Having moved
to a bi-weekly theme format, this means we have the extended time-frame to post
more than once during the window.
In the world
of popular music, I suspect that for most of us, “the bard” equates to Bob Dylan;
in fact, a number of Dylan’s works
include Shakespearean references – some
more direct than others. The
Shakespeare reference in “Stuck Inside of Mobile …” is a straightforward
in-your-face naming of the Bard:
Well, Shakespeare, he’s in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
With his pointed shoes and his bells
Speaking to some French girl
Who says she knows me well
So
… tell me … “Shakespeare’s in the alley, with his pointed shoes and bells”…
Picture this scene with me for a minute. An alley in 1600 or so. London?
Pointed shoes and bells. So far, so good: I can see the scene. Probably kind of
muddy. Uneven cobblestones most likely. A French girl? Possibly. Knows me well?
Mmmm. Poetic license, I guess. Maybe had to have been there to know the rest of
the story. But there’s so much more to the lyrics: this is just the part that
has the direct reference to “the Bard”. How about “.. built a fire on Main
Street and shot it full of holes”?
I
got my prompt for selecting this song from a site that has many, many more
Dylan/Shakespeare links that could be worth your time to explore if you are
interested in the theme.
The musician performing
the above-linked version – Owen Scott III – confesses that he wishes he had had
more time to perfect his recording: it is yet another Soundcloud free download:
and a very decent rendition at that. In
places his vocals ring like Johnny Cash – in others, more like John Prine, and
hey: he’s generously giving it away. The ‘net says he is “psychologist by day, novelist and electric guitar playerby night.” From Baton Rouge.
Dylan’s
Stuck Inside of Mobile appeared first on Blonde on Blonde – 1966 – and on some others after that (Greatest Hits …) Another of my favorite bands – the Dead –
performed the song periodically in the 80s and 90s and there is a free live
version of that here http://archive.org/download/gd90-09-10.aud.wiley.11807.sbeok.shnf/gd90-09-10d1t08_vbr.mp3
