Re: What Is What Is This ***?


"Bound for Story" <kenshain@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1149043345.669489.202020@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Had a chance to meet Greil Marcus up in Hibbing during Dylan Days,
something I've wanted to do for a long time.

You see, I've been a fan of his ever since he reported on the GWW which
I was fortunate enough to acquire way back when it first hit the
streets. To his exhortations in the press, I clocked each track,
guessed the names and listed each with the times. Even today, I look
forward to seeing his byline. His one-off obit in the City Pages was a
scream.

That is why I totally surprised myself when I finally had the chance to
meet him I led with, "What is What is this ***?" referrring of course
to his infamous review of Self Portrait. He repeated the line to me
that Bob had said something to the effect that he purposefully made a
bad record to drive off some of his fans.

Now I know that Bob says some really outrageous things, but I can't
believe that he would actually make a bad recording on purpose for that
reason. To keep it positive, it seems to me like Bob was trying to
expand his listener base by offering some mellower sounds, more in line
with the kind of music he was making with The Band.

Frankly, I think Self Portrait has a lot of good material on it. It
isn't Bob of the sixties, for sure, but it showed amazing foresight for
the time.

Anyone care to comment?


It's not the material on Self Portrait that's bad (well maybe Woogie Boogie)
but it's the often lackluster and definitely sloppy performances. Some are
fun, some are good, some are interesting, but it's the lack of intensity
that overrides most of the album and it is to the extent where it probably
was on purpose. Asides from that I like to listen to it when I'm driving.


.

Quantcast