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WRONG NOTES: a blog of ear reverence

Wrong Notes collects posts on music, art, culture and fun stuff. Also included: news about the Ear Reverends.

4 out of 10 “incomprehensible” Bob Dylan interviews

I was thinking about Bob Dylan, and remembered this great compilation of "incomprehensible" Dylan interviews.

I should actually file this under "Things to fear about YouTube," because, of the fabled ten most incomprehensible Bob Dylan Interviews of all time, only 4 of the 10 interviews are available (6 are/were videos—now they're just YouTube's "we're sorry, this video is no longer available").

The #1 most incomprehensible interview is a gloriously preserved text quote (beat you this time, YouTube). It's also my favorite—check out the choice quote on the above linked page, or read the whole interview online Playboy Interview: Bob Dylan, Feburary 1966.

. . . the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. . . .

Here are the 3 videos from the list (fingers crossed that they stay online for a while):

Time Magazine, 1965

Eat the Document, 1965

Vienna street interview, 1981

Comments:

yOU’RE A GENIUS? 

[edited by Jay: removed the idiot from the comment]

I heard the 3 interviews you dub as incomprehensible. 2 of them are. Its not Dylan thats incomprehensible its the sound. The time magazine interview is comprehensible. At least Dylan is. The time interviewer I cannot always hear. But its about truth and what is true and its true that time magazine is a lie and they will never print the truth of the situation in the world. We could go on but its obvious to me you don t understand, else you wouldn t be saying that its incomprehensible.

The New York magazine’s original post is written in pretty good humor, though I guess I could imagine how one might react to its smugness, or interpret it somehow as a slight against Dylan, rather than as an acknowledgment that he’s so profound that you can’t even “comprehend” him.

Also, maybe the humor is less clear without the other videos? I watched them all back when they were available, and so I know that the others are all a lot funnier on the surface than the Time interview.

I’ve updated my post by putting “incomprehensible” in quotes—hope that’s a useful clue that there’s more to this than what’s merely “obvious.”

what’s incomprehensible is the joy of playing them all at once!

i dig the first one. it’s gonna happen fast.

i also love “can you write to abbie?” “sure can.” it’s very sweet. and kind. and minnesotan in a way he’d never admit.

the time interview is my all time favorite dylan interview and one of my all time interviews in life in general.

for me, dylan, in seven or eight minutes, offers a knockout critique of mainstream, corporate media. he does not really disrespect the interviewer, he just destroys the industry. for me, at times it seems like the interviewer comes to a partial understanding of what dylan is saying.

plus the woman in the background, who is the sound person for DON’T LOOK BACK, is classic! she’s really into and interested in dylan’s argument ... while holding the mic!

I know! He’s just driving his car through the fake-barricade “do not cross” tape.

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