Bob Dylan is the quintessential wonder boy........
news.com.au:80/common/story_page/0,4057,1809180%255E421,00.html
17mar01
LEGENDARY singer and
songwriter Bob Dylan
flew into Perth early
yesterday for the start
of his Australian tour.
The poet with the
gravelly voice whose
songs became anthems
of the civil rights
movement flew in from
Tokyo.
Dylan, named by Time
magazine as one of the
most important people
of the 20th century, is
to play at the Perth
Entertainment Centre
tomorrow night
supported by Australian
singer/songwriter Paul
Kelly.
Dylan, famous for hits
including Mr
Tambourine Man and
Like a Rolling Stone,
then plays Adelaide on
March 20, Melbourne
March 21, Tamworth
March 23, Newcastle
March 24, Sydney
March 25, Cairns March 28, Brisbane March 30 and
Ballina March 31.
Critics believe there is an Oscar blowin' in the wind
for Dylan, who celebrates his 60th birthday in May.
He is expected to take time out from his hectic
schedule to perform the song, Things Have Changed,
for the Academy Awards ceremony live via satellite
from Sydney.
The song, his first Oscar nomination, is up for best
original song and is featured in the film Wonder
Boys, which starred Michael Douglas and Robert
Downey Jr.
Other nominees are Sting and David Hartley for My
Funny Friend and Me, Randy Newman for A Fool in
Love, and music by Icelandic songstress Bjork I've
Seen it All.
The song has helped put Dylan back in the spotlight
again and kicked off a world tour.
Director Curtin Hanson, a fan of Dylan's since his
youth,
believes the song captures the film's main themes of
"renewal, sense of purpose and human connections".
"In some ways, Bob Dylan is the quintessential
wonder boy," Hanson said recently.
"He has dealt with public expectations, fear and
keeping himself creatively vital."
Dylan had originally wanted to perform at Byron Bay
on the north coast.
But residents living near the proposed concert site
complained about traffic, noise and pollution
problems so the venue was switched to Ballina.
Thousands of fans are expected to turn up at the
Centennial Park show.
Organisers are using a special French sound system
where the sound levels are the same at the back of
the venue as at the stage to avoid upsetting local
residents. |
