and if my thought-dreams could be seen / they'd probably put my head in a guillotine

this is the first post of an experimental blog. well, experimental for me. this is the place i will be posting my thoughts on the artists who have influenced me. it's my way of paying tribute to those who've added layers of meaning to my life and the world by their works, as well as a way of expurgating my hero-worship (if only a little), thereby allowing myself to be more free to create w/o the thought of these great figures peering down upon me.

presenting: bob dylan

and i'd like to start w/ bob dylan. the title of this blog entry is from the song "it's all right, ma (i'm only bleeding)." the song is off of Bringin' It All Back Home, the album where Dylan went electric and enraged many of his fans. the album is epic; it starts with "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and also features "Mr. Tambourine Man" and a host of other amazing songs.
personally, i think the fans who didn't like this album can stick it. much of the genius of Dylan is he refused to pander to a specific audience and refusing to take up the mantle of a specific movement. by remaining ambivalent he remained independent and maintained his artistic freedom.

Dylan didn't make the mistake many people do in several walks of life. he didn't take any authority onto himself and would not let it be thrust on him. often when people are given authority, especially in a counter-culture movement, they start out rebelling against the existing order of things. but eventually, almost all of these figures become as dogmatic and unswerving as the leaders or figures they fought against. new rules are written which are as useless as the old ones they now "ignore," even though in essence they have only created a new status quo---new social expectations.

why this lyric?

this single line encompasses much of the feeling i had in college; i made an effort to stand out only enough to prod people at IWU to a healthy skepticism--and i would rarely do even this. i know that for the most part i went unnoticed at college, that the storm i wanted to stir up at times resulted more as a brief, strong and chilly breeze that only a few people felt. and those were the people i showed myself to, who i opened up to and felt comfortable around. IWU was never really a place where i (and others like me, i think) felt i could say precisely what i thought for fear of being seen as un-Christian or (gasp!) liberal. but i think that facet of IWU may be changing now, which is good. it's sad though that that aspect of the academic experience wasn't always present when i was a student there. anyways.