Janis Joplin

My final essay is on the famous Janis Joplin, and I have to say that I am completely enthralled. I am really enjoying writing this because I am learning so much about an American music legend. Despite her drug and alcohol abuse, I still find her to be an incredible woman. After reading a great deal about her early childhood and music career, and actually listening to various songs of hers, and watching her perform on YouTube videos I have to admit that I do like a lot of her music. Not to say that I plan on working out to it, listening to it before getting for the day, but it is music that I can actually listen to while just relaxing and not doing anything else. One of my favorite performances of her, which I believe many would agree with, is at the Monterey Pop Festival while singing "Ball n' Chain". She connects with the audience so well and she seems so passionate about what she is singing about. I only hope to be this passionate about something in my life, however I may have to avoid the extreme alcohol and drug abuse haha. There was so many times while writing my essay that I wish I could insert a music or interview clip of Janis to highlight my words.  I am so happy I chose this topic and this woman to write about because this may be one of the only times I have written a paper in my history at Clarkson University that I haven't absolutely dreaded, and that I am actually having fun learning about. 

End of the Semester

I can't believe that another semester is coming to an end so quickly. Actually what I really can't believe is that this is my very last semester here at Clarkson University. It didn't truly hit me until dead week that this was actually my last semester, with 2 of my 5 classes already completed, after completing final presentations, its hard to believe that next year I will be doing something completely different than I have ever done in my life. I won't be going to school. It is so strange to think about. It is a little strange but for some reason the song that comes to my mind the most when thinking about next year and how I am feeling a little lost since I have no definite job at this moment is Bob Dylan's :"Mr. Tambourine Man". I feel like it may seem a little strange that is the song that is ringing in my mind, and it could be just because that it is a rainy and mellow day out, but something about this song is really sticking with me. Aside from the fact that this is one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs and one of the only songs I really knew of his before taking this class, I think that some of the lyrics relate to my situation. "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me / I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to" To me that is saying that I'm not sleepy, I'm ready for the next place in my life but I still have no place to go, besides back home to Syracuse which is definitely not my ideal spot to begin my 20's in, but I want an opportunity from the Tambourine man. Another part of the song that I feel that I relate to is:

"My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip
My toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it"

In the first two lines it is like I am lost and that I am have yet to really feel the excitement of graduating and moving on to bigger and better things, but once the opportunity is given to me I'll be ready to go literally anywhere in the nation, maybe even the world.

 I definitely know that Bob Dylan hasn't created this song because he is graduating college and doesn't have a clue where he is going to be in the following year, but I believe that all songs are meant to be interpreted the exact way that artists made them themselves. I think that people love certain songs because they can relate to them and to hear them in their head while thinking about certain situations. That is one thing I think I have learned from this class, although I haven't loved or even liked some of the songs that have been played, I feel that for the ones that I do happen to like they have related to my life and situations in some small way.

Bob Dylan Video

The opening of the video scanned over various groups of young men and women in black and white with a woman introducing Bob Dylan. In this woman's introduction of he she said that she believed influential people came to be due to a need for them in society and that Bob Dylan was made in order to speak the thoughts of young people around the nation. From there the documentary goes back to 1963 where a young Bob Dylan sings with his acoustic guitar as a silent and completely enthralled crowd watches and listens to him sing a slow and somber song. The movie continues on but I can't help think about what the woman in the beginning of the video had said. Do influential people grow out of a societal need? I can't help but believe that statement myself, although I am sure there are several exceptions that I can't think of at the moment, I really think that there have been some extremely famous people due to the fact that the society at the time need them to be their voice. I don't know if I could say that Bob Dylan is one of those people because to be honest I don't know enough about him and his music to say whether he was expressing the ideas of the current young generations at that time. However as I watch the video and see how many individuals come to see him perform, and how these people are so interested and quiet while listening to the words of his songs I can't help but believe myself that the young people at the time really find him to be speaking important and crucial words for the time. It is always amazing to me how much music can touch people of all types. After watching this video is it quite clear to me that Bob Dylan's music touches so many people that he is truly an influential speaker of his time.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The literary work that our class discussed today was "The Love Song J. Alfred Prufrock". This poem can be strongly tied to Bob Dylan's, "Desolation Row" by similar outcast characters, miserable and depressing tones, and message. After seeing the similarities I became equally as intrigued with this poem as I was with Dylan's song. Although the class discussion alluded to the message of both Dylan and Elliot's works being that of: lifelessness is the great sin, I don't know if that is exactly what I think these two speakers are attempting to portray.

While reading "The Love Song" I had a slightly different interpretation than others in the class had.I feel as though the man Prufrock is filled with regret, sexual frustration, awareness of his mortality, ultimately this is an extremely wearisome poem. I would say that the poem is going through a bunch of random thoughts by Prufrock, in no particular chronological order. To me thi man is getting flashbacks from memories in the past and is reliving them while he believes the end of his life is growing closer every day. Although it is never clearly defined as to whom Prufrock is talking to I believe that he is discussing his life with himself. I think that the you and I that he is referring to within the first lines of the poem are the two different versions Prufrock sees of himself. Another aspect of the poem that I disagreed with my peers on is whether or not this man is physically going somewhere. The partners at my table believed that he was describing images so vividly that he must be going for an "afternoon tea", however I believe that he is still going through all these thoughts in his mind, perhaps even a flashback of a moment similar to this. The most significant part of the poem by Elliot is most definitely the "overwhelming question" that is repeatedly mentioned. Although my interpretation may be a little bizarre I feel that the question is Prufrock trying to tell a woman of his romantic interest in her. The entire poem mentions various images of women's arms and clothing. Additionally in the last several lines he claims the mermaid will not sing to him, meaning that this woman that he is pining over will not show interest in him. If this poem was about how lifelessness is the greatest sin then why is it called a love song? That is the one reason why I feel as though it is not the central idea behind the poem.

Desolation Row by Bob Dylan

The majority of Bob Dylan's ballad paint a picture for the audience and allow them to create their own ideas of what the song means. An example of this type of ballad is "Desolation Row" with it's lengthiness and intriguing lyrics it is no wonder why countless individuals have become enthralled with this ballad. This song is filled with ambiguity and interesting characters that allow listeners to create a variety of ideas. One of the first questions that comes to my mind when I read the lyrics is where is Desolation Row exactly? Clearly it is a place where no individual willingly goes, but where is it located. Is it in the United States, or some poor third world country, or even in a place where the majority of individuals would never believe to be so much bitterness and misery. I believe that Desolation Row is no particular place in general, but what I picture is a place like Manhattan in New York City. It appears to be such a wonderful area booming with positive and prosperous activity however underneath the glitz and the glam is a depressing and melancholy place.

Although I am sure there are countless ways to interpret this ballad I believe that Dylan is encouraging his listeners to remove the "rose-colored glasses" and to see the reality of what is really going on in society. This ballad reminds me of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" in so many ways, I really wonder if Dylan had been influenced by Ginsberg's work when he wrote this song. In "Howl" Ginsberg wrote of all the horrible and miserable aspects of society, and I believe Dylan is doing the same thing here. At the end of the song, in the very last verse, I think that Dyaln summarizes all he just said by saying, "All these people that you mention / Yes, I know them, they're quite lame / I had to rearrange their faces / And give them all another name / Right now I can't read too good / Don't send me no more letters no / Now unless you mail them /  From Desolation Row". Here Dylan is saying he is fed up with avoiding the obvious for any longer, because he is the person who is in Desolation Row since he sees the true reality of the world. He doesn't want to read any more letters because he doesn't want to hear about the delusion of other people, the only way he will is if they too are at Desolation Row, aka reality.

Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan

While in class we listened to and looked at the lyrics of a variety of Bob Dylan's songs ranging from "Maggie's Farm"  to "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts."  But of all the songs the one that most intrigued me most was "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Our class discussed this song for quite some time and what Dylan meant by this particular song. Additionally, the rhythm, the audience, and even the speaker were included in the discussion.

One of the first things mentioned about the song was the title. What is meant by subterranean? Clearly the definition is underground, but when looking at the message of the song it seems that Dylan is looking to sing about something that not everyone else is talking about, not a typical mainstream thought that other people are willing to discuss aloud. The next topic we discussed was who is the speaker of this song, and to whom is this person speaking to? I believe that the person speaking is unobtrusively upset and outspoken about the government or how society subconsciously tells you how to govern yourself. This person is definitely older and has lived through several obstacles within his/her life. Throughout the song the speaker is making a series of wise observations to another person. I think that the person listening to the speaker is naive, and less in the know. This person is ultimately being persuaded and will soon think the same way.

After doing some research of the time period that this song is released I believe I found some correlations between song lyrics and current events. "Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine / I'm on the pavement thinkin' about the Goverment"  believe he is referring to the recreational drug use that was common in the 1960's youth as well as politics. The turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War was beginning to effect the entire nation including music artists. The civil rights movement is also referenced, "Better stay away from those/ That carry around a fire hose", referring to the peaceful protesters who were sprayed with fire hoses.

Although this song was extremely controversial, I feel that is why it is so good and so well remembered.

The Beginning of Learning about Bob Dylan

Today in class we had begun the what I believe is going to be a rather lengthy section about Bob Dylan and how he contributed to American music. Don't get me wrong, he seems like an interesting and somewhat humorous character, and I'm sure he has done a lot for individuals in the music world. However I am yet again stuck in wondering why we couldn't focus our attention on a different age, or genre, or type of music artist. Although i understand that the majority of the class is going to be centered around what the professor's interests are in music, I am really hoping that for the upcoming years they change the name of this class to something radically different.

While reading the first paragraph of this particular blog one might believe that I despise Bob Dylan's music, and honestly that is not the case. Although he isn't my favorite artist from that time period I do believe that he has some positive things to offer. The first time I ever really listened to Bob Dylan was in an English class my sophomore year of high school. My first thought was that this man sounded even whinier than I do when I wake up in the morning for class. Not to mention the fact that at some points a person can barely make out what he is saying. But after giving him a few more listens, and with the help of my Bob Dylan fanatic partner I began to understand and even like some of his music. Therefore I hope with the help of this class and with time I will understand Bob Dylan's music even better than I do now.