BOB DYLAN – MONDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2011 – MANCHESTER UK

Unusually for Dylan there was a support and unusually for a support act it was an act that often fills the same venue on his own. Mark Knopfler.

I was privileged to see Dire Straits in about 1985 at the peak of their powers and a momentous occasion it was. I have also seen Knopfler twice since as a solo artist and enjoyed the shows on both occasions although the second time included very few Straits songs and I had decided not to see him again. I had also heard that his support act was a bit lame so was not really looking forward to it. To my surprise the performance was very good and well worth the 75 minutes and almost double the planned time. Of course Brothers in Arms was the highlight but generally speaking I enjoyed every track and continue to be amazed by Knopflers unique guitar playing and the musicality of all his songs.

This however is a review of the Dylan set but I am wondering if the presence of a support and a good one at that altered the normal mood of a Dylan show as there did not seem to be the usual sense of anticipation and even the customary introductory address seemed to finish before it started and go somewhat unheard. The applause between songs seemed a little muted and the demand for an encore was almost non existent but perhaps so many Bobcats now know that they will get the customary encores whether they demand it or not. Dare I say predictability is creeping in? Well actually it crept in a very long time ago. So much so that in the intermission and based on the set lists from the previous 3 shows in Dublin and Glasgow we (my Bobcat mate Ian and myself) had worked out what he was going to play. Notwithstanding we were wrong, we did get 12 out of 14 right.

The band was loud but not too loud (by a whisker) and Bob's voice was also loud and generally speaking was good after the first song or two getting used to the sound. By the time he had sung fairly strong versions of Don’t think Twice, Tangled up in Blue, Simple Twist of Fate and Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall (all of which have softer alternative forms) I had given up hope of him singing a couple of softies like he had done on the last couple of tours such as Girl From the North Country, Visions of Johanna and Just Like a woman and assumed he did not think his voice was up to it. I love these softer songs as they stand out so incredibly against the rockier ones and in turn make the rockier ones themselves stand out that much more.

Then Dylan played or should I say sang Forgetful Heart. Okay it's not quite of the ilk of the three classics I mentioned above but WOW: one of the greatest moments in my Dylan concert going life as he sang the song with such passion.

It also disappoints me that Bob never takes advantage of the rare occasions that he shares a stage with another artist and does not plan some sort of joint contribution. This is never more disappointing and surprising when the person supporting him is actually someone he has worked with or performed jointly with before.

I recall some years ago Dylan was supported at the same venue by Van Morrison and but for Van singing Its All Over Now Baby Blue during his own set. Mark Knopfler of course performed on a couple of Dylan albums during his gospel period and produced Infidels so could easily have added that unexpected moment that used to frequently happen at Dylan concerts from the early 60s to the mid 80s

I am beginning to wonder if Dylan is trying to do something with his songs that perhaps no one has yet realised but appears at first to be simply playing them into the ground. I think he might be trying to break them down in the same way that Picasso broke down paintings into a form that became known as Cubism. The way Dylan breaks all the songs into phrases of a few words that he more or less shouts out with Donny firing a shot on his lap steel between each phrase to exaggerate the effect. His determination to do this is possibly the reason for the never ending tour. I will look at this more in my next posting in which I will try to summarise the past 35 years of my “Life with Bob Dylan”.

So back to last night. I had a great seat with a clear view and sound although I was behind Bob when he played Keyboard which I do think added to my feeling of “remoteness” (Ian: take note when booking seats, Bob is always stage right). All in all this was a very good Dylan concert but not a great one or classic and not quite as good as on his last couple of visits to the North of England (Sheffield and Liverpool).

There was an extra facet to this particular concert as I had invited 2 friends/relations (Harriet and Phillip) who had never seen Dylan before. I warned them what to expect although not in much detail but I did provide them with a sample set list which I was right to say was a fairly good representation of the set list they eventually experienced. I think they were concerned in advance as to whether they would like it and certainly their expectations were not what they experienced as I think they were anticipating something from at least the pre-gospel 80s and possibly even pre electric 60s and I think Phillip quite enjoyed it but Harriet did not (although she is now a Mark Knopfler fan) but I suspect neither felt it was a life changing experience.

STEVE JOBS - THE GREATEST ARTIST OF THE PAST 25 YEARS

What is art?

According to Wikipedia it is:

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings.

Computers do not fall within any of music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings but Apple technology certainly does influence and affect one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect.

Furthermore in the same way that Apple have developed technology faster than any other company over the past 25 years perhaps the definition of art needs developing as for example 100 years ago film and photography would not have been included in a definition of art and perhaps at one time music and even literature would not have been.

What is certain is that if museums of design and culture do not already own and display Apple products within their permanent collections they soon will be doing so in the same way they display the first hoovers, cars, radios, Amstrad computers and other such landmark items of household and business equipment and in the same way that they devote whole rooms to the great Gatsby look of the early 20^th century and the retro 60s look which is actually returning to fashion.

Perhaps the term Design Museum should be the end of this because apple products are certainly designs and great designs at that but I think that design is art and I am sure that is not in dispute.

So what makes an Apple computer or device so special and why therefore do I think them Art, nay great art and possibly the greatest art of the past 25 years.

The designs themselves are so revolutionary that they still have not even been copied, have won all the design awards that matter and are without doubt beautiful.

It is easy to say things like they have changed the way people work or communicate and that is true but their affect is more fundamental than that. They have actually changed the way people behave and live.

However both the design beauty and technical contribution on people’s way of life is not even close to the full impact of Apple. The true impact is their affect popular culture. Apple, iphone, Imac, Ipad and ipod have become words in the way that products like Coke, Pepsi, Disney have. In fact the letter “i” has become a term, understood by millions although no one even knows what it actually means because it has no meaning.

The genius that was Steve Jobs was that he understood what people wanted and that they did not simply want a great computer or mobile mini music player or a touch screen smart phone he understood that they wanted something to love, show off, be proud off and to be seen with. He also understood that they wanted perfection both in terms of product but more uniquely in terms of delivery.

Steve Jobs understood that people wanted to feel part of something, members of the Apple Club, and that they wanted to feel valued by the company providing them with that. He gave people what they wanted, but did not sell it to them, he gave it to them. The payment made for products were not for the products but the cost of being members of the Apple Club.

So does something that is beautiful, brilliantly designed, life changing and a cultural phenomena or even have the ingredients of being art. Just go back to the definition of art and go through it:

Product of deliberately arranging items. Yes

Often with symbolic significance. Yes

Affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. Yes to all

Encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression. Yes to all

Great can be defined in terms of its quality and or in terms of its size or number etc. Apple Products are clearly of great quality.

The fact that Apple are the highest selling products of their type all of which have propelled Apple to be the largest company by value in the world means that Apple products are also great by measurement.

No one disputes that Steve Jobs was the heart beat of Apple even if his technical genius was probably surpassed by his senior employees and that makes him the artist behind Apple. Jonathan Ive is credited with designing all the Apple “i” products as Apples head of design but it was Steve Jobs who employed and directed Ive, rejected his proposals, approved final designs and delivered them to Apples “members”

I believe Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a great artist but as is always the case it is impossible to determine if something aesthetic is the greatest out of a range of equally credible contenders. However when I am typing this on my Macbook Pro with my iphone at my side and my heart skips a bit and every time I type the word “was” instead of “is” when referring to Steve Jobs himself I feel a genuine twinge of sadness and I muse on the idea that he possibly was the greatest artist of the past 25 years.

After writing the above I have just read that the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) New York has 6 Apple devices in its collection.