n 14 1. .111111., ir* WorldMags.net Julyl6,1975:July16,1975: BobDylanwith Bo6Dylanwith membersof his his RollingRolling 1976 .. 1976 Thunder Revue, includingincluding musician andand poetpoet BobbyBobby / NeuwirthNeuwirth(witharmraised), (with arm raised), T-BoneT- Bone Burnett Burnett(with (with guitar)g uitar) and theatre theatre directordirectorJacques Jacques Levy (bottom (bottom right) right)atthe at the OtherEndOther End inin NewNewYork York CityCity c - r .N\ s i Rv r-i - u / » N V . L r / - .1 T ... i Ml > 1 ■m ^ I - 'Right out r \ / - 4 ' TV of the blue % i MM JANJAN 24 24 How low aa chancechance meetingmeeting withwith BobBob DylanDylan led led theatre theatre directordirector JacquesJacques LevyLevy toto co-writeco-write much much of of the the Desire Desire LPLP. TTHOSEHOSE WHOWHO HAVEHAVE alreadyalready acquiredacquired aa often inin eacheach other'sother's company,company, andand whenwhen thethe that. WeWe didn'tdidn't seesee eacheach otherother forfor aa longlong timetime copy ofof Dylan's newnew album,album, Desire,Desire, willwill Rolling ThunderThunder Revue hithit thethe roadroad ititwas was Levy until lastsummerwhen,again,helastsummerwhen, again, he was walking have noticednoticed at leastleast oneone differencedifference who suggestedsuggested thethe sequencesequence ofof songssongs andand aa aroundaround thethe cornercorner andand soso waswas I.I. WeWe chattedchatted between this andand otherother DylanDylan recordsrecords -- onon running orderorder for the various combinationscombinations ofof and hehe camecame upup toto thethe apartmentapartment andand then,then, seven ofof thethe ninenine trackstracks DylanDylan hashas collaborated collaborated musicians. HeHe directed directed thethe tourtour in muchmuch thethe right out of the blue, he suggestedsuggested II wrotewrote with another writer,writer, JacquesJacques Levy.Levy. same wayway hehe directsdirects theatretheatre productions.productions. somesome materialmaterial for himhim asas he'dhe'd likedliked thethe thingsthings It isis notnot thethe firstfirst time DylanDylan hashas workedworked onon He liveslives in aa sprawlingsprawling butbut elegantelegant loft,loft, aa I'd writtenwritten forfor Roger."Roger." songs withwith anotheranother writerwriter -- inin thethe past he's habitation commoncommon toto NewNew YorkYork butbut hardlyhardly The firstfirst songsong toto comecome fromfrom thethe partnershippartnership collaborated withwith TheThe Band'sBand's Richard Manuel,Manuel, seen in England.England. InIn effect, effect, it'sit's open-planopen-plan living,living, was "Isis","Isis", thoughthough Dylan had alreadyalready putput George HarrisonHarrison and,and, II believe, JohnnyJohnny Cash, whose absenceabsence ofof wallswalls createscreates aa hugehuge feelingfeeling together thethe firstfirst verse:verse: "He"He had thethe generalgeneral but it'sit's thethe firstfirst timetime aa definitedefinite partnershippartnership hashas of space.space. AA PhDPhD inin psychology,psychology, LevyLevy practisedpractised feelingfeeling ofof thethe songsong whenwhen he camecame aroundaround herehere developed forfor soso manymany tracks.tracks. for twotwo yearsyears beforebefore enteringentering the theatre andand but hehe hadn'thadn't gotgot further.further. WeWe startedstarted toto workwork Jacques Levy is notnot aa musician musician and and neither neither now, in hishis latelate thirties, thirties, exudesexudes thethe airair ofof aa manman on itit atat nightandnight and byby thethe following following morningmorning itit is hehe attracted attracted toto thethe lifelife ofof aa full-timefull-time lyricist, to whomwhom lifelife has generallygenerally beenbeen good.good. waswas finished.finished.We Wedid did itittogether, together, goinggoing backback even thoughthough hehe has clockedclocked upup aa successsuccess oror Levy settledsettled downdown withwith aa ScotchScotch onon iceice andand andand forthforth andand tryingtrying thingsthings outout onon eacheach otherother two in thethe past. InIn fact,fact, he'she's betterbetter known in a packetpacket ofof LuckyLucky StrikesStrikes andand talkedtalked openlyopenly to seesee whatwhat would would work work and and what whatwouldn't. wouldn't. New YorkYork asas aa theatricaltheatrical director, havinghaving about writingwriting withwith Dylan.Dylan. He waswas vaguevague on "We werewere havinghaving aa great great timetime herehere duringduring worked onon aboutabout 3030 stagestage productions,productions, only onesubject-whetheronesubject-whether July. BobBob wouldwould writewrite aa including Oh!Calcutta!.Oh!Calcuttal. ornottheor notthe Rolling ThunderThunder song, thenthen pickpick upup aa guitar guitar His friendshipfriendship with DylanDylan camecame aboutabout Revue wouldwould rollagainandroll again and and rusharoundtorush around to thethe "It wasjustwasjust that through RogerRoger McGuinn,McGuinn, withwith whomwhom he whether itit couldcould thunderthunder Other EndEnd andand getget upup onon | collaborated on bothboth "Chestnut"Chestnut Mare"Mare" andand across thethe Atlantic.Atlantic. ThereThere stage andand singsing it,it, butbut itit H thing withwith us sittingsitting H O "Lover Of The Bayou", two latterday Byrds was a chance,chance, hehe admitted, admitted, wasn'twasn'tthe the rightright atmosphereatmosphere CO "Lover Of The Bayou", two latterday Byrds CO < hits, andand also on severalseveral trackstracks onon the but hehe honestlyhonestly didn'tdidn't here andand obviouslyobviously to writewrite tootoo seriously,seriously, and 0 2 know, no more than he by this time we both knew 5 subsequent solosolo albumsalbums byby McGuinn. McGuinn. ApartApart know,no morethan he by this timeweboth knew connecting" 1 from aa fewfew contributionscontributions toto thethe lyricslyrics ofof hishis knew whetherwhether hehe and DylanDylan connecting" we wantedwanted to be seriousserious stage productions,productions, would collaboratecollaborate again,again, or about writingwriting together."together." this seemsseems toto bebe his whether the rumouredrumoured In August,August, Levy andand onlyonly experienceexperience asas West Coast ThunderThunder datesdates would take place. Dylan wentwent outout toto aa househouse onon LongLong IslandIsland forfor a songwriter.songwriter. We beganbegan byby talkingtalking aboutabout thethe eventsevents three weeksandweeks and puttogethertheput together the rest ofof thethe * Jacques Levy leading upup toto writingwriting DesireDesire andand goinggoing onon thethe songs. TheThe songsong "Joey""Joey" was an oldold ideaidea ofof livesinLaGuardialives in La Guardia road. "Bob"Bob and McGuinnMcGuinn havehave knownknown each Levy's whichwhich DylanDylan pickedpicked upup on,on, motivatedmotivated rf Place, GreenwichGreenwich otherforyears,ofother foryears,of course,"course," he began,"andbegan, "and BobBob especiallyespecially byby conversationconversation duringduring dinnerdinner oneone Village, and was knew allall the the things things I'dI'd written written forfor McGuinn.McGuinn. eveningevening withwith Marta Aurbach,Aurbach, aa NewNew YorkYork mentioned inin "Two yearsyears agoago we we met met for for the the firstfirst timetime onon authoressauthoress whowho isis currently currently workingworking on a bookbook dispatches whilewhile the streetstreet here.here. He waswas walkingwalking oneone way andand II aboutaboutJoey Joey Gallo,Gallo,the the New YorkYork MafiafigureMafia figure Dylan trotted trotted was walkingwalking thethe other, and wewe bothboth knew whowho who waswas gunnedgunned down in1970.in 1970. around thethe folkfolk each otherother was,was, soso wewe stoppedstopped and talked.talked. WeWe "She andand herher husbandhusband knew Joey well and I clubs therethere last spent thethe eveningevening together,together, agreedagreed toto meetmeet knew JoeyJoey through through them,"them," saidsaid Levy.Levy."I "I spentspent summer. TheyThey were again andand maybe maybe work work together, together, andand leftleft itit atat aa lotlot ofof timetime with Joey in thatthat last yearyear hehe waswas WorldMags.net i .