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Episode: Connections: Bob Dylan 81st Birthday Celebration with Special Guest Chris Frantz
May 24, 2022 episode of Connections on WPKN with Eric Cocks, celebrating Bob Dylan’s 81st birthday with my good friend and very special guest, Chris Frantz of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club. It’s spontaneous! It’s non-linear!! And it’s more fun than the news!!!
We’re also joined by our friend and WPKN dj Catherine Conroy.
We all have our own versions of Bob Dylan, his music, his art, what the songs mean to us and who we believe he may be as a person. Some of that or all of that may be fluid, seeming to change over time.
It feels like an honor and a privilege to live in the same time as Bob Dylan, to have seen him perform so many times, to have appreciated and loved his music from the early days to the present time and to be able to play his music and celebrate Bob on the WPKN airwaves on his birthday for well over a decade.
I believe his work will still be known and loved hundreds of years from now.
I’m thankful that he’s been able to successfully navigate being Bob Dylan for all these decades, feeling free to change and express his art, his music and his image on his own terms and in his own way, unafraid to take chances.
I’m glad he’s still here, actively creating and performing.
This show is in the moment. It’s what felt right and what happened between 5 and 7 pm at the new studios in Downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, covering a small part of Bob’s music, influenced by everything around us.
There are many hundreds of songs that could have easily gone into this show. And each would have been every bit as relevant or meaningful on a personal level.
Part of the fun of Dylan is that you never know quite what to expect. That goes for his live performances and his albums. More than any artist I’ve ever seen, he stays in the moment. And these moments often transcend time.
Bob has entertained, amused and influenced all of us. He’s influenced other artists directly and indirectly, even when they didn’t know it.
There’s only one Bob Dylan!!
And we’re all very thankful for all that he’s done and all that he’s given us!!!
Thanks for tuning in!!
This show is also a low key fundraiser for WPKN. If you’d like, you can still donate to the station online at wpkn.org or by calling 203-331-9756 during business hours. Tell ‘em Eric and Chris sent you.
For anyone who might enjoy this, last Friday’s episode of Connections on WPKN is also available in archives.
Exponential Connections: The Kinks, Beatles, Dylan, Stones, Bowie plus new and vintage music:
Also includes John Lennon, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bobby Neuwirth, Steve Earle, The Crystals, Prince, Jenny O., Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy, Miranda Lambert, Eric Ambel, Joy Askew, JB Dunckel and whatever happened in the moment.
For info, updates and occasional videos, photos and articles, please join the Facebook page Connections on WPKN
Show: Connections... with Eric Cocks
Connections... with Eric Cocks
Explores the connections between songs, songwriters, musicians, producers and people... often in surprising ways.
Vital, intelligent music with true artistic vision. Or just because it sounds good...
Includes extended features on specific artists such as Bob Dylan, The Kinks, The Beatles and far more. Also comedy by Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Eddie Izzard, Paul Krassner and others with a rock and roll renegade attitude. In depth explorations of early electronic music (and how it relates to current music). Vital new music that deserves to be heard. Surf music. Garage bands. British invasion. Rock and Roll. John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Jimi Hendrix, Laurie Anderson, William Burroughs, Robert Anton Wilson, The Blues Magoos, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Dr Fiorella Terenzi, Beethoven, Bo Diddley, The Rolling Stones, Alex Chilton, Nilsson, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, Jon Brion, Aimee Mann, Tame Impala, Grimes, The Pretenders, Blondie, Caitlin Rose, Juana Molina, Mojo Mancini, Elliott Randall, Marshall Chapman, Jessy Lanza, Big Star, demos, rarities, unreleased new music and far more may be part of any given show. Also live interviews of performers, writers, producers, engineers, session musicians and people behind the scenes. Plus unexpected surprises...
Previous in depth interviews include Sam Phillips, Peppy Castro of The Blues Magoos, author/comedian Paul Krassner, Chris Frantz of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Neil Innes of The Rutles, Tommy James, legendary session musician Carol Kaye, Warren Zanes, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, Rod Argent of The Zombies, Oscar Winning Composer Alan Menken, Patty Larkin and more. All are available in archives for about 385 days. (Maybe that'll get extended some day.) Stay tuned for future interviews and special features.
The show will keep changing over time.
Tune in every 1st and 3rd Friday afternoon of each month at the new time of 4 to 7 pm eastern. Also special editions at other times. Available live over the air at 89.5, online at http://wpkn.org, tunein radio or listen later in the WPKN archives.
For further info, updates, news, videos and special features, please check the FaceBook site: Connections on WPKN
Thanks for tuning in!