Pod Dylan #4 – Not Dark Yet

POD DYLAN

Episode 4 - Not Dark Yet

Rob welcomes fellow Fire and Water Network All-Star Ryan Daly (SECRET ORIGINS PODCAST) to talk about "Not Dark Yet", from Bob Dylan's Grammy-winning 1997 album TIME OUT OF MIND.

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7 responses to “Pod Dylan #4 – Not Dark Yet

  1. I will admit that I’ve only ever had a passing interest in Dylan, but I did come to appreciate him more when he had his “Theme Time Radio Hour” on Sirius. My own musical tastes are more in the Sinatra mode. The first concert that my parents to us kids was to see Sammy Davis Jr. Hey, did you ever see Dylan sing “Restless Farewell” at Sinatra’s 80th birthday tribute? Supposedly Old Blue Eyes requested Dylan sing this particular song for him:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F44DBpIyAh0

    Very enlightening guys.

  2. A lovely song Ryan. I’m putting it in my song rotation.

    But then I’ve always been a fan of what Rob calls “dirges”.

    You could even put Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door in that category, couldn’t you?

  3. One of my favorite Dylan songs. Thank you for the discussion. (I am jealous of Ryan getting the la-di-da Skybox seat at the show.) This is probably my favorite song from Time Out Of Mind. When I started listening to Dylan, my favorite songs were the ones that were a bit longer and seemed to consist of endless streams of words (some that made sense, some that didn’t) set to catchy melodies. “Percy’s Song” was one of the first I heard and I instantly loved it. (It was a lot like the first time I saw Star Wars. Before it was over, I wanted to experience it again.) The earliest music I listened to on my own (as in I went out and bought the music myself) was prog rock. So, I was used to long songs. But, these were different sorts of things that Bob was doing, except for the fact that he was throwing all standard songwriting styles to the wind and going his own route. Songs like “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” “Desolation Row,” “Series of Dreams” and “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” are songs that I don’t want to end. I get caught in their groove and would gladly stay there for as long as possible. (Case in Point: I listened to “Not Dark Yet” before listening to the podcast. I ended up listening to it three times in a row. I had to stop myself from doing a fourth.)

    Two more things:
    1) When he sings that his soul turned into steel, I always imagine an evil Bob Dylan after he encounters radiation or maybe a glowing moon rock. Steel Soul! from Kenner. Actually, sounds a bit like a Hawkman villain… or a Legion villain.
    2) One of all-time favorite verses: “I was born here and I’ll die here against my will/ I know it looks like I’m moving, but I’m standing still/ Every nerve in my body is so vacant and numb/ I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from/ Don’t even hear a murmur of a prayer/ It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there” Oh yeah…
    -Dan

    1. Thanks, Daniel. That’s also my favorite verse in the song. I forgot to bring it up on the episode, but the line “I can’t even remember what it was I came here to get away from” floored me when I heard it and it’s an all-time favorite.

  4. Siskoid clearly smuggled a Film & Water into the first Pod Dylan, but it’s interesting that “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” was used to “play out” the characters’ lives in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid like the end of their individual “show,” their closing theme. I don’t think that translated to Siskoid’s own feelings about his song, but I wonder if Ryan is inclined toward “Not Dark Yet” as his funereal march. Is it a song you experience as part of a transitory emotion, or is it a song you see as playing leading into or during your “end credits?”

    Also, I thought at some point a connection would be made between Subterranean Homesick Blues & Alien when Radiohead came up.

  5. Man, Ryan, total d#*k move with the parents! Wow! AND you got the fancy skybox seats! Karma is comin’ brother.

    You’re plan is working Kelly. I’m getting more into Dylan. Stay out of my head!!!

    Chris

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