A Bob Dylan Primer +
A Bob Dylan Primer is a series that tells the story of the work and life of Bob Dylan. Over the course of 16 episodes it covers the time period from Dylan’s youth in Minnesota and early days in New York City up to the release of Dylan’s Time Out Of Mind in 1997.
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Michael Hacker
Michael Hacker is a filmmaker, photographer and writer. He was raised in Los Angeles and lives there now, having spent long stints in San Francisco, Montana and Austria. He’s been listening to Dylan on repeat – and shuffle – since about the age of eleven.
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All Episodes
Before television, a boy was born in springtime Minnesota. 25 years later he was the most beloved, and most reviled – pop star on the planet. Links:Greenwich Village Folk Riot – 1961Greenwich Village During the Beat-Nik Era FolkiesKingston Trio – Tom Dooley – 1958Bob Dylan – Remember Me – East Orange, NJ – 1961Dylan – First recorded concert – May …
Once, a single song could change the world. In 1963, a 22-year-old kid wrote a song called Blowin’ In The Wind … and it changed the world. Episode links:Dylan – Talkin’ John Birch (banned by Ed Sullivan Show)Bob Dylan – North Country Blues (Newport Folk Festival 1963)Dylan on Canadian TV – Hard Rain’s A-Gonna-FallDylan at Newport – Mr. Tambourine Man …
What does it mean to be a “rock star?” Attitude? Swagger? Shades? Can a folk singer turn into a rock star? Let’s find out – Episode links:Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice – England 1965Bob Dylan – Live at BBC Studios – 1965Dylan Goes Electric – Newport – July 1965 We’re a proud member of The FM Podcast Network QUESTIONS …
Imagine you’ve bought a ticket to see your favorite artist in concert. Imagine then that you’re horrified at what that artist plays – would you consider them a traitor? Would you call them Judas? Episode links: Live Just Like A Woman – 1966 Background on 1966 Recordings Bob Dylan & The Band – Down In The Flood Part 2 Bob Dylan …
“Live fast, die young” is the mantra of many a dead rock star – but what happens if you live fast, and survive? Maybe that’s the toughest test of all. We’re a proud member of The FM Podcast Network QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Drop us a note at [email protected] …
In 1969, America is coming apart at the seams. Rock music is exploding into densely complex forms. Bob Dylan releases an album of pure … country music Episode links: Dylan and Johnny Cash – Girl From The North Country Dylan and Johnny Cash – Studio One Too Many Mornings Isle of Wight 1969 Silent clip of Dylan at Isle of Wight …
The sixties are ending, long live the sixties. How does the single most iconic performer leave the decade that defined him and move in the 1970s? Find out in Episode 7 of A Bob Dylan Primer, What’s New? Episode links: Bob Dylan – Another Self-Portrait Video Press Kit Dylan at the Concert for Bangladesh 1971 The Concert for Bangladesh, August 1, …
It seemed like Bob Dylan was finished. Then he emerged with what many consider the strongest album of his long career. Episode links: Tangled Up in Blue – Rolling Thunder 1975 Bob Dylan 1974 Tour Footage (St. Louis) Bob Dylan – The Last Waltz – Forever Young & Baby, Let me Follow you Down Bob Dylan – Rolling Thunder 1976 …
Twenty years into his career, Bob Dylan unleashes his most shocking transformation …and finds religion. Episode links: Bob Dylan – June 1978 Live – Like a Rolling Stone Bob Dylan 1980 Toronto – Pressing On Bob Dylan – long intro about the Bible 1980 Bob Dylan – Jesus Met the Woman at the Well Bob Dylan – What Can I …
Few who lived through the nineteen-eighties would claim the decade as their greatest era. Dylan is no exception. Episode links: Dylan 1985 – Dylan rehearses We Are The World (very entertaining) Dylan 1986 – Press Conference – Sydney, Australia Bob Dylan with Tom Petty – Live in Australia 1986 Dylan & The Dead – The Times They Are A-Changin’ – …
Dylan somehow stops his creative slide at the end of the 1980s and turns it all around, again. Episode links: Dylan Live – 1993 TV Special – Hard Times Dylan – Live in Paris – February 23, 1993 – Simple Twist of Faith Dylan – Live w/Orchestra – Nara, Japan – May 22, 1994 – Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall Dylan – Live at Woodstock …
Never a dull moment for Mr. D, he contracts a serious infection of the heart, sings for the Pope, and releases his strongest album in 20 years. Episode links: Not Dark Yet – Dylan with Eric Clapton Love Sick – Dylan at the Grammys – SOY BOMB!!! – 1998 Time Out of Mind – Dylan – Complete Album/Different Live Versions The Sounds of …
40 years after showing up in New York, Dylan propels himself headfirst into the 21st century with a quartet of ferociously strong albums and a sweet book that tells more than the most telling tell-all. Episode links: Dylan – A Change is Gonna Come – 2004 Victoria’s Secret Ad – Love Sick Dylan – Must be Santa Dylan – Duquesne Whistle Dylan – NPR Radio Interview …
As we say fare thee well, Dylan drops his best music in years. Episode links: Spotify playlist for A Bob Dylan Primer Episode 15 Dylan – Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech Bob Dylan speech at the 2016 Nobel Banquet, as read by American Ambassador to Sweden, Azita Raji Patti Smith – Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – Nobel Prize Ceremony December 2016 Frank Sinatra – It …
A small departure, this episode traces my personal journey with Dylan’s work and music. Highlights include watching Dylan’s house get built in Malibu, seeing The Last Waltz in person, getting the weakest handshake of all time from the man, and several trips to the new Dylan mecca in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Episode links: Bob Dylan – Live from the Ryman Auditorium …
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