San Diego Serenade

Bob Dylan's XM Satellite Radio show "Theme Time" premieres on May 3rd, but never fear if you don't have an XM radio, through the magic of the internet, you'll still probably be able to track it down somewhere. You'll definitely want to, I've heard it, and Dylan puts on quite an entertaining show. Attempting to emulate the kind of radio DJ he no doubt grew up listening to, Dylan puts on his best growl of a voice during his between song patter as he introduces the next song in the current weeks theme. "Dreams, Schemes and Themes," he says a couple times, with the kind of swagger that seems like it's taken a lifetime to perfect, but was more likely god given to the man from Day one.

The theme of the first show is "Weather," so Dylan plays a wide variety of artists and genres, all united by the thread of being weather related. And it's not some crazy poetic interpretation of them, like thinking that Smells Like Teen Spirit was about the Great San Francisco Earthquake. You get songs as diverse as "California Sun" by Joe Jones, "The Wind Cries Mary" by Jimi Hendrix, and "Come Rain, Come Shine" by Judy Garland. Dylan introduces each song differently, sometimes with a story, sometimes with an explanation, and sometimes just by reciting some of the lyrics. You'll find yourself leaning in closer and turning up the volume every time he comes back to speak, wondering what the man has up his sleeve next. In addition to his commentary, Dylan and the XM producers have assembled a library of authentic sounding musical and vocal buffers of various styles that help transition between songs. You know, the kind of radio jingles advertising the station or the show itself, that if you take a step back and imagine the people actually in the studio recording a jingle where they sing "Double You Kay, Bee Are!" you imagine how wierd it must be to have that be your job.

The Consolers: Much awesomer than they look

The Theme Time format for the show I think fits well with Dylan as a host. Despite his slick delivery, he sounds infinitely more comfortable introducing his favorite artists music than having to answer the same questions about himself that he's been forced to answer his entire life. He just finds the subject matter much more interesting. All of the musicians who influenced Dylan always seemed too foreign to me as I was trying to get into Dylan, and once I had finally wrapped my arms around the mans body of work, some of the crudely recorded older stuff that so greatly influenced him seemed even less accessible. Combine that with the fact that many of the artists Dylan dug are available on a variety of labels and in compilations of questionable quality, and it made it even tougher. Having the man literally walk you through some of his favorite tunes feels like a great way to discover some music that you may have heard of and thought you'd like, but weren't sure where to begin. Personally, I thought that the Calypso track "Jamaican Hurricane" he played was a heck of an introduction to that musical style, and the husband and wife duo The Consolers, who wail their way through an awesome version of "After The Clouds Roll Away," seem like they'd be definitely be worth checking out. All in all I highly recommend tuning in to or tracking down the broadcasts of Theme Time, which debuts with its "Weather" hour on May 3rd, and continues the next week with "Mother."

Obviously, this project has resulted in a good deal of hype, most of it abominable. Check out this article that was in the Washington Post that my mom was kind enough to scan and send my way. Professor David Gaines, from Southwestern University, seems like the type who would google himself regularly. If so, he'll probably be angry that I call his comments such as

"Dylan's trying to do some wierd blend of holy man on the FM radio...He's using the medium of subscription radio as his way of playing Musicoligy"

douchebaggery of the highest form. Like, seriously. Invite that guy over to my house next time we watch The Simpsons, he sounds like an enjoyable guy to have a conversation with. Then we have XM Chief Creative Officer Lee Abrams, who has been blogging (Parts One, Two and Three)about the experience of courting Dylan to do the show. He starts off by saying that the role of XM vs. regular radio is

"Just like the American GI's were the ones who liberated Europe in WW2"

and then moves on to less offensive fare, like comparing how he feels in the days before the shows launch to

"like the days before the moon launch must of felt to NASA."

Stuff like that makes me glad that the rest of you will be able to download this fantastic, interesting, enjoyable RADIO SHOW off of the internet hours after it's release. Enjoy it.