[geodeticman.5]

Thanks Saturday - for that video.

I'd heard rumours of his [Dylan] maybe having done it [performed the song], but was not sure. I know the two artists clearly have different styles, to state the obvious, but in an odd way I like Dylan's casual approach to it. His style, virtually devoid of traditional singing ability in either a trained voice sense, or that of a naturally pleasing, inately musical singer, still manages to successfully impart [his] emotion to this song,imho, and intrinsically second to that, a respect by Dylan therefor of the song, and in turn the writer, since his delivery speaks of having meaning to Dylan on a personal level.

I also am reminded of an interesting comparison between Gordon and Dylan, probably no revelation to anyone else, but that is of the changed voices in both cases. Different, reasons, similar things to deal with sort of. My suburban legend understanding of Dylan's voice , changing mid-life , is one of a non-fans rough knowledge by word of mouth. No one need emphasize the weakness in that kind of "knowledge".

I heard he had a very bad motorcycle accident, head/brain injury, and among changes/losses were his old voice I remember from "lay lady lay" - a richer, more resonant voice. Were it not for his legenday status, even iconic, (I'll stop before prophetic..) most singers I think would have washed up in terms of performing....and perhaps continue just writing.

But his persona preceeds him, and it did not to my knowledge alter his following. It sure did his voice, but that I am extremely sympathetic to. Without unneccessary detail, long-timer corfidites already know of what I speak in head injury terms, but my brain injury changed my whole life in various ways; primarily in the temporary sense, some things longer but in the minority, and I feel for Dylan. I guess I would ask Dylan fans who know the before/after in some detail - did his demanour or personability change with it, eg his Award to Lightfoot mini-debacle ? That could explain many things.

And Lightfoot's voice, while I am allready shamefully off-thread, has been a difficult subject for all of us, imagine what its been for him.... No doubt years of smoking, drinking, and what not alone would have done to his voice, but then add on his medical events that he so bravely recovered from with admirable determination. His long-time cited personal hero in his profession has always been for the most part Dylan, also citing Ian & Sylvia and a few others, but Dylan stands out. And really for the first time, I am reminded that he and Dylan share a profound change in voice as a further criteria for relating to one another, perhaps.

Back to the video....
The pictures, well chosen, also add to this "personal" temporary ownership of the song. This temporary bundle of rights certainly does not extend to singing it as aesthetically pleasing as Gordon does, but by definition I am biased there, as a Lightfoot fan. Even objectively, Dylan can't sing in the traditional sense imho, but he performs it meaningfully; I like it.

This also lays to rest another small dillema in my mind - small ... and that is whether Dylan in fact had true respect for Lightfoot, aside from the the largely "behavioural" controversy during the Juno (was it?) Award- when Lightfoot held out for a few [Awards] in order that he might have it presented to him by Dylan. This conclusion of mine is with respect, setting aside the award thing, is solely based upon Dylan's choice to perform (and record??) the song, even perhaps the way he sang it, as if he... liked the lyrics and they spoke for him in that moment. And Lightfoot's cover of "Ring Them Bells" tells me much of his admiration for Dylan's music.

Apparently that presentation was a dissapointment to many Lightfoot fans (and to Lightfoot, I do not know, but it looked to be)- who felt that [and this includes me on this part] Dylan was less than enthusiastic in demeanour, indifferent in comport, perhaps... to the point of near disrespectfulness in his affect, indifference again might be more accurate to me of his *apparrent* but exanimate comport, to which I'd add - he is known to be eccentric among other things.

Perhaps, from some of his quoted statements of Lightfoot, notably [paraphrasing] "when I hear a Lightfoot song, I wish it would never end" he could arguably be *professionally* jealous of Lightfoot's composition, arrangement, singing, writing, and performing skills, but who knows ? After hearing.seeing this, I am now a bit more inclined to say "some people just don't know how to be gregarious or ooze smarmy admiration" when presenting an award... Dylan would never win any contests for on-screen M.C. personna... But then again, who knwos what was going through his head. Ithink instead of jealousy, it is my opinion that he just plain likes Gord's music. The only printed quotes I have heard, and the statement at the end of his video - all tell me he likes Gords music and has strong professional respect for him. Non-professional questions of "does he LIKE him, or are they in some kind of COMPETITION FOR 'KING OF FOLK' " would seem to me to be private and personal questions that despite the near-successful arguments that the media has the "right" to bare celebrities peronal lives to the world.

Whether this is true of not, as Lightfoot fans I have the impression, and definately the personal opinion, that Lightfoot's personal thoughts, friends, wives,girlfriends, children, and thoughts thereof are his own business we choose to not be invasive of.

All I know for sure in the Award debacle is how Dylan SEEMED TO ME TO BE ACTING....and HOW I FELT *REAL* BAD FOR LIGHTFOOT, WHOM I FELT SEEMED DEFLATED,,, AMIDST HIS ADMIRATION [for Dylan] AND THE PRESENTATION SEEMED TO BE LACKING A CERTAIN - "pardon my neo-French" - "ju ne se qua" for Gordon.

My heart was in my throat for Gordon, who after holding out and abstaining from many awards as story has it, must have been almost euphoric in anticipation of the presentation by Dylan. That euphoria must have quickly dissolved into anti-climactic let-down... nearing embarrassment and self-doubt in Lightfoot's mind aftwerwards,and during. He seemd non-plussed (SP?). One can only guess.

In absence of direct quotes from either of the two or their respective staff and recording companies P.I.O's even, who has the time or hubris to "guess" nearly all of this ?

Exception I would hold out on to the guessing would simply be my personal assessment of how Dylan acted imho, and how Gordon seemed deflated, almost at a loss for words; his typicaly humble demeanour endearing him to his fans only more as they felt for him at that moment by-and-large as its been said.


But I guess I'd be politely lying if I did not stand by what I did think of Dylan's attitude: breach of generally accepted norms of respectful behaviour, especially in the setting of presenting an award to a living Legend no matter the validity of the reason( maybe, Dylan, despite his difficult historical repute to be a virtual prophet or legend himself, a harbinger of societal change as an anti-hero, bearer of adulation was unfairly burdened by the excessive scrutiny that a suspected demi-god by the apparent polytheists in his "heyday's" turbulent times iconic peak, and understandably has had that weight on shoulders ever since. Naaaaaahhh .

He acted like a self-absorbed schmuck. And I know I am out of thread context too. I'm being a schmuck.
Sorry.... Also, I am vacillating in my apparent opinion of his awards show behavior, primarily because I am trying, unsuccessfully, to distinguuish between THAT event, as opposed to this video, which is quite the tribute to Lightfoot in its own way,
presenting an almost polar view of what I am only guessing on anyway. Oh well.

And then.... no matter how you see that Awards ceremony video of Dylan's "behaviour" when he did the gig, it IS safe to say that, while I have no idea whether Dylan had snorted, blown, popped, pilled, drank, tooted, bloated, or hooted or whatever it is all called before, or during his presentation to Lightfoot that may have led to his behaviour that was, undeniably, exanimate, without knowing anymore than an apparent absence of enthusiasm for unknown reason or reality, SAFE to say that he is once and for all in my mind, a solid fan and respectful colleague of Gordon's. What he said at the end of this cover video only capped it; performing it, however laconic in style, was proof positive for me within the context of at least respecting the man's music - he thinks much of Lightfoot. Thanks...
~geo steve