I'm not sure Bob Dylan writes the way he does out of laziness. He writes that way cos that's what he does best.

I think maybe the view you are expounding Elijah; might, for the sake of argument, be called naive empiricism - more of some other ingredient will make it better.

A few years ago now, I did some tracks with a guy who was into what they call 'trance' music. he cooked up some stuff on his computer, and I was recording him - so I said, hey put some guitar over that...

he said, what sort of guitar?
and I said, well clean fender sound - something in the key of A...
Key of A....? I might as well have been speaking Japanese, didn't have a clue, so i said, okay I'll do it.

And I did it. And all I can say is there was diminishment ...instant diminishment and several takes later I realised I was up a blind alley.

Its more like cookery than anything else ...the ingredients have to blend.

And in his great period, Dylan got all the ingredients right. he wrote music that stirred our hearts and lyrics that people related to at the deepest and most personal level.

anyway that's what I think

all the best, and thanks for two great reads - Josh White and Dave Van Ronk. I don't know if writing two hugely fascinating books entitles you to be called a folk genius - but I wouldn't begrudge you the title, and neither should anybody else.

all the best

Big Al whittle