95 North. . . The Newspaper

I was lucky enough to talk to the Freewheeling Rob Kelly on his podcast concerning all things Bob Dylan. The podcast is aptly named "Pod Dylan". Here, in episode 48, we discuss the song "Things Have Changed. To listen to the episode, subscribe on iTunes or listen  here . You can check out my praise for Pod Dylan and some of my other favorite podcasts  here . Meanwhile, also feel free to check out my previous posts regarding "Things Have Changed"  here  and  here .

What's considered to be Bob Dylan's best music video? The snowy, coffee fueled late-night short film that is the video for" Things Have Changed " is often cited as Bob's best. I can't seem to think of another Dylan music video that features two movie stars and a grade A film producer. But my favorite? Nah. I'll take "Jokerman" any day. The video for 1983's mysterious, reggae inspired tune will send you to another world. It feels like a art student's senior thesis from the 80's. On multiple occasions, the camera oddly zooms in on faces of statues. At other points, primitive animations bring dull images and paintings to life. Like the song, the video is utterly alive, full of life and energy. Images of the historical giants of the 21st century- Muhammed Ali, JFK-flash across the screen and are scattered fairly evenly throughout the entire experience.  "Jokerman" is a dream, a trick, a firm belief that reality i...

While Bob Dylan's recent Nobel Prize as well as his winning of a Presidential Metal of Freedom are absolutely accomplishments, none of them came hand in hand with an amazing performance like his Oscar did. It was a major moment in Bobby's career, and he was able to show the world that he was still kickin' and rockin' more than ever. Watch below as a well dressed, mysterious yet composed Bob Dylan delivers a stunning version of his song "Things Have Changed". It's quintessential Dylan, all presence, no fooling around, straight out of the airwaves and into your gut. He's well dressed, too. Something about this song seems perfect for a Hollywood audience. There's nothing like showing you care by nailing a master track, live, about how you "don't" care. Or does he? (for more on this song  check this out).

"Things Have Changed" framed the name of Bob Dylan's game. No, it wasn't the Academy Award he received for the song he penned for the film Wonder Boys , nor the intriguing music video with Hollywood stars. Instead, "Things Have Changed" endures as one of the finest songs in Bob's catalog because, more than many other songs, it is about his life. It's not an oddball tale, a tune pulled from an old folk melody, a political song, a romantic song, or a song landmarking a particular situation. Simply put, "Things Have Changed" finds Bob, as he states, "locked in tight/ out of range", wisely eyeballing his career and life over a tight, forbidding acoustic groove. The music here sounds louder and more intense than you'd think, given the absence of an electric guitar. Here, there is no wasted space, just a focused band playing with a wise, world weary older fella breaking it down for the kids. Sometimes, I like to pictur...