Tarantula

 Tarantula (1971) by Bob Dylan

A short and sweet review: I like Dylan a lot as a singer, song writer, and musician. I don't care much for stream of consciousness writing in poem or fiction form--especially when more than 50 percent of the random (but topical for the time) references fly on by me. I recognize a fair number--from "comin' through the rye" to "huntley & brinkley," from the play on the tell-tale heart to Jimmy Cagney (who rates capitals though huntley & brinkley don't). There are lines here and there that do sing and make some sense and the one theme running through is aretha (Aretha Franklin, who also does not rate capitals for whatever reason). I'm not quite sure what aretha represents, but I'd definitely make Aretha a running theme as well. But there's too much that I don't recognize which makes the full-on mind dump even more gibberish than stream of consciousness normally is. If you like that sort of thing, then you may like this a lot--and maybe it's brilliant. I wouldn't know. No rating because I just don't know what to do with this.

First line (preface): In the fall of 1966, we were to publish Bob Dylan's "first book."

Poets and writers tell us how we feel by telling us how they feel. They find ways to express the inexpressible. Sometimes they tell the truth and sometimes they lie to us to keep our hearts from breaking. (xiii)

First line: aretha/ crystal jukebox queen of hymn & him diffused in

let it be understood that she owns this melody along with her musical diplomats
& her earth & her musical secrets (p. 1)

Last line: "Life--Death & the lumberjacks are coming"