Dylan And The Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowland Essays - Bob Dylan

Dylan And The Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowland Essays - Bob Dylan Dylan and the Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland Regarding significant musical movements in history, more specifically the twenty first century, few were more important than the folk revolution that took shape in the mid-nineteen hundreds. One of the leaders of this revolution was Robert Allen Zimmerman, known by his popular assumed name, Bob Dylan. Born in 1941 in Minnesota, Dylan grew up the grandchild of Jewish-Russian immigrants and had a surprisingly unexceptional childhood. His interest in music became evident in his high school years when he taught himself basic piano and guitar. From these rudimentary skills Dylan would build his knowledge and experience in music to his present status as a forefather of folk music in the rock era. Accordingly, a song from the pinnacle of his career embodies his style and poetic capabilities, acting as a reference point of the music it followed and the music that was to come. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland is an unmistakably remarkable example of the work of Bob Dylan in his finest hour. To fully understand the influence of Bob Dylan on the American folk revolution and his importance in the pop culture of today?s youth, one must first understand his background and development musically. First of all Bob Dylan was born in Minnesota, not a particular hub of musical activity. Author Bob Spitz makes a good point concerning Dylan?s birthplace. History has taught us that no matter how we change the environment it is impossible to change the man...After all, anybody is as their land and air is....If that is so, it is no wonder that Bob Dylan became such a luminous amalgam of showmanship and aloofness, spirituality and desolation, eloquence and exaggeration, individuality and schizophrenia. These seesawing extremes, among others, are indigenous to the historical landscape of northern Minnesota. (Spitz 9) For others this might have been a setback but for Dylan it was the perfect environment to nurture his interests, in music specifically. At the age of ten he was writing poems and by thirteen was setting them to music with self-taught piano and guitar skills. Dylan?s interest in music continued to climb as he entered Hibbing High School. During his high school years Dylan would become involved in musical productions and attempt forming many bands with such names as the Golden Chords and Elston Gunn and His Rock Boppers. He began to idolize such new rock stars as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis to the point that his high school yearbook listed his goal in life as ?joining Little Richard?. An eighteen year old Dylan left his hometown of Hibbing in the fall of 1959 for college at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. This would be his first taste of the big city and the life that awaited him. The sight and sounds of the big city opened many new vistas for the young Dylan and he took advantage of his situation by studying the roots of contemporary rock. He began to listen to the works of folk pioneers like Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, and Woody Guthrie. At the same time Dylan was beginning to perform solo at local Minneapolis night spots such as the Ten O?Clock Scholar cafe and the St. Paul?s Purple Onion Pizza Parlor. During this time Dylan was honing his guitar skills and harmonica work and developing his famous nasal voice which would become his trademark. Halfway through his college career Dylan decided it was time for a move. He packed up and moved to New York City with two main motivations. His primary motivation was to become part of the Greenwich Village folk-music scene which was burgeoning in the city. His second reason for moving was to meet his idle, Woodie Guthrie, who was in a hospital in New Jersey with a rare hereditary disease. Dylan would succeed on both counts. Not only did he meet Guthrie but he became a fixture at his bedside. As well, Bob Dylan was now a recognizable name among the folk clubs and coffee houses of New York. Dylan had a proficiency at learning songs perfectly the first time he heard them which was admired by his peers that, along with tireless song writing, brought him much acclaim. In the fall of 1961 Dylan?s life would change. A famous music critique saw him perform at Gerde?s Folk City and raved the following day in the New York Times. The result proved to be the break that Bob Dylan had been looking for. No more than a month after Shelton?s review Dylan was signed to

20 Must-Dos Before Finishing College

20 Must-Dos Before Finishing College College is a wonderful, magical time in a young person’s life. Unfortunately, it doesnt last long and there are some must-dos before finishing college. There is so much to learn and experience. For example, honing the skill of a perfect keg stand takes time, effort and a lot of practice. Since the mind of college students is so full from their education, they might forget there are other things happening outside the classroom. If you are one of those poor, unfortunate souls that have actually attended the vast majority of the semester’s lectures, it is time we gave you a proper college education. We won’t insult your intelligence by mentioning things like attending class drunk or going streaking. By now, you’ve either given those classics a try or you’ve determined you are too much of a pansy to live life on the edge. No, no. Here are 20 must-dos before finishing college. Grab your friends and get to work. Pick someone up in the bar. Use every cheesy pickup line you can think of until you actually score. Bonus points if it happens to be the hot bartender you’ve had your eye on.   This will help you to be more confident when meeting other people. Create total chaos in the middle of a class. Run in and declare your undying love for the lecturing professor or hottie sitting in the front row. To maximize the effect, make sure you don’t know the person. Do a Power Hour. Or, at least the light version of it. You are not a college student if you havent experienced hangover. Read this guide on how to cure hangover fast. Make a move on someone who is totally out of your league. Each person attracts others with certain characteristics. You can be funny, charismatic, open-hearted  - find your strong sides and use them in future. Suggest your RA to do something   inappropriate and fun with you. The point is to develop your skills of maintaining good relationships with someone who is older and wiser than you. Invite your professor to join you at the bar. Getting to know your professor better is not as weird as it seems. You are just supposed to build good relationships with someone who can help you with your future career but dont cross the line in student-teacher relationship. Protest something – anything. Of course, you can always join a group who already has a mission in mind. But it might be better to start your own protest. That way, you can put your foot down about something like having eight-hour workday or selling fast food on campus. Visit a foreign country. Spend as much time there as possible. Submerge yourself in the culture, make new friend, learn other language, try unusual food and have fun! Heres the list of destinations for college students. Write an opinion piece for your school newspaper. Passionately proclaim your ideas about a totally insignificant issue no one cares about. Or, take the total opposite opinion on something that is very mainstream. Throw an unforgettable college dorm party. Put the sweats away for a night and say no to dining service. Sleep outside. With or without a tent. With or without permission from the property owner. Try some foreign cuisine. And no, Chinese doesn’t count. Or pizza. Get something new and exotic. Bonus points if you make it a progressive dinner and hit up all the local restaurants you’ve never tried before. Watch out for the Indian food – it can get spicy! Sign up for a strange class – something totally unrelated to your major that you would never normally consider taking. Get your friends to join you so you can all be confused, grossed out, and/or awed together. Here youll find the list of the most fun classes you can take in college. Tag something on campus. Throw up a little graffiti in a location that is special/memorable to you. Hook up with someone in the stacks at the library. Bonus points if it is a total strange you convinced to put the studying down for a bit. Pull a fire alarm. Either do it at 3 AM or in the middle of final’s week when everyone is studying their brains out. Give them a well-deserved break. Drink in the library. Drinking in places that are not appropriate for that can be fun. However, dont get used to this. Otherwise, it wont be fun. It will be just inappropriate. Throw an â€Å"Anything But Clothes† costume party. A quick tip: dont get dressed in something that can be easily spoiled by drinks. Or, you will have to go howe naked. If its not what you want, choose durable materials for your NOT-clothes. Do something regrettable with your hair or to your body. Pink highlights or a terrible tattoo. Use your imagination. Play on an intramural team. Gather your friends and join a league for something totally ridiculous – like inter-tube water polo or broomball. Many people assume college is for furthering their education. However, this is not the only aim of college education. College is also about experimentation and developing skills which are useful for your adult life.