The Long Hand of Bob Dylan

27 April 2011Jessie M

On April 20th, 2011, Mr. Collis’ English 10 genre studies class was graced with the presence of Dr. Stephen Scobie, a world-renowned Dylan scholar, poet, and professor from the University of Victoria, who spoke to us about Bob Dylan’s music and life. We learned how part of the allure of Dylan is that his music is constantly changing, at times a social barometer, as it seemed to be in the 60s, and at times a record of one man’s odyssey through life, tangled up in blue. Mr. Scobie showed us three versions of “All Along The Watchtower”: the stark, original album version from John Wesley Harding (1967), the famous psychedelic cover by Jimi Hendrix, and a live version by Dylan from a 1997 performance, channeling Hendrix and his own angels and demons in an electric performance. Bob Dylan’s first girlfriend – Suze Rotolo – who was perhaps the muse of some of Dylan’s early music, was also discussed. Suze Rotolo recently died, and Mr. Scobie bought two of her pieces of art which he brought to show us. With the 50th anniversary of his first concert just celebrated, with him presently touring for the first time in China, and with his poetry preoccupying 24 students in 202A for 15 classes, the hand of Bob has a very long reach indeed. P.S. The photos in this layout (as any Dylan fan can tell) are recreations of Dylan album covers recently composed by members of the elective.

Where Students Choose To Be