense, by a good old country mile
Make no mistake, you’ll always be on speed dial, oh yeah

I’ll say it for you Rod… sorry Penny! I think with those lines PC Penny might just decide you’ve reached your cell-by date again.

And a word of advice, don’t do Dad Dancing in a video either (or anywhere actually). You have more class than that Rod! Playing air drums as you walk down the street in your old regimental jacket makes you look like a wind-up doll on the way to some bawdy cenotaph to geriatric sex!

Also, don’t almost plagiarise ol’ Bob to get another hit – come on, you can do better.

And it’s not the first time is it Rod?

Your management team had to contact Dylan‘s people about Forever Young, when you borrowed the title and some of the lyrics – and Dylan request a portion of the royalties.

Then Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jorge said that Rod’s 1979 No. 1 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” plagiarized portions of his song “Taj Mahal.” The two settled out of court, and in his 2012 autobiography, Stewart admitted to “unconscious plagiarism.”

There was John Lennon too who said, about Don’t Let Me Down “Rod Stewart turned that into ‘[Georgie] don’t go-o-o.’ That’s one the publishers never noticed.” Indeed, the second part of Stewart’s The Killing of Georgie song sounds a lot like Lennon’s classic track.

Plagiarism happens in music – often by accident. Sometimes it’s “unconscious borrowing”, other times it’s a “musical homage”.

For instance Led Zepplin were taken to task after the intro to their 1971 hit, Stairway To Heaven, was accused of bearing a striking resemblance to US psych-rockers Spirit’s 1968 instrumental, Taurus.

But a judge decided that the songs  bore “no substantial similarity” to each other.

One of the most famous ones was when George Harrison‘s  My Sweet Lord which had a strong resemblance to a 1962 hit by the US girl group The Chiffons, He’s So Fine. Oops.

Oasis  had a big hit in the summer of 1994 with their single Shakermaker, but it wasn’t long before people pointed out that the opening line was similar to the song I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.

And Bob’s not escaped the arrows of this kind of misfortune either.

Dylan released Love & Theft back in 2001, it was hailed as one of many returns to form in his career. People spotted conservatively edited chunks of text which were uncredited and from a book so niche that few knew about it.

On another occasion Joni Mitchell once churlishly said: “Bob Dylan is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.”

So back to Rod, just have a listen to the intros to both these songs … how similar do you think they are? The words too have a similar sentiment …

#bobdylan #rodstewart #onemoretime #mammayoubeenonmymind #rock #penny

In the dark welsh valley,
On the mountain side,
Lay the little children
Close to where they died.
Their little lives are ended
Before they reach their goal,
Tender little children
Have paid the price of coal.

We will never forget – Aberfan 21-10-66

#aberfan #slagheap #kingcoal #welsh #schoolchildren

Just a few thoughts about writer’s block …

I was standing in the  gentle rain next to my ancient glinting American limousine outside my rented cottage in the heart of once-merry Ol’ England. The cottage has stood for 400 years next to a lake where owls screech at 3am.

I was having a cigarette. And I was a bit drunk.

We were about to head off again into the mad wild blue horizons of Europe – France, Spain and Portugal. Time to dump the brokenness of Britain once more. Too expensive, too depressing, too racist and too violent.

And it was then as I listened to the loneliness of owls, I realised something about writer’s block …

I’d been suffering from it for three weeks and it felt like my career as a professional writer was collapsing like an old castle inside my head…

… lost deadlines loomed, badly written commissions, misspelt posts, poorly articulated broadcasts…

It had happened to me before of course, but my editors had been experienced enough to not kick up a fuss if my prose became a bit pedestrian for a few days.

It had happened to them too. Editors are writers and amongst the best.

But for a new writer, earning or amateur, writer’s block can be a head shot. It’s like your brain has gone dead.

I pulled on my cigarette and watched the moon go sailing by.

It had been a rough few weeks, our limo had finally given up the ghost and needed open-heart surgery, some relatives had been pains, some friends had been just too demanding, I’d had a couple of health problems – there’d been legal stuff to sort out – a house to sell, furniture to auction, editors to deal with, a new ‘show’ in Hollywood.

And escape plans to make.

I watched the beacon of the moon scurry through the blackness of the clouds.

And then it struck me.. I wasn’t short of words or ideas at all! I just had too much to say and right now I just couldn’t dig out the right words to say it all.

I wasn’t seeing clearly enough, that’s all, a wind storm of images, thoughts, emotions, dreams, humour….

And I’d forgotten that it’s my job to take take this storm of thoughts and control it. Control the whirlwind of my mind.

I’m a writer, after all, and it is my commitment to the world of literature to find exactly the words I need to get some kind of message across. I wasn’t blocked, I was thinking!

Writer’s block – it’s brilliant! It is the most positive thing any writer can have!

All you are actually doing is sitting there thinking in the gentle rain under the moon and the screech of owls waiting for the right train of thought to pull up in front of you.

#writers #authors #block #writersblock #novel #self-publishing #traditionalpublishing