What a wonderful experience - thank you for sharing it.
Dylan has shared a lot about how his upbringing has shaped him. This quote from the stage in 1980 is a particularly interesting one:
“Anyway, I ran into a girl here on the street a while back and she said I was a strange person and she told me why. She said, she said, ‘You were born up in a certain area where the ground is metallic’. And actually she's right. Where I come from the ground is metallic. And-a as a matter of fact during the Second World War, ninety per cent of all the iron and steel that went into all the ships and the boats and the airplanes and all kinds of weaponry […] came from the area where I always lived. […] One of the great lakes is called Lake Superior, I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Across the lake is a town called Detroit. And I got to happen to go to Detroit once I think when I was about twelve or so, with a friend of mine who had relatives there. Anyway, when — I can't remember how it happened but I found — I found myself in a bingo parlor. There were people coming to eat all day and they play bingo all night, and there was a dance band in the back. And that was the first time — see where I'm from, I would only hear mostly country music, you know, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Hank Penny, all kinda Hanks! But anyway so this was my first time face-to-face with rhythm & blues, it was in Detroit. And when I was about twelve years old, and the man there was singing this song here. I don't think I'll do it as good as he did it, but I'm gonna try to do it anyway”
Of course we are all shaped by our experiences, but I always wonder with talent like his if he would have made it no matter what.
This is a great, great story! Thank you for sharing!
And we absolutely started this trip in Detroit. Amazing city. Motown. Eminem. I wrote about another hero we discovered on this trip there in Detroit in "Hometown Hero." Check it out if you like. And thank you so much for reading!
I love that you went looking for someone famous and found someone worth remembering. Bill may be preserving Dylan’s history, but in telling this story, you preserved a little of Bill’s too. There’s something beautiful about that. Five stars, indeed!
Thanks, Kelly. Thank you for reading. And yep. The collection Bill amassed is truly astounding. But I found him and his dedication so fascinating. And you just start to wonder that "ordinary" can be pretty fascinating.
I really enjoyed the contrast between Bob Dylan’s extraordinary legacy and Bill’s quiet dedication to preserving it. The details about the house make the story feel personal and lived-in, and the ending with Bill locking the door is especially beautiful. I also loved the opening question—it gives the piece a thoughtful thread that carries through the whole story.
Thank you so much for reading and thoughtful comment. The whole day really had me thinking about legacy. What we each leave as ours. 🩷💜❤️💙. Again, thanks for tuning in!
Oh my gracious, how wonderful. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.
I'm a Dylan fanatic whose closest contact to the great Bill Pagel - a titan of the Dylanverse, in my book - has been his gracious posting of my reviews of all my Dylan shows in recent years, on Bill's indispensable www.boblinks.com site.
I live in Atlanta, but I've got to find a way to make a first visit to the great state of Minnesota just to see this.
Noel! That is so cool. I am familiar with boblinks (clever name), but didn't know you wrote the review. Just go! Hurry! The best time to go is October in my opinion, unless you want to hang out for Dylan Days in the spring. But it was so wonderful for Bill to take us on a personal tour. We could linger. He is a treasure trove of information and just a delight. 5 stars!
What a wonderful experience - thank you for sharing it.
Dylan has shared a lot about how his upbringing has shaped him. This quote from the stage in 1980 is a particularly interesting one:
“Anyway, I ran into a girl here on the street a while back and she said I was a strange person and she told me why. She said, she said, ‘You were born up in a certain area where the ground is metallic’. And actually she's right. Where I come from the ground is metallic. And-a as a matter of fact during the Second World War, ninety per cent of all the iron and steel that went into all the ships and the boats and the airplanes and all kinds of weaponry […] came from the area where I always lived. […] One of the great lakes is called Lake Superior, I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Across the lake is a town called Detroit. And I got to happen to go to Detroit once I think when I was about twelve or so, with a friend of mine who had relatives there. Anyway, when — I can't remember how it happened but I found — I found myself in a bingo parlor. There were people coming to eat all day and they play bingo all night, and there was a dance band in the back. And that was the first time — see where I'm from, I would only hear mostly country music, you know, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Hank Penny, all kinda Hanks! But anyway so this was my first time face-to-face with rhythm & blues, it was in Detroit. And when I was about twelve years old, and the man there was singing this song here. I don't think I'll do it as good as he did it, but I'm gonna try to do it anyway”
Of course we are all shaped by our experiences, but I always wonder with talent like his if he would have made it no matter what.
This is a great, great story! Thank you for sharing!
And we absolutely started this trip in Detroit. Amazing city. Motown. Eminem. I wrote about another hero we discovered on this trip there in Detroit in "Hometown Hero." Check it out if you like. And thank you so much for reading!
Love "the ground is metallic" quote. Nobody uses language quite like Bob.
Very true. And no one uses other people's language quite like him either (and I say that seriously and with respect as I am listening to High Water.)
I love that you went looking for someone famous and found someone worth remembering. Bill may be preserving Dylan’s history, but in telling this story, you preserved a little of Bill’s too. There’s something beautiful about that. Five stars, indeed!
Thanks, Kelly. Thank you for reading. And yep. The collection Bill amassed is truly astounding. But I found him and his dedication so fascinating. And you just start to wonder that "ordinary" can be pretty fascinating.
I really enjoyed the contrast between Bob Dylan’s extraordinary legacy and Bill’s quiet dedication to preserving it. The details about the house make the story feel personal and lived-in, and the ending with Bill locking the door is especially beautiful. I also loved the opening question—it gives the piece a thoughtful thread that carries through the whole story.
Thank you so much for reading and thoughtful comment. The whole day really had me thinking about legacy. What we each leave as ours. 🩷💜❤️💙. Again, thanks for tuning in!
Oh my gracious, how wonderful. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.
I'm a Dylan fanatic whose closest contact to the great Bill Pagel - a titan of the Dylanverse, in my book - has been his gracious posting of my reviews of all my Dylan shows in recent years, on Bill's indispensable www.boblinks.com site.
I live in Atlanta, but I've got to find a way to make a first visit to the great state of Minnesota just to see this.
Oh! And thank you so much for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Noel! That is so cool. I am familiar with boblinks (clever name), but didn't know you wrote the review. Just go! Hurry! The best time to go is October in my opinion, unless you want to hang out for Dylan Days in the spring. But it was so wonderful for Bill to take us on a personal tour. We could linger. He is a treasure trove of information and just a delight. 5 stars!
Because of your article here, I am "willing" the universe to make this happen for me! :)
Greatness!
Thanks for reading, George. You of course have a much richer Bob Dylan story!