Some six years ago, Rick Moody and I were asked to talk about — and write about — Bob Dylan. Rick and I did our thing one enjoyable evening — in January 2011, I believe — and recent events have impelled me to go back and check out what we wrote then at the behest of Ken Gordon, maestro of Quickmuse. (When I find a link to Rick's piece, I'll add it.) I believe Ken gave us ten minutes and I don't remember whether he gave a prompt beyond "write about Bob Dylan." This is what I came up with:
The Jerk asked Cher about the Middle East
and she said Honey I'm Cher
You don't want to know what I think
about the Middle East
So the jerk went on to Robbie Robertson
and asked him about The Weight
and Robbie said Man it's late
What do you know about the Middle East
Have you ever seen a motorcycle crash?
Have you ever tasted ash?
You too busy going to
A birthday bash, aren't you?
Then the guy took off his Jerk mask
and the reporter asked Bob Dylan
how it felt to be him
how it felt all these years later
And Dylan looked at the fool
on the hill and what he asked
and said no you tell me how it felt
and he put on the Jerk mask