Ballad of a Thin Man

There must be the crash. Sunday, I came to a standstill, hit the wall and bounced. I went for a long, dizzying run, took a long bath, plugged in my walkman, listened to the Who's 'Quadroprenia' and Lennon's 'Imagine.' Turned the TV on, without sound, and watched the Chicago Bears beat the New York Giants. In the evening, I finished Dylan's 'Chronicles.' Bob leaves us hanging, in 1961, on the verge of a tremendous creative breakthrough.

The young Dylan had an amazing quality: the ability to be 'astonished,' and 'inspired.' This is key to unlocking creativity; to be knocked down by the power of Art. Dylan's descriptions of 'discovering' the music of Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson, are thrilling and essential. Dylan describes how he becomes attached to the 'invisible empire,' of folk and blues archetypes and metaphors. He becomes immersed in a more expansive world, a world of mystery, beyond notions of good and evil. It's Bertolt Brecht's and Kurt Weil's 'Pirate Jenny,' that shows Dylan that it's possible to create new works that 'transcend' his precursors, Guthrie and Johnson.

Dylan will soon create songs of steely vision, songs that 'melt iron.' 'Chronicles,' is breath-taking, thrilling, visionary.