Farewell Suze Rotolo

I only read Suze Rotolo's book A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir Of Greenwich Village In The Sixties last year but I completely fell in love with her spirit, intelligence and independence. Yes, she was Bob Dylan's girlfriend as he rose to fame and inspired some of his most famous songs but Rotolo was an amazing woman in her own right: an artist and teacher whose political activism and world-view influenced Dylan's and was an integral part of the folk music scene of the early 60s, something she documented so well in her book. So I was saddened to hear that Rotolo had died aged just 67. I'm definitely glad I got to know her a little through her book and she's certain to live on through that, the iconic images like the one above and the many songs that Dylan wrote for her.

I Am The Rock Biography Queen, Part II

More music books I've read this year...

I Am The Rock Biography Queen

Although I've always read rock biographies, music books and autobiographies (interspersed with my usual fictional faves) in the past year I seem to have gone rock biography crazy. I've read loads, one after the other, and a great majority of them are tragic tales for some reason. Part of it is without a doubt because I enjoy increasing my rock and roll expertise but maybe, given the sad endings many have, part of it may be down to discovering that even those who seem to live impossibly cool and glamorous lives are not so impossibly cool afterall. Just like the rest of us in fact.
Whatever the reason, since I've read so many in the past 12 months I thought I've give a round-up of the music books I've read this year, and write a few things about each. Brace yourself, this is going to be long.

Best & Worst Gigs Of 2009

I learned many lessons from all the concerts I attended this year, important things such as: Bob Dylan fans are grumpy, selfish and have short attention spans but Pearl Jam fans are kind, cool and generally awesome; The Troxy is the worst venue in London unless The Flaming Lips are throwing confetti around the place; Steve Martin is an amazing musician and even more surprising, still very funny; M. Ward really doesn't like cameras; Fleetwood Mac security for the front row is really strict at their shows but the guards can be worn down if you're persistent and appeal to their better nature; going to gigs really sucks when you are ill and, finally, Roger Daltrey of The Who is one of the nicest guys in the whole world. And with that, here are my favourite gigs of the past year. Click on the titles to bring you to my original review of each show.

The Best
1. The Mars Volta at the ICA

2. Neil Young at Hyde Park

3. Crosby, Stills & Nash at the Royal Albert Hall

4. Pearl Jam at Shepherd's Bush Empire

5. Faith No More at Brixton Academy

6. M. Ward at The Borderline

7. Steve Martin at the Royal Festival Hall

8. Fleetwood Mac at Wembley Arena

9. Wilco at The Forum

10. Neko Case at Bush Hall

The Worst
1. Monsters Of Folk at Troxy
2. Bob Dylan at the O2

Bob Dylan at the O2 Arena and the Roundhouse

#86238844 / gettyimages.com

Bob Dylan And His Band
O2 Arena, 25 April 2009
Roundhouse, 26 April 2009

Years ago, in the mid 90s, I saw Bob Dylan for the first time playing Hyde Park. Backed with a ramshackle group of musicians (mostly dressed in blue I remember) including Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, it was a decidedly disappointing experience despite a set list that included Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Positively Fourth Street, Highway 61 Revisited and Don't Think Twice It's Alright, due to a rather unenthusiastic performance by the man himself, where his voice turned almost to caricature. Although I love his music I thought it was probably best to leave his live shows for the hardcore devotees in the future.