el Correo Dylanita

Diario independiente de información Dylanita

Fue a oír el gruñido de Dylan

     A pesar de que no le gusta su voz, a la que califica de "gruñido", Marlene Czernin, de 74 años y antigua ama de llaves de Bob Dylan, no se perdió el concierto en Viena del cantante estadounidense, 12 años menor que ella y al que recuerda como una persona "apacible, tímida y buena". Hace casi 40 años, el matrimonio formado por Marlene y su entonces marido Jack Little, estaba pasando serios apuros económicos y gracias a Albert Grossman, por aquel entonces representante musical de Dylan, consiguieron trabajo en la recién adquirida casa del cantante en Woodstock (Nueva York).

        Marlene, que había llegado dos años antes de Austria,  sin apenas dinero, a EE.UU., tras dejar atrás un matrimonio fracasado y cuatro hijos, no era consciente de quién era ese hombre tímido y de pelo rizado, vestido con tejanos y botas camperas, para el que iba a trabajar. "Cielos", fue lo primero que se le vino a la cabeza a Marlene cuando entró en casa de Dylan, que como buen amante de los animales compartía su hogar con "el señor y la señora Booth", una pareja de conejos, dos perros, uno que respondía al nombre de Hamlet, y los gatos Rolling Stone y Saint Vicious. A pesar de que la suciedad se había hecho dueña de la casa, Marlene decidió quedarse. Tras sólo siete semanas de servicio en casa de DYlan, Marlene se plantó delante del artista y le comunicó que dejaba el trabajo, a lo que el cantante replicó que habían hecho "un trabajo estupendo" a pesar de haber sido la primera vez que desempeñaban semejantes tareas"

Palabras de Bob Dylan ante la muerte

 de Johnny Cash
I was asked to give a statement on Johnny's passing and thought about writing a piece instead called "Cash Is King," because that is the way I really feel. In plain terms, Johnny was and is the North Star; you could guide your ship by him -- the greatest of the greats then and now. I first met him in '62 or '63 and saw him a lot in those years. Not so much recently, but in some kind of way he was with me more than people I see every day. There wasn't much music media in the early Sixties, and Sing Out! was the magazine covering all things folk in character. The editors had published a letter chastising me for the direction my music was going. Johnny wrote the magazine back an open letter telling the editors to shut up and let me sing, that I knew what I was doing. This was before I had ever met him, and the letter meant the world to me. I've kept the magazine to this day. Of course, I knew of him before he ever heard of me. In '55 or '56, "I Walk the Line" played all summer on the radio, and it was different than anything else you had ever heard. The record sounded like a voice from the middle of the earth. It was so powerful and moving. It was profound, and so was the tone of it, every line; deep and rich, awesome and mysterious all at once. "I Walk the Line" had a monumental presence and a certain type of majesty that was humbling. Even a simple line like "I find it very, very easy to be true" can take your measure. We can remember that and see how far we fall short of it. Johnny wrote thousands of lines like that. Truly he is what the land and country is all about, the heart and soul of it personified and what it means to be here; and he said it all in plain English. I think we can have recollections of him, but we can't define him any more than we can define a fountain of truth, light and beauty. If we want to know what it means to be mortal, we need look no further than the Man in Black. Blessed with a profound imagination, he used the gift to express all the various lost causes of the human soul. This is a miraculous and humbling thing. Listen to him, and he always brings you to your senses. He rises high above all, and he'll never die or be forgotten, even by persons not born yet -- especially those persons -- and that is forever.

Elvis Cotello sobre Johnny Cash
Es un día espantoso para la música. Johnny Cash era un gran caballero. Viajé a Nashville en 1979 para grabar mi disco de country “Almost Blue”. Venía de hacer “punk” y “new wave” en las islas y ahí estaba yo, en Nashville, con un montón de críticos a mis espaldas diciéndome que quién era yo para entrar en un mundo incomprensible para un británico. Y Johnny ofreció su hospitalidad a todo un gamberro inglés, como era yo. El y su esposa, la adorable June Carter, fueron exquisitos conmigo, me pusieron discos, bebimos juntos, reímos juntos…
Su voz y su estilo fueron inspiración para muchos que, como yo, querían ser americanos en un momento determinado de sus vidas. El nos leyó cómo debíamos narrar esas historias espeluznantes.
Su dedicación y su inconfundible estilo resurgieron con toda su fuerza en sus últimos años, con la publicación de la serie “American Recordings”. Fue todo un hallazgo para él tropezarse con Rick Rubin, alguien que le mostró unas canciones excelentes, y él supo coger el alma que transmitían para cautivar al oyente. La voz de aquellas grabaciones pone los pelos de punta, es estremecedora. Ya se puede decir que fue un genio hasta el final

Düsseldorf, 8/11/03

Down along the cove, 

I spied my little bundle of joy (bis) Lord have mercy, 

baby, you make me feel like a baby boy

Down along the cove, a bunch of people are hangin' around (bis) 

Lord have mercy, baby, gonna knock you up, gonna kick you when you're down

Down along the cove, I feel as high as a bird (bis) 

Lord have mercy, baby, how come you never say one word?

Down along the cove, I see the Jackson River Queen (bis) 

Lord have mercy, baby, ain't it the biggest boat you've ever seen?

Down along the cove, you can lay your money down (bis) 

I said, Lord have mercy, baby, 

ain't it a shame the way they shove you and they push you around?

Down along the cove, I got my suitcase in my hand (bis) 

Lord have mercy, baby, ain't you glad that I'm your man

Fuente: Antonio J. Iriarte

LO MEJOR

DE

2003

según...

GIRA ESPAÑOLA

JULIO 2004

BOB DYLAN

Patti Smith tiene un recuerdo para Bobby

I'm writing a bit early as we are heading for Madrid.
We will play the Festimad and certainly spend time
in the Reina Sofia Museum contemplating Guernica.
For decades we had it right here at MOMA.
One merely mounted the stairs to find it. In 1981
it returned home. It was sad to see it go. It was
a good thing. It is where it should be. In Spain.

i would be amiss if i didn't mention that yesterday was
Bob Dylan's birthday. It's a good day to throw open the shutters, put on The Times They Are A Changin'
and take those worn, encrusted boots out of the
closet or from under the bed and give them a good
cleaning.

There have been times in history when men have
tramped trough the ice and snow, or manned the trenches, the soles of their shoes nearly gone, young soldiers, under Washington, Lee or Napoleon with no foot covering at all. So it is good to show appreciation for our well trodden soles.

So, as we sail off to Spain we send a salute to Bob.
My trusty boots await and when we return I shall
resume my quest for the perfect laces.

all good wishes

patti smith