Dylan’s hobo persona his subversive quality and his contempt for authority were charismatic
Posted in General on 14. Oct, 2010
Dylan’s hobo persona, his subversive quality, and his contempt for authority were charismatic. A lot of people made fun of his voice, but nearly everyone agreed that the songs were compelling. Next to him, Simon and Garfunkel seemed polite, studious and eager to please – college boys. The best of their music was pretty to listen to and sometimes, as with “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, had emotional force Dylan’s songs made a person feel powerful.
Since Graceland though, comparisons between Simon and Dylan no longer sensibly apply or take into proper account the distinctive merits of two maverick artists.Simon’s close friend Lorne Michaels, who has known him for 30 years, told me: “Since I met Paul, he’s been saying that he’s getting out of showbusiness.” When I ask Simon if that is so, he says: “I always ask myself when I start something, ‘Is this what you want to do?’ I recorded when I was 15 or 16, and the record was a hit So I was in showbusiness I was in the world of records at a very young age I was already becoming what I am. Basically, what I’m doing is an idea conceived by a 13-year-old. And I often think, ‘You can review that idea, because it was a 13-year-old who thought it up.’ And I do review it, but I still like it.” E© Alec Wilkinson 2002. This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in ‘The New Yorker’.. IF URI Geller gave me one of his hand-painted plates, I wouldn’t hang it on my wall – I’m not sure it would give the right message to my clientele. But restaurateur Michael Caines gives his plate (depicting a pyramid emanating “positive energy”) pride of place at the Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter.
I guess (and, by all means, send me a cosmic thought message if you think I’m wrong) Caines is a man who likes to do things his own way And some might say he’s doing them very nicely. He was Chef of the Year in 2002, and is in the process of turning himself into a brand. And because he’s busy cooking at Gidleigh Park, the Royal Clarence is a Michael Caines licence Like most of Exeter You can now buy an MC baguette at his pub Or an MC cocktail at his bar. And when he opens a hardware shop, you’ll be able to buy an MC hammer.
In Brazz, round the corner from the Clarence, they serve a cathedral pudding with eaves of biscuit. Michael Caines is currently sponsoring the cathedral’s concert calendar. And they say religion is dead!In an effort to look modern, the Michael Caines restaurant has ended up looking rather old-fashioned. The logo – an M encircled by a C – mimics the symbol, and would have been fine for an internet caf?irca 1999 But not for a fine-dining restaurant in 2003. Everything about it screams “Bistro”, and the obvious lighting picks out the single gerbera on every table.