is Donovan really this much of a tw*t?

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What, whimsical folk singers?

A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Donovan is like 10 million billion times better than Devendra Banheart.

Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Do people not get that Donovan's lyrics are FUNNY?

Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:01 (eighteen years ago) link

he played in our office once and sat in a chair next to mine singing "you ying my yang" from his very, very sad "beat" album of recent. i had to pinch myself to keep from laughing out loud.

katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 16:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I'd like to see David Brent (the British one) cover that one.

shookout (shookout), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:51 (eighteen years ago) link

poor guy. that scene in don't look back is really painful to watch.


----I am so sick of reading about the Don't look back scene. Donovan requested he play It's all Over now Baby Blue. The thick headed Dylan fans will never see this because they don't want to see it. Donovan hands him the guitar and says "I want to hear It's all over now Baby Blue." Then Dylan asks, "You wanna hear that." and he asks what tuning his guitar is in. Donovan tells him its in a D tuning. People really need to watch this movie more closely. Donovan wasn't embarrassed at the song he friggan requested, how could he be? Enough ranting.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 11:50 (eighteen years ago) link

he played in our office once and sat in a chair next to mine singing "you ying my yang" from his very, very sad "beat" album of recent. i had to pinch myself to keep from laughing out loud.
-- katie, a princess (kati...), September 13th, 2005.


You shouldn't be laughing, you should have been in awe that the greatest singer songwriter was performing right in front of your eyes. You should have been praising him, and by the way, Beat Cafe is an amazing album. Better then anything the old 60's artist are doing these days, including Dylan's recent album and McCartney's.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 11:54 (eighteen years ago) link

The writer of this article has his head way up his ass, or his you know what way up Dylan's ass. I would love to email him and go off. He obviously is not a Donovan fan and should not have been interviewing him.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 11:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Clearly the author is also a jaded, snotty person, but Donovon's quotes also speak for themselves.

Still though, I don't see how anyone could say Donovan's in the same class as Dylan, that's just insane, on many levels, beginning with volume alone. For every transcendend moment Donovan has, Dylan's got 20.

Also, I've read large portions of his book (which no one has mentioned), and it's unintentionally hilarious, evidence of massive self-involvement and an ego spun far out of proportion to actual ability.

shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 12:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Sorry, I do not agree, I have every single album that Dylan has released and every single one that Donovan released. I find every single Donovan album minus his Lady of the Stars album from 1983 to be better then every single Dylan album. I do agree that Donovan is a bit bitter about not getting the attention he deserves all these years. Rightfully so, he is totally forgotten about and it sucks. Does Dylan have 13 top 40 singles? I am only asking because i'm not sure how he has charted over the years. Don's guitar playing and singing are worlds apart from Dylan. Donovan has more range in different styles of songwriting. Don sings of love and fairytales and Dylan is a story teller, they are totally two different artists and comparing them is a waste of time. A good comparison to Donovan is Cat Stevens or Mike Heron and Robin Williamson from ISB.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 13:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter of the rock era. Donovan is a guilty pleasure.

Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:24 (eighteen years ago) link

I know that sounded troll-like, but I have a hard time believing that anyone can seriously place Donovan ahead of Dylan on any level. It's preposterous.

Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:31 (eighteen years ago) link

>>>I have a hard time believing that anyone can seriously place Donovan ahead of Dylan on any level

Donovan can carry a vocal melody better (or at least more accurately) than Bob.

I'm not a huge fan of either, but have records by both. I can understand Bob's "importance", but I prefer to listen to Donovan. As others have pointed out, it's the journalist that's the real idiot here...

harvey.w (harvey.w), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:34 (eighteen years ago) link

I would love to email him and go off. He obviously is not a Donovan fan and should not have been interviewing him.

agreed, the only people who should interview artists are their #1 fans

Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:52 (eighteen years ago) link

"One time Donovon and Issac Brock slipped me some roofies and then tag-teamed me for about three hours. I find it hard not to be bitter."
-------------------------------------------

I'm a long time Donovan fan, but lately been hearing stories like this. So not fitting with is image. Bit of an old fart to be playing these games. Ah modern medicine.

earthsign man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:03 (eighteen years ago) link

"One time Donovon and Issac Brock slipped me some roofies and then tag-teamed me for about three hours. I find it hard not to be bitter."


-----Maybe she meant Donovan's son Donovan Jr, and who is Issac Brock?

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:06 (eighteen years ago) link

The evil twin brother of Isaac Brock obviously

Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:10 (eighteen years ago) link

In his prime, Dylan was a much better, far more original singer than Donovan ever was.

shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:13 (eighteen years ago) link

-----Maybe she meant Donovan's son Donovan Jr, and who is Issac Brock?
-----------------------

Brock is the singer with Modern Mouse. Saw them and Donovan at Bumbershoot Festival a couple of years ago.

eathsign man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link

I can't add much to this thread besides my opinion that donovan was a sweetheart and a first-rate songwriter, but i did read an interview with Charles Bukowski, of all people, in which he said he much preferred Donovan to Dylan.

If I may say so, that's awesome.

owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:29 (eighteen years ago) link

*speaking of isaac brock

owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link

In his prime, Dylan was a much better, far more original singer than Donovan ever was.

---opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. How many Donovan albums have you heard in their entirety? Can you name more than 3 without googling Donovan Albums? What is not original about Donovan's songwriting? Donovan wrote far more tracks on his first LP then Dylan did on his. I might add the songs that Donovan wrote on his first LP Whats Bin Did are a lot better then Dylan's. Song to Woody was about the best, other than that they were weak. Dylan was a Woody clone. No one puts Dylan down for ripping him off when he was a rookie in the music world. Listen to all of Don's albums before you judge. Forget about Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow, he is much deeper then that. Listen to HMS Donovan, Dylan could never match that album.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link

You know why Dylan didn't write most of the songs on his first album, but Donovan did?

Because in the intervening years, this crazy thing happened where Bob Dylan invented the modern concept of the singer-songwriter!

Also, it's always seemed to me in that Don't Look Back scene that Dylan says, in his amphetamine-enhanced frog voice, "I wanna play 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue'" as he takes the guitar.

A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:07 (eighteen years ago) link

No one puts Dylan down for ripping people off because he ripped people off very well.

Better than Donovan ripped him off.

shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:08 (eighteen years ago) link

P.S. Hurdy Gurdy Man: read Donovan's book and get back to me.

shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:09 (eighteen years ago) link

By the way -- the "rip-off" argument doesn't work all that well in either direction, because a) Dylan is the ultimate rip-off artist and b) Donovan rather quickly moved on to finding his own, extremely un-Dylanlike sound. Oh, and c) all music is theft and that whole agony of influence thing.

A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:15 (eighteen years ago) link

Also: I've head a ton of Donovan, and I think he's fine, but no where near the same level as Dylan. The whole idea is just a laugh.

On another front: That scene in Don't Look Back is like a Rosarch test for music writers. After hearing about how confrontational it was, when I finally saw it, I was surprised at how confrontational is wasn't. I think the whole idea of Dylan dressing Donovan down there was created a bit in the editing and mostly in the imaginations of music writers.

shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:20 (eighteen years ago) link

I like them both. What's the big deal?

g gardner, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:31 (eighteen years ago) link

The whole debate is silly, especially considering that it's not, say, 1965 anymore. It's a bit like TS: John Prine vs. Beck, or something.

A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Also, it's always seemed to me in that Don't Look Back scene that Dylan says, in his amphetamine-enhanced frog voice, "I wanna play 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue'" as he takes the guitar.


Nope, You can actually read Donovan's lips and hear him say "I want to Hear its all over now baby blue" Donovan had heard Dylan play this from previous nights of the UK tour and liked it because it was a brand new song at the time. But I do agree that the editing and press made it look a lot worse then it ever was. It was a friendly jam, can't forget folk banjolegend Derroll Adams, The Banjo Man. He was there watching his young prodigy at work. Alan Price from the Animals said that Dylan was listening to Don's first album quite a bit during that tour and really enjoyed it. They were fans of eachother. The scene where Alan tells Bob that Donovan is a better guitarist then he was brilliant!!

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:51 (eighteen years ago) link

Beat Cafe is an amazing album

i respectfully disagree. some good songwriting, but many of the lyrics make me wretch.

plus, some dude, straightfaced, is cooing quasi-eastern spiritual babble wrapped in thin beatnik vocab is pretty funny when he's sitting right next to you.

You shouldn't be laughing, you should have been in awe that the greatest singer songwriter was performing right in front of your eyes.

doh! that's what i should have done! thanks for the input.

i was somewhat in awe. i guess i don't have a username to reflect as such.

katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:58 (eighteen years ago) link

has any seen my good grammar? i don't think i left it in here...

katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Who wouldn't want to share a stage with Donovan?

O'so Krispie (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:01 (eighteen years ago) link

i was somewhat in awe. i guess i don't have a username to reflect as such.

Hi Katie,
'
----Where do you work that Donovan would just drop by and play in the office? That is so cool!!

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:11 (eighteen years ago) link

it was pretty cool. he did "lalena" and "atlantis," i think, besides all the "beat cafe stuff."

katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Donovan's music always requires a little suspension of pragmatic, hard nosed reality, but so do most works of art, movies and novels. Despite anything, Donovan creates a world in his music unlike any other and he is the only one doing it and continuing to do it for the last forty years. There is a golden thread of ethics, morality, spirituality and beauty that is woven into the tapestry of his music that is wonderful. Based on the world situation today with war in Iraq and the shameful response to the Hurricane Katrina, it's nice to have someone still talking about peace and love and the brotherhood of man. Is he a little twee sometimes, sure, but he is the only one out there with balls to keep on distributing a message that is sorely needed in this world.

Gregory Hodgkins, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:32 (eighteen years ago) link

---opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one.


Why such a vulgar response to a friendly debate?Is this the typical peace love and brotherhood of man Donovan fan?Maybe so.Donovan came to town awhile back and created quite a scene with his roadie and some teen girls in a local night spot.Made all the local news.I can go with the roofie story after this.

Leo Zena, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 17:41 (eighteen years ago) link

The whole debate is silly, especially considering that it's not, say, 1965 anymore. It's a bit like TS: John Prine vs. Beck, or something.

uh...Yay! I guess some people have to be careful 'cos their parents are reading, or posting, or whatever, or maybe they're even on here pretending to be 30 years old again...

kidnapping and blackmail (dymaxia), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Why such a vulgar response to a friendly debate?Is this the typical peace love and brotherhood of man Donovan fan?Maybe so.Donovan came to town awhile back and created quite a scene with his roadie and some teen girls in a local night spot.Made all the local news.I can go with the roofie story after this.


I wasn't trying to be vulgar, everyone has an opinion like everyone has an asshole. Meaning we all can express our opinions. Has nothing to do with Peace and Love.

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:13 (eighteen years ago) link

Why such a vulgar response to a friendly debate?Is this the typical peace love and brotherhood of man Donovan fan?Maybe so.Donovan came to town awhile back and created quite a scene with his roadie and some teen girls in a local night spot.Made all the local news.I can go with the roofie story after this.


---I thought I heard something about this.. Was this the Mountain Goat band or something like that??

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:15 (eighteen years ago) link

For those Donomaniacs out there, go to my forum

www.everlastingsea.com this was listed on the 4 remastered EMI cd's issued in the UK this past spring.

cheers
HGM

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:20 (eighteen years ago) link

I thought I heard something about this.. Was this the Mountain Goat band or something like that??

J0hn Darn1elle to thread.

A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Donovan was the sun in my life. Dylan was the moon.

Massimo Cavezzali, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Why do you have to be so vulgar? Man everyone's got a moon, you don't have to brag about yours being a Grammy award winning songwriter.

Frogm@n Henry, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 18:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Why do you have to be so vulgar? Man everyone's got a moon, you don't have to brag about yours being a Grammy award winning songwriter.

----Took him about 40 years to do it, and he brings it on the road with him. Pretty humble

hurdy gurdy man, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 19:13 (eighteen years ago) link

To all the critics--Donovan has written so many songs (few hundred). If you haven't heard most of them (forget the greatest hits for a moment). I like many singers, but Donovan is the only that touches my soul. His music is magic. As for the "Silly Songs", I appreciate a man with a good sense of humor. I saw "Don't look back", and do not see Donovan being insulted. He held up well, and I believe he requested that song from Dylan. His voice is superb (I know this, having attended concerts recently. He is also courteous to fans, and I have NEVER seen him angry.Long live Donovan and his music. I actually feel for those who haven't heard the full scope of what he does musically.
Lady-o-the Lamp4

Theresa Carucci, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 19:35 (eighteen years ago) link

There is a golden thread of ethics, morality, spirituality and beauty that is woven into the tapestry of his music that is wonderful.


I suppose this is true of his music.But his well publicized escapades are the antithesis.I've put Donovan's CDs aside for awhile.I have daughters.I can't let them think I condone his treatment of women by playing his music.

Leo Zena, Thursday, 22 September 2005 14:29 (eighteen years ago) link

Has nothing to do with Peace and Love

Obviously

Leo Zena, Thursday, 22 September 2005 14:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Was this proven, what did he do?? Just curious..

hurdy gurdy man, Thursday, 22 September 2005 14:59 (eighteen years ago) link

But his well publicized escapades are the antithesis.
---------------------------
I've heard of several incidents. But do we really need details? Just another aging rocker trying to relive his heydey. So pedestrian really.

earthsign man, Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:42 (eighteen years ago) link


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