Posts Tagged ‘ bob dylan ’

authors, creators and their typewriters

hemingway

i want a typewriter.  there’s something mystical about them.  i keep thinking that if i find one on ebay or at the flea market that i will crank out the next the sun also rises while smoking cigarettes and sipping on american whiskey (i don’t smoke by the way).  i want to write.  it’s inside me.  i can feel it.  i don’t enjoy writing on my computer.  there’s nothing sexy about word or pages or whatever we use to drum up documents.  typewriters are sexy.  they hold stories.  all of the great novels we grew up reading were created on typewriters.  i miss them.  i learned to write on my mom’s typewriter.  i remember when she sent it off to goodwill after she purchased an electric typewriter.  it didn’t feel the same.  i don’t know when i’ll find the typewriter of my dreams, but until then here are some pictures of some famous authors and creators with their typewriters.  maybe it will be the inspiration you need to start writing.  it’s working for me.

hemingway2

hemingway (also above)

Continue reading

style icon: bob dylan

bob dylan turned 70 last week.  i consider myself lucky that he’s been alive for the 30 years i’ve been living.  i’ve seen him in concert 3 times now which doesn’t sound that impressive, but the circumstances surrounding each show i’ve been to would make a fascinating song.  he is the greatest songwriter of all time.  if you don’t believe me, go pick up a copy of the new rolling stone and read the other music legends discussing his tunes.  i got goosebumps.  not only is he a music icon, but his style – especially the early days – is something to aspire to.  i love the denim and flannels he wore when he was starting out, but my favorite dylan look is the black blazer, skinny jeans, wayfarer sunglasses, and chelsea boots he wore after he plugged in his guitar.  if i was in a band, you would have no problem guessing who i stole my look from.  click the next page to see more pics of the music and style icon.  Continue reading

more dylan this morning

it’s a bob dylan kind of morning and i really like this picture.

required listening

blood on the tracks is as close to perfect as you can get.  “you’re an idiot babe / it’s a wonder that you still know how to breath,” dylan sings on “idiot wind.”  it’s rumored dylan wrote these songs about his ex-wife.  jakob dylan went as far to say that blood was his parents talking to each other.   listening to the album you can tell dylan was pretty shaken up by his separation from sara.  some call blood on the tracks the quintessential “break-up” record.  i won’t disagree.  get it, listen to it, and repeat.

side note: i saw dylan do a version of “meet me in the morning” with jack white at the ryman a couple of years back.  it was amazing.  i took my father to the show.  definitely one of my favorite memories.

the witmark demos

bob dylan’s witmark demos 1962 – 1964 are out tomorrow.  i haven’t heard anything on this two-disc set, but i can only imagine how good they are.  they were all written before he turned 24 for his first music publisher (leeds music and m. witmark & sons).  dylan blows my mind.  i’m looking forward to some much needed inspiration.

songwriters and their boots

when i went to find a picture of townes van zandt yesterday morning, i noticed his boots in the photo above.  they look like red wing classic moc lugs (or knockoffs at the very least).  that got me thinking about other songwriters i like and their footwear.  i then remembered seeing an early picture of neil young wearing what appeared to be rw 877s (photo after the jump).

back then it was important to look like you lived the songs you wrote.  you needed a good pair of well-traveled, lived-in boots – which is probably why most of these guys chose red wing.  they were also much more affordable in 60’s/70’s than they are now.  with that said i’m looking forward to making some memories in my rws this fall (after i choose a pair of course).

Continue reading

baby let me follow you down

bob dylan x the band = the epitome of cool.

dylan

i wish i looked this cool when i got out of bed.  if you haven’t watched scorsese’s no direction home i suggest you check it out when you can.  it’s a great look at the best songwriter of all time.