musings of a crazed dylan fanatic
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
Bob Dylan—people, places, music, and stories that orbit his world.
Don't Think Twice - Joan and Jesse
Joan Baez and Jesse Welles, November 2025
Can you name the songs here?
Hints: ⧫ binoculars ⧫ jewels ⧫ mule ⧫ 4th st ⧫ whistle ⧫ prairie ⧫ train ⧫ pawns
⧫ Pilgrim ⧫ street sign ⧫ roman kings ⧫ dogs running ⧫ pillbox hat
⧫ tambourine man ⧫ buckets ⧫ wheat field ⧫ tombstone ⧫ weight
⧫ cup of coffee ⧫ leather boots ⧫ wind ⧫ wigwam ⧫ bell tower ⧫ chess
⧫ cat ⧫ well ⧫ watchtower ⧫ green mountains ⧫ lily flower ⧫ pond ⧫ train
⧫ sun ⧫ horses ⧫ lily pond ⧫ field of lilies ⧫ lily pads ⧫ flowers
Columbia, TN - April 2015
There's a story behind this photo...
I lived in Columbia, Tennessee at the time when I snapped this Easter time picture. I posted it in a Dylan forum and a short while later one of the group members messaged me. Randy went on to tell me that he frequented this church when he lived in Columbia. Small World. But the story got better when my new friend added that Donnie Herron, Bob Dylan's incredibly talented, multi-instrumentalist band member at the time also lived in Columbia, turns out a few blocks away from me! Keep in mind that Columbia is just a short drive south of Nashville.
He shared a sweet story with me about how Donnie was very approachable and had invited him to his house for coffee and good conversation.
Since then, I've wondered if Donnie Herron might have had a hand in the church's Easter message.
Coincidentally, since then, Randy and I have bumped into each other at a couple of Dylan concerts, so maybe the story is not over.
Bob, Tony, and a Pastrami Sandwich
*Tony Garnier joined Dylan’s touring band in 1989, as Dylan’s bassist. He's been described as Dylan’s musical director, helping with setlists and acting as a liaison between Dylan and the rest of the band. Garnier is Dylan’s longest-serving sideman, remaining with him for decades and becoming a central figure in the sound of Dylan’s live performances.
Me: May 22, 2015 ·This is an old RMD post from the late 90's. I get a kick out of it everytime I read it:
The following Dylan/Garnier setlist consultation transcript is unverified: Bob Dylan sits, picking the fat out of a pastrami hero, before a broken mirror in a rundown holding area away from the bustle of pre-show chaos.
<Knock on the door> Dylan holds up a dripping piece of pastrami
<another knock>.Tony (outside the door): Bob? Are you in there?
Dylan eats the pastrami and flings a green tomato slice against the door as it opens.
Tony: You gotta stop hiding on me, man –
Dylan: What is it now?
Tony: Bob, do you want to take a rundown of the setlist this time -- before they make the print-outs, or not?
Dylan: I told you, man, I don't give a flying shit anymore –
Tony: But you said –
meeting with dave
According to legend, in 1993, Bob Dylan traveled to England to visit a friend of his, Eurythmics member Dave Stewart. But due to some mis-steps, he ended up meeting a different Dave instead.
Here's the original story from 1993 as it appeared in rec.music.dylan, affectionately called RMD:
: Ron Lapworth wrote................
: > Due to overwhelming demand, (well, two people emailed me), I will recount the supposedly true story of when Bob came to London to meet Dave Stewart. It's a silly little story, with no punchline.
: > Apparently Bob got off the 'plane at Heathrow and jumped into a taxi,
: > giving Dave's address, but for one reason or another, arrived at the
: > wrong house. Living in this house was someone called (coincidentally)
: > Dave, who was (even more coincidentally) a BIG Dylan fan.
No coincidence. I lived in Crouch End for years. Everyone liked Dylan there,
or else they were asked to leave. ;-) Politely but firmly.
: > So Bob knocks on the door, and a Dave's wife answers.
: > "Hi," says Bob, "Is Dave in?"
: > Dumbstruck wife stutters, "No, he's at work, but he won't be long. Do
: > you want to come in and wait?", so in Bob goes, and she puts him in
: > the front room, and makes him a cup of tea or whatever.
At this point, as it is told in the pubs of Crouch End, she thought
she recognised him, but was not sure who he was, so she went to the
LP rack, pulled out an early Dylan LP, held it up in the hallway
and peeked in the sitting room, comparing the two. The two were
similar enough to i.d. him!
: > Soon Dave comes home, and his wife grabs him as he comes through the door.
: > "You'll never guess who's come to see you," she says.
: > "Who?"
: > "BOB DYLAN!!!" screams his wife as quietly as possible.
: > "Don't be stupid," says Dave, "Bob Dylan here?"
: > "Yes! He's in the front room."
: > "I don't believe you."
: > "Take a look!"
: > So in goes Dave, and comes face to face with his hero, who looks up
: > at him, a little confused.
The streets around there can have confusingly similar names, even taxi
drivers mix 'em up, foreign accents and mumbled instructions or no.
Crouch Hall Road, Crouch Hill, Crouch End Hill, and the like... In
fact I am not even certain I got them right, but you get the idea.
Craig
--
Be careful not to touch the wall,
there's a brand new coat of paint,
I'm glad to see you're still alive,
you're lookin' like a saint.
My concerts
South Florida Fairgrounds 1992
This list is going to take a while. I used to have my show list on paper, but it could be anywhere.
1992 South Florida Fairgrounds
I was visiting my family in Palm Beach County, probably for Thanksgiving, and my sister and brother-in-law surprised me with this concert! They had literally just picked me up from the airport and didn't tell me where we were going until we arrived at the Fairgrounds. The show was general admission, under a huge white tent.
During those concert years, Watchtower was always third in the setlist, and Silvio was usually seventh. I knew this because I followed the online newsgroup, rec.music.dylan religiously.
I had worked my way up to the stage area and it was pretty incredible. A young fellow standing next to me asked me what song Bob had just played. I told him, Pretty Peggy-O, and that Watchtower was coming up next. He laughed. When Watchtower WAS next, he was pretty darned surprised, but I didn't let on my secret. He said, "I'm standing next to you for the rest of the show."
After the sixth song, I told him that Silvio was next. He laughed again. When Silvio came up at number seven, he threw his hands up and yelled, at least three times, for everyone to hear, that I was a Dylan Goddess! LOL I felt bad for him so I let him in on my "secret."
Jones Beach shows
1988 Setlist This was Bob Dylan’s first appearance at Jones Beach and my first Dylan show!
1989 Setlist
1991 Setlist
Here's a crazy little story... I went to the 1988 show with a friend, who was holding the tickets. Well, I thought they'd be safer with me in charge of them.
I held them tight in my hand, looking at them every 30 seconds or so. The seats were ok, not great, but this was my first time seeing Dylan.
We approached the entrance gates and I looked down at the tickets, and guess what? They weren't there! They were gone, vanished into thin air, and never to be found.
We made our way to the box office and my friend was really, really angry with me. And again, guess what? We managed to get third row seats! So, I saved the day! Good job, Dawn. 🌞
My shows and setlists, part 1
1988 Jones Beach Theate
1989 Jones Beach Theater
1991 Woolsey Hall
1991 Jones Beach Theater
1992 South Florida Fairgrounds
1993 Jones Beach Theater
1993 Jones Beach Theater
1997 Jones Beach Theater
1998 NYNEX Arena Manchester, England
1998 The Arena, Sheffield, England