I usually ignore these sort of supposed "milestones" but all the Bob talk got me thinking a bit.
For starters, I've been a huge fan of Dylan since 1965. The first time I saw him (1974) was almost a quasi-religious experience (I never thought he would tour again). Since then I've seen him at least a few dozen times if not more. I've been backstage at a number of Dylan shows since 2001 (have never even sighted him except the time he drove by on a motorycycle) but have a few good stories out of it all. I firmly believe he's one of the great artists of our time. Right at the top.
While pondering how lucky I've been to be in the same room with Bob Dylan and witness him creating in the moment (a few years ago it was from ten feet away in a small club in Toronto), I started to think about who else I've been in the same room with that could truly be deemed to be a giant...someone who changed the course of history in their field and will be remembered for generations.
So here's my list...Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Bob Marley, Paul McCartney, and Ludwig Von Mises. I've left out a lot from that category, including the Stones, Who, Springsteen and many many more. All sorts of jazz musicians (Sonny Rollins for starters) and rock (sorry Clash). And yes, Alex Chilton.
And what about Ludwig Von Mises? Look him up...
1 comment:
I bought your book yesterday, and I stumbled upon this blog a few minutes ago. Of all the things I might have thought I'd find in a blog based around a book about Big Star, I sure as hell didn't expect a flattering reference to Ludwig von Mises to be one of them. Did you actually meet him? Study under him? I'm curious to hear the story if you ever get around to writing about it.
I just remembered something that perhaps should have made this Mises/Big Star connection less surprising to me. In the 33 1/3 book about The Stone Roses, the author used a long quote from "former Dean of the Austrian School of Economics Murray N. Rothbard" to disparage Margaret Thatcher.
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