Thursday, January 27, 2005
Self portrait
Posted by Chris Neal on Thu, Jan 27, 2005 at 10:39 PM
Been reading Bob Dylan's autobiography, Chronicles, Volume One. Makes me want to drop the subjects from the beginnings of my sentences, like Bob does. Hoping that'll make me cool like Bob. Don't think it'll work.
Seriously, I just wanted to share my single favorite sentence in a book full of astonishing sentences. Dylan is in New Orleans in 1989 to record Oh Mercy with producer Daniel Lanois, and things are off to a rocky start. "He got so frustrated," Dylan writes of Lanois, "he flashed into a rage, swung around, flinging a metallic dobro like it was some kind of toy and smashed it to the floor with furious actions."
Furious actions. I had to drop the book and walk a few laps around my apartment when I read that, just letting it pinball around my head. I can only hope to write a sentence that good someday. Later, he describes Memphis production legend Jim Dickinson as having "manic purpose." Oh mercy, indeed.
Seriously, I just wanted to share my single favorite sentence in a book full of astonishing sentences. Dylan is in New Orleans in 1989 to record Oh Mercy with producer Daniel Lanois, and things are off to a rocky start. "He got so frustrated," Dylan writes of Lanois, "he flashed into a rage, swung around, flinging a metallic dobro like it was some kind of toy and smashed it to the floor with furious actions."
Furious actions. I had to drop the book and walk a few laps around my apartment when I read that, just letting it pinball around my head. I can only hope to write a sentence that good someday. Later, he describes Memphis production legend Jim Dickinson as having "manic purpose." Oh mercy, indeed.
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