BARGAININ' FOR SALVATION Bargainin' For Salvation Bargainin' For Salvation Bob Dylan, A Zen Master? Steven Heine continuum NEW YORK • LONDON 2009 The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc 80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd The Tower Building, 1 1 York Road, London SEl 7NX www.continuumbooks.com Copyright © 2009 by Steven Heine All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heine, Steven, 1950- Bargainin for salvation : Bob Dylan, a Zen master? / Steven Heine, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN- 13: 978-0-8264-2950-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN- 10: 0-8264-2950-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Dylan, Bob, 1941- Songs. Texts. 2. Dylan, Bob, 1941 —Criticism and interpretation. 3. Rock musicians-United States-Biography. 4. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)- Religious aspects-Zen Buddhism. I. Title. II. Title: Bob Dylan, a Zen master? ML420.D98H45 2009 782.42 164092-dc22 2009009919 Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India Printed in the United States of America Contents Acknowledgments vii List of Illustrations ix Preface: Satori in Amsterdam— I'll Let You Be in My Dreams If I Can Be in Yours xi 1. Dylan's Zen Rock Garden: Leaving His Heart in That Kyoto Temple 1 PARTI. ZEN AND DYLAN 2. A Simple Twist of Faith: Dylan's Enigmatic Spiritual Quest 27 3. From Beat Blues to Zen: Exploring the Roots of Dylan's Spirituality 44 4. Masked and Eponymous: Authenticity and Autonomy in Dylan and Zen 66 PARTIL THE ZEN OF DYLAN 5. Neither Here Nor There: Dialectics of Duality and Non-Duality 89 6. Period I (1962-1966): From "Protesting" to "Detesting" 109 7. Period II (1967-1978): From "I'll Be Your Baby" to "You're an Idiot, Babe" 135 8. Period III (1979-1988): From "Serving Somebody" to "Letting the Echo Decide" 163 9. The Modern Era ( 1989-Present): Never-Ending Middle Way Lost or Found? 1 90 V vi Contents Appendix A. Citations of Dylan Lyrics 221 Appendix B. Dylan Discography in Relation to Career Periods 229 Appendix C. Dylan Pendulum Diagram 233 Notes 235 Bibliography 257 Glossary of Asian Mystical Terms 266 Index 268 Acknowledgments I am grateful to Colleen Sheehy, Director of Education at the Weisman Art Museum, for organizing a symposium on Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited: Dylans Road from Minnesota to the World," held in conjunction with an exhibit at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis from March 24-27, 2007. Having the opportunity to present a paper there on the topic of Dylan and Zen stimulated my thinking about writing this book and also gave me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people toiling in the field of Dylanology. During the weekend of the conference, I made the first of what was to be several trips to see Dylans hometown of Hibbing, MN, and had a chance to meet many more fascinating and very helpful individuals who are promo- ting various ways of examining and highlighting Dylans life work. Among these are Joe and Mary Keyes, proprietors of Howard Street Booksellers, and Bob and Linda Hocking, who own and run Zimmy s restaurant, both in downtown Hibbing near the High School where Dylan first performed and across from the Androy Hotel where his family celebrated his bar mitzvah party. The Keyes and the Hockings are among the main organiz- ers of the Dylan Days Festival that convenes every year in May in conjunc- tion with Dylans birthday and they are largely responsible for keeping hope alive, so to speak, in Hibbing, where many old timers at once respect Dylan's privacy and are indifferent to his celebrity. I had so many enjoyable and moving experiences that, with their approval, I began to call Zimmy s the "Vatican of the Church of Dylanology" because that is where the main rites and rituals generally take place, and Howard Booksellers the "Lourdes," since it is the site for visions and heal- ings. During my visits to Hibbing, I had the privilege of talking to several figures who were important in the formative high school years, including Dylans teachers B. J. Rolfzen and Charley Miller as well as his band mate and fellow motorcyclist Leroy Hoikkala. vii viii Acknowledgments My son Aaron, who told his high school buddies that Masked and Anonymous was his favorite film and "Mr. Tambourine Man" his favorite song, went with me on several of these pilgrimages to Hibbing. I have also appreciated ongoing conversations with my old friends Dan Leighton, Paul Swanson, and Dale Wright regarding Dylans music in relation to Buddhism and Japanese culture more generally. Other friends and colleagues who were very supportive of this project include Chuck Prebish, Sorching Low, John Tucker, and Victor Forte. I am particularly grateful for the help of several assistants and friends who read or worked with me on thinking through the manuscript. These include Joanna Garcia, who brainstormed the discography, typology, and pyramid, and was a heck of an editor; Anna Scharnagl, who also helped in editing after a job interview/audition that included a rendition of "If Not For You"; Emily Hutchinson, aka mapmaker extraordinaire; Daniella Pineros, who helped collect more books and notes than you could shake a stick at; and Therese Sollien, who got involved late in the game but offered comments that hit the nail right on the head. Finally, I thank Jeff Rosen and his office staff for permission to reprint Dylan lyrics and liner notes relevant to the discussion of his music-making. List of Illustrations FIGURES 1.1 Two Journeys Leading to Zen: The Village in The Early 1960s, and Japan in The Late 1970s 1.2 Dylan 1960 s Record Jacket in Japan 1.3 1978 Far East/Budokan Tour Program 1.4 Zen-Style Interior Design 2. 1 Dylan in Rolling Thunder Review 2.2 Ed Harris as Oscar Vogel 2.3 Jewish "Mezuzah" at Dylans Home 2.4 Hibbing, MN Synagogue 3.1 Crossroad Near Clarksdale, MS 3.2 Blues Highway 3.3 Origins of Zen 3.4 Transmission of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan in the Thirteenth Century 3.5 Dinkytown, MN 4.1 MaRainey 4.2 Beethoven 4.3 Southern Crosses the Yellow Dog in Moorhead, MS 4.4 Cover of The Book of Serenity 5.1 Bridge at Shanghai's Yu Yuan Garden 5.2 Yin-Yang/Duality-NonDuality Diagram 7. 1 Self Portrait Cover 8.1 Dylan at the Western Wall in Jerusalem 9.1 Dylan and the Pope TABLES 3.1 Beat Blues 4.1 Variety of Dylans Rhetorical Styles ix Preface Satori in Amsterdam— I'll Let You Be in My Dreams If I Can Be in Yours PERSONAL AND IMPERSONAL PERSPECTIVES Any book on Bob Dylans music is bound to feature two interlocking perspectives: the impersonal, or an objective examination and assessment of his works; and the personal, or an expression of the author s subjective awareness of and interest in the significance of Dylan. Both perspectives reflect a high level of sensitivity to the important influences of Dylans music felt both individually and communally. This book primarily high- lights the impersonal side in discussing affinities between the radical rela- tivism and disillusionment manifested in some stages of Dylan's career and the irreverent, topsy-turvy rhetoric of Zen Buddhist thought that defies all truth claims. I am using the preface as a vehicle for commenting on per- sonal perspectives that led me to engage in this effort. Like many fans who came of age in the 1960s, Dylan's music was the soundtrack of my adolescence and college years. I frequently tell my students that there are two events from that era that everyone recalls vividly—where they were in November 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated; and when it was in the summer of 1965 that they first heard "Like a Rolling Stone," the opening snare drum roll of which Bruce Spring- steen has said once kicked open the doors of his mind. For me, hearing that song for the first time was one of several epiphanies—or instantaneous xi xii Preface flashes of insight that Zen Buddhists refer to as Satori experiences—in understanding and appreciating the full impact of Dylans music. A couple of other instances of Dylan-based Satori moments come to mind. First, I remember sitting around a campfire at summer camp in 1963 when one of the older campers pulled out a guitar and sang"Blowin in the Wind" with a wonderful emulation of Dylans voice and spirit. Having learned of the song initially through the Peter, Paul, and Mary version, hearing it sung the "right" way was a breakthrough moment. About a year later, I reached a Satori when I heard a medley of Dylan songs sung the "wrong" way by a pop singer (it may have been John Davidson) on a TV variety show What struck me despite the tame, abbreviated versions of the music was that there could be a single author/composer who was responsi- ble for so many different kinds of songs that had such a penetrating effect on American political consciousness and popular culture. Needless to say, Dylans influence along with my enthusiasm for it continued to grow. Then the most profound Satori of all took place while I was in college and made a trip to Europe during winter break with one of my roommates.