Rockin' The White House, part 7
A Wicked Messenger? No, Kevin Mattson is a fine political reporter. His recent book, "What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?" is an observant and thorough account of the strange days of July '79. America was reeling from inflation, oil shortages, and a sense, as Mattson phrased it, that the American century was dead. President Jimmy Carter was trying to maintain his political viability, all the while imploring Americans to renew the country's spirit.
Mattson understands the lack of confidence Americans felt. He understands the challenges Jimmy Carter faced. As he's shown in his other excellent books, ...
White House reporter Arlo Guthrie? Or is it concerned citizen Arlo Guthrie? Let's say both.
In "Presidential Rag," released a few months before Richard Nixon's resignation as President, Guthrie does a stellar job reporting and lamenting the abuses of the Nixon White House. Though his words of anger are expressed calmly, the song is still a denunciation. It's a gentle but commanding song with a melody somewhat resembling another of his originals, "Coming Into Los Angeles." Guthrie's performance is not as intensely delivered, but this time he's dealing with the Commander In Chief, not the man in Customs. Still his soft delivery encompasses a sense ...
The nation was not at war. Disco was fading. Still, the Summer of 1979, even to White House aides, was "the worst of times."
Unemployment was up. Gas prices were up, causing double-digit inflation. Another problem was the shortage of gas. Lines at gas stations resembled those of the '73-'74 oil embargo. A revolution in Iran led by radical Islamic clerics was one reason oil stopped flowing at the usual pace. When the longtime US-supported Shah of Iran was toppled, Americans felt the Iranians' anger. The world was changing and there seemed little to make it go America's way. To paraphrase a poignant Jagger-Richards line, faith had been ...
Bob Dylan's performance at the White House on the evening of February 9 was moving and thoughtful.
Accompanied by bassist Tony Garnier and pianist Patrick Warren, Dylan, on guitar, sang "The Times They Are A-Changin'," a superb choice for a presentation the White House called "A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement."
The song was delivered as a solemn waltz, allowing its beauty and its message to ring clearly. In Muddy Water, an online magazine, Peter Stone Brown said, "Dylan sang the song like he remembered why he wrote it, though with full awareness of the intervening nearly 50 years, what happened and what ...
Perhaps Bob Dylan didn't want to embarrass Georgia's Governor. He and The Band would not play "Rainy Day Women" on the night of Jan. 21, 1974.
Gov. Jimmy Carter would be in the audience that night. He and his family would be seated in the 6th row of Atlanta's Omni Coliseum. Carter had proven to be an open minded sort, one that would appreciate the humor of "Rainy Day Women." But consider the geography. It's the Deep South. Atlanta, Georgia's capital, was then striving for recognition as the world's next great city. The people of Atlanta wanted to be thought of as removed from the unpleasantness of Southern history. They wanted to ...
Analyzing the songs of Bob Dylan is not for the timid. Few do it well. Michael Gray, Clinton Heylin, John Hinchey, Greil Marcus, Tim Riley and Robert Shelton are among those who've succeeded. Their insights may not be in line with Dylan's, but they enlighten and entertain.
"It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" is a landmark Dylan song, scrutinized by critics and Dylanologists. Included on the 1965 "Bringing It All Back Home" album, it has remained in Dylan's concert repertoire through the years. The song still fascinates. All at once it's a jeremiad and an affirmation.
In his book, Behind The Shades, Heylin gets right to a key element of "It's Alright Ma." He says ...
Author's Note: MARTA has finally made a stop at the corner of Sensitive and Rational. Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution (www.ajc.com) reports the transit system will change the name of the train line which serves a large Asian-American community from "yellow" to gold."
In the AJC's story, Helen Kim, a director at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services in Doraville, said, "I think this shows that MARTA heard our voice and that they are sensitive to our concerns."
Ms. Kim is way too gracious. The matter was discussed, then dismissed by MARTA staffers as far back as last September. Since then, they also ...
Five presidential administrations later than we might have thought, Bob Dylan plays The White House on Wednesday, February 10.
It's a great honor for Dylan, albeit long overdue. A White House gig seemed most likely during the Jimmy Carter Administration (1977-81). After all, Carter mentioned Dylan's name often in his first presidential campaign. He spoke highly of Dylan's music. As he began what seemed a long-shot race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Carter revealed certain things about himself unknown to even Georgians who had closely followed his political career. He liked rock music. He could recite poems by Dylan Thomas. He referred to Bob Dylan ...
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