Even without all of his own music, Bob Dylan deserves respect as an incidental rock 'n' roll egghead. By incidental I mean the sort of person who picks up facts along the way, but isn't the type to research and gather information to write a book. It just comes from years of listening to good music. I really noticed that quality of his after hearing a few things from his radio show. He's got good taste in music, and varied, and he has opinions. And, in some cases, he has first hand knowledge of what he speaks.
There's a thing recently posted at the Adios Lounge, basically dissecting a speech Dylan gave recently when accepting the MusiCares Person of the Year award. In the speech he thanks, mentions, or disses Merle Haggard, the Staple Singers, Hendrix, Buck Owens, Tom T. Hall, Leiber & Stoller, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, and a whole bunch of others. Check out the post, the commentary and the transcribed speech, and there's videos to boot. It's good stuff.
So what does all that have to do with Billy Lee Riley? This is what Dylan said of Riley's "Red Hot", "It could blast you out of your skull and make you feel happy about it. Change your life." Here, here! My opinion of Dylan has just moved up a few notches. He adds, "He did it with style and grace. You won’t find him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s not there. Metallica is. ABBA is. Mamas and the Papas, I know they’re in there. Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, Steely Dan — I’ve got nothing against metal, soft rock, hard rock, psychedelic pop. I got nothing against any of that stuff. But, after all, it is called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Billy Lee Riley is not there. Yet. And it’s taking too long." Amen folksinging egghead!
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
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