Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom

Subject: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 08:17 AM

Cut 'n' pasted from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-27/bob-dylan-awarded-top-us-honour/3976856

The White House has announced US folk singer Bob Dylan will be honoured with the country's highest civilian award.

The 70-year-old will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by president Barack Obama in a ceremony next month.

The White House says Dylan was chosen because of his contribution to American culture and to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

"These extraordinary honourees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation," Mr Obama said in a statement.

Dylan has been a defining figure in folk and rock music for nearly half a century.

Known for his poetic lyrics, his work "had considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s," the statement said.

"They've challenged us, they've inspired us, and they've made the world a better place. I look forward to recognising them with this award."

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 08:25 AM

Paul Clayton should share the honor.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Jeri
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 08:52 AM

I bought the "tribute" album "Chimes Freedom". Whether you like the artists, just look at the track list!

Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International Tracklist:

Disc 1
01. Raphael Saadiq – Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
02. Patti Smith – Drifter's Escape
03. Rise Against – Ballad of Hollis Brown
04. Tom Morello The Nightwatchman – Blind Willie McTell
05. Pete Townshend – Corrina, Corrina
06. Bettye LaVette – Most of the Time
07. Charlie Winston – This Wheel's On Fire
08. Diana Krall – Simple Twist of Fate
09. Brett Dennen – You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
10. Mariachi El Bronx – Love Sick
11. Ziggy Marley – Blowin' in the Wind
12. The Gaslight Anthem – Changing of the Guards
13. Silversun Pickups – Not Dark Yet
14. My Morning Jacket – You're A Big Girl Now
15. The Airborne Toxic Event – Boots of Spanish Leather
16. Sting – Girl from the North Country
17. Mark Knopfler – Restless Farewell

Disc 2
01. Queens Of The Stone Age – Outlaw Blues
02. Lenny Kravitz – Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35
03. Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli – One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
04. Blake Mills – Heart Of Mine
05. Miley Cyrus – You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
06. Billy Bragg – Lay Down Your Weary Tune
07. Elvis Costello – License to Kill
08. Angelique Kidjo – Lay, Lady, Lay
09. Natasha Bedingfield – Ring Them Bells
10. Jackson Browne – Love Minus Zero/No Limit
11. Joan Baez – Seven Curses (Live)
12. The Belle Brigade – No Time To Think
13. Sugarland – Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (Live)
14. Jack's Mannequin – Mr. Tambourine Man
15. Oren Lavie – 4th Time Around
16. Sussan Deyhim – All I Really Want To Do
17. Adele – Make You Feel My Love (Recorded Live at WXPN)

Disc 3
01. K'NAAN – With God On Our Side
02. Ximena Sariñana – I Want You
03. Neil Finn with Pajama Club – She Belongs to Me
04. Bryan Ferry – Bob Dylan's Dream
05. Zee Avi – Tomorrow Is A Long Time
06. Carly Simon – Just Like a Woman
07. Flogging Molly – The Times They Are A-Changin'
08. Fistful Of Mercy – Buckets Of Rain
09. Joe Perry – Man Of Peace
10. Bad Religion – It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
11. My Chemical Romance – Desolation Row (Live)
12. RedOne featuring Nabil Khayat – Knockin' on Heaven's Door
13. Paul Rodgers & Nils Lofgren – Abandoned Love
14. Darren Criss featuring Chuck Criss and Freelance Whales – New Morning
15. Cage the Elephant – The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
16. Band of Skulls – It Ain't Me, Babe
17. Sinéad O'Connor – Property of Jesus
18. Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project – Shelter From The Storm
19. Ke$ha – Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
20. Kronos Quartet – Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

Disc 4
01. Maroon 5 – I Shall Be Released
02. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Political World
03. Seal & Jeff Beck – Like A Rolling Stone
04. Taj Mahal – Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
05. Dierks Bentley – Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) (Live)
06. Mick Hucknall – One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
07. Thea Gilmore – I'll Remember You
08. State Radio – John Brown
09. Dave Matthews Band – All Along the Watchtower (Live)
10. Michael Franti – Subterranean Homesick Blues
11. We Are Augustines – Mama, You Been On My Mind
12. Lucinda Williams – Tryin' To Get To Heaven
13. Kris Kristofferson – Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
14. Eric Burdon – Gotta Serve Somebody
15. Evan Rachel Wood – I'd Have You Anytime
16. Marianne Faithfull – Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Live)
17. Pete Seeger – Forever Young
18. Bob Dylan – Chimes Of Freedom

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 12:57 PM

it kinda makes you dizzy eh Jeri ?

'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues' by Bruce Murdoch woulda been cool

congrats to the Bob

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Amos
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 12:57 PM

A grand gesture, guaranteed to make BOomers everywhere feel warm and fuzzy. :D But I'd say it was well-earned.


A

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,olddude
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 04:02 PM

As much as I appreciate Bob, I think it was a mistake ... Harry Chapin got the award but only after he was responsible for the UN taking on the Hunger issue. I think it is called the world hunger something or other. I don't think Bob ever did anything to that level. To me that award means something and one should not get it for being a good writer of music etc ... my opinion anyway

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 04:18 PM

Hmm. Well, that's nice for Bob. If he, at age 20, could have foreseen that all this would happen someday, he'd probably have been astounded.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Mark Ross
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 04:38 PM

I think that it's more important that Delores Huerta will be receiving the Medal of Freedom at the same time.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,999
Date: 27 Apr 12 - 05:57 PM

Ditto what Mark said.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Stringsinger
Date: 28 Apr 12 - 01:48 PM

Dylan created the image and that's what's being rewarded. Obama may be trying to catch the youth vote at his next election.

And what freedom are we talking about here?

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: meself
Date: 28 Apr 12 - 05:48 PM

Youth? You mean, the young pensioners?

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Apr 12 - 08:05 PM

So it goes.

But Dylan certainly has been a success on many levels. I hope he accepts this award with dignity and grace.

Of course, I'd much rather watch Arlo Guthrie accept the award. That would be more entertaining.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Little Hawk
Date: 28 Apr 12 - 08:50 PM

Most youth are not all that focused on Bob Dylan and may not know who he is anymore at this point, so I doubt that Obama is courting the youth vote in making that decision. Dylan is being rewarded for being so strong in the memory of the older people, and for having influenced the political and philosophical views of millions of people all over the world.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,999
Date: 28 Apr 12 - 09:49 PM

I think Dylan deserves it. Many of his early songs were important to a generation's protest. He did some songs that raised political awareness and made us think about this world we live in. I'm pleased to see him receive the recognition because on a few levels he deserves it.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: voyager
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 12:09 AM

Clearly Bob Dylan should be recognized, honored and awarded in the appropriate manner. Let me suggest to President Obama that he presents to Dylan - 'The Chimes of Freedom' (sung by Roger McGuinn) -

Far between sundown's finish and midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts, struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing

Flashing for the warriors, whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog soldier in the night
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far off corner flashed
And the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting

Starry eyed and laughing, as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
And we listened one last time, and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed till the tolling ended

Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, srung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Hookey Wole
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 12:51 AM

it's complete bollocks...

same as always,..................

dissenting counter culture co-opted into mainstream

as and when it benefits opportunistic ruling class politicians

to bribe and nullify the upstart revolutionaries....

Knee and arise Sir Robert Dylan !!!!!!???

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,stevesg
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 12:39 PM

I can imagine the acceptance speech...

(cough cough) uhhhh..(Low G, out-of-tune G chord) wait a minute... (sound of capo grabbing neck, out-of-tune A chord, buttons scraping back of guitar) uhhh, this is... (cough) wait... (guitar neck hits mic)...

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 12:41 PM

He mostly plays keyboard in recent years, steve.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Amos
Date: 29 May 12 - 12:30 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/29/us/medal-of-freedom/index.html covers the award ceremony.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 29 May 12 - 04:37 PM

Don't applaud; throw money.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: it'smagic
Date: 29 May 12 - 06:35 PM

If any American singer/songwriter deserves this honor, it's Pete Seeger. The new 2 CD-album from Smithsonian Folkways of Pete's concert at Bowdoin College in Maine in 1960 (when he was still blacklisted by the US government) is definitely worth a listen. There's a video on YT describing it.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 May 12 - 07:40 PM

Smithsonian Folkways continues to do a great job.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Bobert
Date: 29 May 12 - 08:29 PM

Dylan is why I one day said, "I don't want to play the drums no more..."... That was 1964 and that is when I got me first geetar... By '66 it was 50/50 geetar/drums and by '69 it was geetar... Thank you, Dylan... Yeah, you were and are a weirdo... Who cares??? You write good stuff for a weirdo...

And, Jeri... I'll check out that CD... Sounds very interesting...

B~

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 May 12 - 09:24 PM

Delores Huerta, Pat Summitt, Toni Morrison,John Glenn, Justice Stevens......Read this....Stellar group, including a couple I had never heard of before like Jan Karski who SHOULD BE known to everyone. It was a nice ceremony and Obama handled it well, very personal......I asked Karen if she could imagine Mittshitt doing anything like that and of course there is no way he could be that empathic.


Spaw

BTW...........................

Mitt just looks like a dick.....not even a hard-on....just a tiny flopping dick......and he acts like a tiny dick too.......

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,BrannOz
Date: 30 May 12 - 02:51 AM

WTF people? Is Dylan like hostage? To the 60s? To today's ennertaiinment industry? Are the feds holding his kids to ransom?
Ah the kids! Children of the world whom we love so much... And Mad Albright eh!? Imagine getting the same 'Freedom Medal' as that one, so well=known for her great love of Iraqi children...
As for yer man the Obomber!? Sing us the last verse of 'Masters of War' please Bobby, please???
I'm just an old 60s folkie living in the apple isle, far far away from the lunacies. My default mode, observing the worldly players, is usually something like mild amusement; but today I've been angry and sad, loudly, at this news...
"...if god is on our side..." But 'god' is just another lie isn't it, like 'freedom' and 'democracy'?

Branno

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Bobert
Date: 30 May 12 - 09:12 AM

Sorry that you think God is just another lie... Maybe if you had a little God in ya' He'd fill up that space where "angry and sad" lives...

I agree with ya, however, on "freedom and democracy"...

BTW, Dylan is still one of the finest contemporary song writers out there... Just different times and different stories to weave...

B~

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Beer
Date: 30 May 12 - 11:18 AM

http://youtu.be/Q0OdNY8Aybw



1962   Don't look at the pictures as it takes away from what he is saying.

ad.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Kara
Date: 30 May 12 - 01:02 PM

Has he said he is going to accept it?
I think Bob Dylan has always known what is and does not need a medal from the president to confirm that.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Kara
Date: 30 May 12 - 01:10 PM

Fantastic Beer, thanx

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Mike B.
Date: 30 May 12 - 02:53 PM

Previous PMF awardees in the music category - Marian Anderson, Pearl Bailey, Count Basie, Irving Berlin, Eubie Blake, Pablo Casals, Van Cliburn, Aaron Copland, Placido Domingo, Duke Ellington, Arthur Fiedler, Ella Fitzgerald, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Aretha Franklin, Vladimir Horowitz, B.B. King, Yo-Yo Ma, Mabel Mercer, Eugene Ormandy, Leontyne Price, Metislav Rostropovich, Arthur Rubenstein, Rudolph Serkin, Beverly Sills, Frank Sinatra, Kate Smith, Isaac Stern and Meredith Willson.

So Dylan will be joining an illustrious group of performers and composeres, and until Pete Seeger or Joan Baez receives this honor he'll be the sole representative of the folk music genre (even if that's not what he's best known for).

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 May 12 - 03:11 PM

He was best known for being a representative of the folk music genre through his first 4 albums. That's a significant contribution, wouldn't you say? Then the British invasion came to North America, and that changed things. You had to change with it or start losing a very large part of your audience. Dylan moved very quickly with that change, probably because he was ready to, and also because he had already played electric music in high school rock bands he was in during his teens, before he got into acoustic folk and blues...therefore he was familiar with the rock band mode.

Pete Seeger and Joan Baez would indeed be worthy recipients of the Medal of Freedom, but that doesn't mean they'll get it.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Stringsinger
Date: 30 May 12 - 05:07 PM

It should be Woody Guthrie, posthumously.   Dylan stole Guthrie's image and his way
of writing and cashed in on it. Bob did write some good songs though.

Medal of Freedom? Henry Kissinger and Obama both got the Nobel Peace Prize.

So much for award ceremonies. They're B.S.

Subject: Medal of Freedom for Bob
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 May 12 - 11:01 PM

How cool is this!

Along with a photo, InObu posted this on Facebook:

"President Obama presented Bob Dylan with the Medal of Freedom at the White House today, saying "There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music."

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 31 May 12 - 11:22 PM

news item @ www.RollingStone.com

ABC News video

full May 29 2012 ceremony @ www.whitehouse.gov

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 May 12 - 11:34 PM

I came upon Bob Dylan late but since then I am continually amazed at his versatility in subjects and themes and treatments. In my opinion, he has been a catalyst and model for many songwriters today.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,BrannOz
Date: 01 Jun 12 - 10:51 AM

Why, oh why then did Dylan accept a gong from this warmongering president?

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/05/31/obama-at-large/


I know he's not responsible for what any of us feel/have felt for his music, or how other people have seen him as a man of conscience, but surely folks, he must know what his CIC does for work. How on earth could he stand it, to have that man's arms around his neck? Even for that brief moment?

Thank you to Bobert, whoever you are, for your patronising advice re. the god question. The pure and perfect energy that sustains the universe is ok by me. You Yanks didn't invent god you know.

"Hey Bobby Dylan, I wrote you a song..."

Branno in Tasmania

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: catspaw49
Date: 01 Jun 12 - 11:49 AM

So Tasmania got this Branno dick character and we got Marcos Ambrose.

I have to apologize to the citizens of Tasmania on behalf of all Americans 'cause y'all got fucked over real bad on that deal...............


Spaw

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,buddhuu sans cookie
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 04:19 AM

Meh, Dylan's ok. He has written, recycled and (allegedly) misappropriated some good stuff over the years. He has entertained me and I readily confess to singing the occasional Bob song in sessions and gigs, but there has been more than a little of the absurd elevation and Emperor's-New-Clothes about him.

As has already been observed, awards are nonsense. There is usually an agenda, aside from merit, in their distribution.

What to say about this one? Just "Meh", I guess.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,branno
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 07:58 AM

Hey catspaw! Go fuck yourself you rude bastard - pompous prick!!

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Branno
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 08:25 AM

Freedom baby, freedom! That's what we have by and large in the dear old land of Oz, Freedom from American cryptofascist bullshit, from the astounding arrogance and hubris from the 'one indispensible nation'.

I quote Joe Bageant from the introduction to the Australian edition of his book 'Deer Hunting with Jesus' - "We got the puritans, you got the convicts. I think you got the better deal."

WTF can a sane man think when the current master of war hangs a 'freedom medal' (sic) around the neck of Bob Dylan? Eh? Speak up catspaw, you turd... Anyone else? Sing along folks... "We're the cops of the world boys..." I met Phil Ochs and Ron Cobb in '72. I know of which I speak.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,999
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 09:56 AM

"Anyone else?"

Anyone else what?

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Branno
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 11:01 AM

Anyone else want to take the catspaw position of gratuitous slander and viriolic personal attack on anyone having alternative opinions or adopting a contrary position to that of the dominant Amerikan meme of superiority displayed here? That is the question.
I will cheerfully discuss or debate on topics of mutual interest, music, art and aesthetics, philosophy, comparative religion, you name it.
Passion and committment I understand quite well, having both in no small measure. Mudcat contributors are such a mixed bunch, though many of the usual suspects seem to know each other, and know which buttons to push.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother...
Anyway, it's 3am on Friday 30th where I am, so I'll get out of the catbox now I think. Cheers...

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 11:04 AM

I'm sure we all want to play, but we are trying to follow your example of waiting 6 months to retaliate.

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Branno
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 11:34 AM

"We" jeri... Who are WE?
I don't think I fit the criteria for entry to this collective noun somehow. That's OK though; I'm not a 'patriot' in my own country either thankfully.
Vivient discimus as a wise man once said. Pax...

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 12:54 PM

He's as worthy and deserving as anyone

Subject: RE: Dylan to be awarded Medal of Freedom
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 01:00 PM

I fully appreciate and understand your annoyance at the hubris of the USA, Branno.