dsg@mhuxi.UUCP (GREEN) (05/25/84)
[for golems and dybbuks]
I had the radio on while I was driving home yesterday, May 24, 1984.
The DeeJay said that it was Bob Dylan's 43 birthday. I remember that
he is a "Gemini" and 43 years old sounds about right. One of the songs
that they played in honor of his birthday was "Positively Fourth Street",
one of my old favorites. I am not going to post the lyrics, but in the
song, Dylan is quite nasty to his friends and audience.
Bob Dylan's mother was Jewish, therefore no matter what Dylan has been
doing lately, he is still Jewish. In the '60s and early '70s you could
argue that Dylan's religious convictions could influence teenagers and
young adults. In the '80s, I really do not think that it matters all
that much, in terms of Dylan being a "role model". I read somewhere
that if you save one Jewish life it is as if you have saved a whole
world. If Dylan actually did "convert" I hope that he is now doing
Teshuvah. I do not know what his motives were for recording a few
gospel records, but Dylan is a rather private person, and I would bet
that it wasn't motivated by money.
I do not think that it is fair to sit back and judge Dylan's motives.
The man has contributed much to Pop music ( I know it's only rock and roll,
but I like it ) so Happy Birthday, Bob!
If we start discussing Bob Dylan's religious convictions, why leave out
Paul Simon, Art Garfunkle, Neil Diamond, Carole King, Neil Sedaka,
Barbra Streisand, Brian Epstein, George Gerswin, Benny Goodman...
Shalom,
David Seth Green
Bell Labs ( HL 77425) 201-564-4468 path {most systems}..mhuxi!dsg
P. S. I posted something about Modern Orthodoxy a few weeks ago, if you
think about it, that posting is related to this vis-a-vis assimilation, and
other topics that I brought up. That is why I just posted this "megillah"
about Dylan.