Jan 02 2025 47 mins
My guest on this episode of Writers at Work is Elijah Wald, veteran music journalist, cultural critic and well-traveled blues and folk guitarist. That last attribute is meaningful. If Elijah brings a "been there, done that" feel when writing about the likes of Robert Johnson, Josh White, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, it's because he's been there and done that.
Accordingly, mythology can't fool him, and he knows the story lies in the facts. Elijah's bio is fascinating, and I encourage you to seek out what you can find out about him. Though his latest book is JELLY ROLL BLUES: CENSORED SONGS AND HIDDEN HISTORIES, a typically rich Wald foray into a world of music. We're going to spend our time together discussing his 2015 book DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC!: NEWPORT, SEEGER, DYLAN, AND THE NIGHT THAT SPLIT THE SIXTIES.
It's the basis for the new film, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, James Mangold's bio drama about Bob Dylan, his arrival in Greenwich Village, his growth as an artist, and his controversial set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Even if—or especially if—you've seen the film (and I think everyone I know has), you will learn from Elijah that there is much more to the story than can be conveyed in a 141-minute film.
To say Elijah explains it all might be overstating it, but not by much.