It is obvious that Maureen Dowd did not do any real research for her New York Times op-ed piece, Blowin’ in the Idiot Wind (April 9, 2011). I will not link to it - you can Google it yourself.
Since comments are no longer allowed on the website, I guess I'll say my piece here.
First of all, almost all of the facts are incorrect, as I previously reported two days ago.
There is no evidence that Dylan was censored at all in China.
Where is the investigative journalism ? Someone speculated in the press, and it is now reported as "fact". Where is the original document or announcement? There is not even a clear consensus as to why last year's concert didn't take place. It certainly wasn't canceled, since it was never confirmed.
Dylan's "censored" set list was actually pretty standard. Dozen's of articles - published before Dowd's - used "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" as examples of "censored" songs that Dylan did not perform, while Dowd suggested another "protest" song that Dylan "should" have sung. Here are the facts:
- "Blowin' In The Wind" was performed only ten times last year.
- "Times" was performed only once in 2010 - at a special White House performance.
- "Hurricane" has not been performed since 1976 (35 years ago!)!
Dylan rarely comments about anything, especially in concert. Why should he? His presence in China brought enough attention to the cause of Ai Weiwei, probably more than Dowd and the New York Times could ever hope to accomplish. Who knows how these gigs will impact those in attendance. (I assume Dowd was not there.) And how much "Communist cash" did Dylan actually make? What were his expenses? Dylan often charges less that other acts, and one interpretation could be that he'd like to connect to audiences in China, and Vietnam, while he is still able.
As Dylan once commented: "Never create anything; it will be misinterpreted; it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life; it will never change."
It is obvious that Dowd was the one selling herself out, much like the Wall Street Journal did last year. She cynically knew that if she wrote this article, it would stir controversy, and create traffic to the New York Times website, thus creating comments and much-needed revenue.
In 2009, the New York Times published an erroneous story about Dylan possibly being a GPS voice. Their research? They read about it in the U.K. paper, The Guardian.
Effort? Zilch.
It's odd to read Dowd writing paragraph after paragraph about how Dylan sold out years ago, then is shocked that
he has sold out by playing China this year. Maybe the headline should read - "Dylan continues to do the same thing for almost half a century" ?
Dylan playing in China - under any circumstance - will surely have more impact than Dylan not playing in China. One of the great things about Dylan and his art is that he does not hit you over the head. He does not insult his audience.
Unlike Dowd.
I could go on and on about her other vapid comments, but why bother? As they say, don't let facts get in the way of a bad story. And to paraphrase Dylan, "All the traffic you've generated to your website will never buy back your credibility."
This just in: The Ottawa Sun reports "Dylan cuts protest songs for Vietnam show": Folk icon Bob Dylan voluntarily (my emphasis) opted against performing his famous protest songs as he made his live debut in Vietnam on Sunday, hitting the stage for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City.
Here we go again.
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