No Failure In America, Whether

I Learned That When Something Just Has To Be Said To Move The Discussion Along, Or Broaden It Or Deepen It, If I Can Just Keep My Mouth Shut For Five Minutes A Student Will Say It. So For Me A Lot Of Teaching Is About Keeping My Mouth Shut.

I Am A Critic Who Is Pulled Toward History. But Bob Dylan Himself Is A Great Historian. He Is An Historian Who Acts Out History. So It Always Has A Personal Stamp. It Always Has A Particular Timbre. It Always Has A Particular Howl, Or A Moan, In That Voice.

We Fight Our Way Through The Massed And Leveled Collective Safe Taste Of The Top 40, Just Looking For A Little Something We Can Call Our Own. But When We Find It And Jam The Radio To Hear It Again It Isn't Just Ours -- It Is A Link To Thousands Of Others Who Are Sharing It With Us. As A Matter Of A Single Song This Might Mean Very Little; As Culture, As A Way Of Life, You Can't Beat It.

If Bob Dylan Really Is An Historian In And Of Himself In His Work, In His Performances, He Is Also An Historian With A Unique Sense Of Humor. There's Always Been A Bit Of A Stand-up Comic In Him.

Think About How Rare It Is For Anyone To Encounter A Teacher Who Can Open You Up To The Notion That There Is An Infinite Amount Of Meaning And Possibility And Inspiration In The Smallest Thing Before You.