Thanks for these links, karl. Mavis Staples is what I imagine the voice of God sounding like (and Pops was no slouch, either). I don't blame ol' Zimmy.

The 'Tell Me Momma,' is a treat, too. On that song you can hear Dylan's joy at the liberation of simply rocking out more than any other song.

Karl! How's it going?

Jon, I recently checked out Murray Lerner's Festival! from the Seattle Public Library. I saw it when it came out but it was out of circulation for decades. One could only see to when shown at a noncommercial nofprofit event by arrangement with Lerner--there was some sort of legal dispute going on. And it was never on VHS.

There is some vintage Mavis Staples in that--man, she is so young.And hot.

That was all shot at the Newport Folk Festivals from 1963 through 1966. So you got your Joan Baez and Dylan from the 1964 and 65. And Peter, Paul and Mary and Mississippi John Hurt and a younger speeding Johnny Cash and sorts of cool stuff music-wise. And the crowd shots and the way the kids look--man, it's from the last few years before 1967, one sees the young and hip just before hippies, so to speak--and look and talk is worth a viewing for the cultural mis-en-scene alone. I spotted Taj Mahal in one crowd shot, playing guitar and smoking a cigarette.

Check it out if you haven't seen it. You would like it.

As to how it's going, matildaben, one of my best friends, with her kid, is planning on moving to New York, New York--heck, you met her. Anyways, I am not enthused about that. But what can you do ?

In other news, I've been growing some sweet peas, black hollyhocks and snapdragons and night scented stock and sitting on the back steps of my apartment building
most warm evenings this summer, 'consciously trying to recapture the
rude beauty of a Southern field hand musing in melody on his porch.' Well,only the guitar playing part so far.

And I have seen the International Space Station about six times.

By the way, it'll be visible this Thursday night starting at 9:19, starting at 10 degrees above south southwest, progressing eastward for four minutes to around 16 degrees above ESE, peaking at 23 degrees at the highest. Which means it ought be a third the way up the southern sky. It's bright orange--you'll know what it its when you see it. It really moves. So, be looking south at 9:19 in two nights. It's very cool.

And I am going to my friend Jack's Fourth Annual Victory Heights Jokum Festival to hear him perform his blues analogue of a rock opera, the story of which is sort of like Ghost World minus Thora Birch and Scarlett Johnansen--more the Steve Buscemi part, and which is very injokey record collector and very injokey Seattle and very strange. It, like life, has its moments.

And then there'll be plenty of there people from the local blues mafia. Plus there will be food and rink and one is to bring a nation of food suitable for distribution by Northwest Harvest.

/babble.