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AN “INCOMPLETE” UNKNOWN: Bob Dylan’s "Through The Open Window" (The Bootleg Series Vol. 18) reviewed. By Harold Lepidus (Boston Harold Podcast)

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  AN “INCOMPLETE” UNKNOWN:  Bob Dylan’s "Through The Open Window" (The Bootleg Series Vol. 18) reviewed.  By Harold Lepidus  (Boston Harold Podcast) October 24, 2025 The newest installment of the Bob Dylan “Bootleg Series,” this one volume 18 , is the long rumored Through The Open Window , a collection of some of his earliest recordings, going back to 1950s Hibbing, Minnesota, up through October, 1963, including material that has never even been leaked (officially or otherwise) into the hand of collectors. (Sony) What a treasure trove to discover for those who just recently got into Dylan, and what a wonderful excuse for veteran Bobcats to look back at these early days. I know I’ve collected a lot of these recordings, many years ago, and a lot of them are probably only on Maxwell cassettes in unmarked boxes in my basement, and my cassette player is broken.   First of all, I must mention Sean Wilentz’s essay included in the accompanying booklet. Writing abo...
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Talkin' Bob Dylan with Wesley Stace, plus a whole bunch of other stuff (including writing the libretto for "Dido's Ghost," Lou Reed, Springsteen, and more)

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Talkin' Bob Dylan with Wesley Stace, plus a whole bunch of other stuff (including writing the libretto for "Dido's Ghost," Lou Reed, Springsteen, and more) by Harold Lepidus (Boston Harold Podcast)   This is a three part interview I conducted with singer-songwriter-author Wesley Stace, via Zoom, on October 3, 2025. The first half of the interview (in parts one and part of two) is a conventional interview, where we cover the evolution of his name, updating his catalogue, his novels, the Frank Capra connection, collaborating with Lou Reed, opening for Bruce Springsteen in 1995, the evolution of his "Cabinet of Wonders" concert series, writing the libretto for the opera "Dido's Ghost," losing close friends, and his future plans.  Part One But what Wesley REALLY wanted to talk about with me was Bob Dylan, so that took up the second half of this interview.  Part Two (Some Dylan) Wesley was very generous with his time, and so much fun to talk to. Wes...
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GEMINI SUITE: Bob Dylan's 2025 OUTLAW Blues (Concert review) by Harold Lepidus

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  GEMINI SUITE:  Bob Dylan's 2025 OUTLAW Blues (Concert review) If you’re going to comment about the division currently occurring in this country, or between this country and others, or the lack of it here between church and state, who better to chronicle it (consciously or not) than the Nobel Prize winning Gemini, Bob Dylan.     There have been recurring themes that have been marinating in my cerebrum as I've listened to some live recordings from Bob Dylan’s recent performances as part of the 10th anniversary "Outlaw" tour. I had attended two “Outlaw” shows earlier this month, one at the Xfinity Theater in Hartford, the other the next day at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA (the one the locals still refer to as “Great Woods.”) While I noticed the themes of division and separation at the actual shows, mostly referring to the end of some sort of romantic relationship, since then I couldn't help but identify certain strands that infiltrated the set list, which ...
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