SEAN WILENTZ
Author & Historian
I went to hear the good Doctor John perform on Santa Monica pier last night, and he gave his usual knockout show. Among the tunes he played was the classic “St. James Infirmary.” (Have a look at the Blind Willie McTell post on DYLAN EXTRAS.) Alas, all I could find this morning was some footage of the doctor backing Eric Clapton on the song a few years back. But in a holiday mood, check this out:
The voice that comes out as Koko the Clown’s is really Cab Calloway’s, from this extremely hip, surreal Betty Boop short of “Snow White,” released by the great Fleischer Studios in 1933. Nothing like Dylan let alone Doctor John — well except maybe for the surreal parts — but another rendition of New Orleans music on the silver screen. Check out Koko’s moonwalk, too. What goes around…
Dear Sean,
With all the fantastic shots over so many years of performances and appearances, why did you choose a cover photo with a cigarette?
I am gravely disappointed – grave is the operative word – people smoke themselves into it.
I write as an advocate for people with cancer, founder of the Annie Appleseed Project.
This is discouraging. I lived in NYC, went to a left-wing camp which early on adopted Dylan. Unlike some others, I did not boo, I liked his music, and him up until the time I heard him make a statement against his then girlfriend (on a TV show). In my mind that represented his ‘feet of clay’. A great musician and poet, but not a great man. Like so many, alas.