1. Singing Bob, hidden muse
2. Masked and anonymous
3.Robert Allen Zimmerman
4.Elston Gunn
5. A star is born
6. A legend repairs a legend
7. Emergency
8. Bring it all back home
9. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
10. Grammy Time
11. Pope on the red line
12. In his father’s footsteps?
13. Albums of the Year
14. Hollywood Hit List
15. Destiny Jack
16. Prize Monger
17. The missing Beatle?
“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with their freedom.” -Bob Dylan
1. Singing Bob, hidden muse
Recently, a Japanese writer named Junichi Saga was shocked and flattered to learn that passages from one of his books were apparently incorporated into some of Bob Dylan’s lyrics.
In Bob Dylan’s 2001 song “Floater,” he sings, “My old man, he’s like a feudal lord, he’s got more lives than a cat.” “I’m not as cool or forgiving as I seem” “Sometimes someone wants you to give up something, and tears or not, it’s too much to ask.”
On page six of Junicihi Saga’s book, “Confessions of a Yakuza,” he writes, “My old man would sit there like a feudal lord.” “I’m not as cool or forgiving as I might have sounded.” Then, on page 182, he writes: “Tears or not, however, that was too much to ask.”
The Chinese medicine practitioner resonated that Dylan’s revelation appealing to his own work was startling. This could count as some kind of literary theft, but the author has stated that he has no plans to sue. “Why would he sue? To take something that made people around the world happy and try to exploit it for money, that’s poverty,” Saga said.
“This shows that people in other countries can relate to the harsh realities of pre-war Japan, which was a poor and struggling nation. I’m happy someone read my book and liked it,” Saga said. “My book hasn’t even sold that well and is out of print in Japan.” He further added that he has estimated that he only made about $8,475 from the post.
A few weeks ago, Saga bought his first Bob Dylan CD, “The Best of Bob Dylan.”
2. Masked and anonymous
Would you reach out to save a drowning man if you thought he might pull you up?
This is the tagline of Bob’s latest movie called “Masked & Anonymous”. In it, Bob plays Jack Fate, a singer whose career has spiraled and is forced to return to the stage for a benefit concert. He was joined for this film by some of the best and brightest in Hollywood, all of whom reportedly signed on to the film at scale prices. Cast includes: John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, Reggie Lee, Angela Bassett, Steven Bauer, Larry Campbell, Bruce Dern, Alex Desert, Treva Etienne, Dan Frischman, Tony Garnier, Laura Elena Harring, Ed Harris, Shawn Michael Howard, Val Kilmer, Bruce Kirschbaum, Antonio David Lyons, Cheech Marin, Chris Penn, George Receli, Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke, Sam Sarpong, Charlie Sexton, Jon Sklaroff, Christian Slater, and Fred Ward. On top of all that, T-Shirt King’s pal Keri Bruno is due to direct the second unit of sweaters in the talent-packed film.
The film hits theaters in a limited US release on July 25.
3.Robert Allen Zimmerman
At 5-foot-6, Robert Allen Zimmerman may be a skinny man, but under the name Bob Dylan, he’s a legendary gigantic musician.
4.Elston Gunn
Robert Allen Zimmerman was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. His father, Abe, worked there for the Standard Oil Company, but when Robert was six years old, the family moved to Hibbing, Minnesota. The only puzzle note about Hibbing is that it is often the coldest place in the United States. Oh! Growing up there, he taught himself piano and guitar and formed several rock bands in high school. Around this time he played under the stage name, “Elston Gunn”.
5. A star is born
In 1959, Robert entered the University of Minnesota and began performing under the name Bob Dylan in clubs in Minnesota and St. Paul.
6. A legend repairs a legend
In 1960 he traveled to New York to perform at various Greenwich Village folk clubs. While in New York, he spent time with his idol, Woody Guthrie, in his hospital room.
7. Emergency
In late 1961, he signed a contract with Columbia Records, and his debut album featuring two original songs was released the following year. A year later, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” came out with an all-original album, including a song that became a 1960s anthem: “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
8. Bring it all back home
In February 1964, Dylan and a small group of friends headed south out of New York City, stopping unannounced to see the poet ‘Carl Sandburg’ in North Carolina. Unfortunately, Dylan left just 10 minutes after arriving when he realized he couldn’t get the venerable man of letters to take him seriously as a fellow poet.
He blew folk-rock into the mainstream after touring with Joan Baez with his own brand of electric/acoustic swagger, culminating in their hit song, “Bringing it all Back Home.” Soon after, Byrd turned his song “Mr. Tambourine Man” into another hit with a cover of his famous tune.
9. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
After a motorcycle accident in 1966 took him out of the limelight until 1969. Around this time, he was asked by Sam Peckinpah to compose the score and appear in his film, “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.” This would be the only beginning of a long and continuous relationship with Hollywood and the cinema.
10. Grammy Time
In 1974, Bob Dylan and the Band hit the road to promote their first number one album, “Planet Waves.” The following year, they had another chart hit with the release of “Blood on the Tracks”. He followed that up with several Rolling Thunder tours, a movie called “Renaldo and Clara” and then shocked the music world with the release of his fundamentalist Christian album, “Slow Train Coming.” A song from this album earned him his first Grammy.
11. Pope on the red line
In May 1997, he was attacked with histaplasmosis, a possibly fatal infection of the heart sac, but recovered to tour Europe. He began the trip in September, leaving Rome at the special request of the Pope.
12. In his father’s footsteps?
His son Jakob Dylan has had a great time emulating his infamous father with his own band, The Wallflowers. His, however, Jesse Dylan has taken a slightly altered route to stardom, opting for Tinsletown glamour. His first great work as a director is about to be released, “American Pie 3”. Jesse also directed a movie called “How High” and appears with special thank you credit on “The Matrix Revisited.”
13. Albums of the Year
Legendary indeed, his 1997 album “Time Out of Mind” and his 2001 album “Love and Theft” were voted Album of the Year by the Village Voice’s annual critics poll. It seems obvious to us.
14. Hollywood Hit List
He has composed and recorded songs or used his recorded songs in the following films:
gods and generals
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Brotherhood
vanilla heaven
bandits
Blow
remember the titans
High Fidelity
wonder boys
The hurricane
American Beauty
hope floats
fear and loathing in las vegas
the big lebowski
Jerry Maguire
breaking waves
With honors
dog fight
hand band
american pop
Renaldo and Clara
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
15. Destiny Jack
The $10 million dollar little movie, “Masked & Anonymous” was directed by veteran TV comedy director Larry Charles, who has also directed shows for “Mad About You,” “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
He appeared on the TV show “Dharma & Greg” playing himself. When he met Conan O’Brien at a recent concert, he quoted Bob as saying, “I know you from TeeVee.”
16. Prize Monger
He has received numerous notable awards, including: the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Polar Music Prize in 2000, the Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France in 1990, an honorary doctorate from Princeton University in 1970 and it was Bruce Springteen who inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York in 1988.
17. The missing Beatle?
He appears on the cover of the Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.”
At the famous “Johnny Cash at San Quentin” concert, Johnny Cash performed a song he co-wrote with Dylan, describing Dylan as “…the greatest writer of our time.”