History of Literature #71 – Did Bob Dylan Deserve the Nobel Prize?

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In 1959, a young singer-songwriter named Bob Zimmerman changed his name. As Bob Dylan, he then went on to change the world. After being lauded for more than 50 years for his songs and lyrics, this icon of the Sixties seemingly had achieved everything possible… and then the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature. But does a writer of song lyrics deserve to be ranked among the world’s finest poets and novelists? Host Jacke Wilson is joined by Mike Palindrome, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, for a freewheelin’ conversation about the legendary Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Songs:

“Tangled Up in Blue” (performed by K.T. Tunstall); “Lay Lady Lay”; “My Back Pages” (performed by the Byrds); “Every Grain of Sand” (performed by Emmylou Harris)

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Show Notes:  Continue reading

Prince!

Having a great Prince week here on the Jacke blog. This is extraordinary:

What a man – although as I say in the podcast, it was sometimes a little hard to think of him as a person. He was so gifted, and such a star, that he seemed to belong to some ethereal realm all of his own, like a spirit or an angel. This video, where we see his playful, knowing connection with his audience, helps us see the human side of him.

So was a lyric like “We went riding down by old man Johnson’s farm” high camp? A nostalgic recollection? A dig at Bruce Springsteen’s unironic Americana? A little of all of the above?

Ah, who cares. It’s Prince! It’s just Prince! That’s it! That’s enough!

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History of Literature Episode 42 – Was Prince a Poet?

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He was a supremely talented musician and composer  – but was he the voice of his generation? Jacke and Mike take a look at the life and lyrics of Prince.

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Show Notes:

You can find more literary discussion at jackewilson.com and more episodes of the series at historyofliterature.com.

Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or by leaving a voicemail at 1-361-4WILSON (1-361-494-5766).

Music Credits:

Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the Free Music Archive / CC by SA).