Can pot make for great pop?  Or pop make for great rock?  The answers may lie in what happened in the few years after an encounter between emerging superstars on August 28, 1964, when Dylan introduced the Fab 4 to pot at the Delmonico Hotel in New York. 

Part two of the Rockademia U podcast explores the cross-pollination between Dylan's cerebral approach and the Fab 4's pop approach, culminating in a quick comparison between Dylan's "4th Time Around" from Blonde on Blonde and Lennon & McCartney's "Norwegian Wood" from Rubber Soul, where a whole lot of borrowing took place. 

Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies. For more, visit jbpariah.com

Length: 24 ad-free minutes. 

Worth noting: The American Writer's Museum in Chicago has extended its Dylan exhibit till late fall.  The exhibit focuses on his mid-sixties period and features lots of memorabilia, including the Fender Stratocaster Dylan used for his ground-breaking and folk-shattering performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.  You can look but not touch, as it's encased in glass. 

Coming soon: An analysis of Dylan's Series of Dreams, yet another example of a Dylan outtake that would be the grandest achievement of many a lesser artist.

In this 45-minute follow-up to part one, Bob Dylan takes us from Liverpool all the way to Trump's wall at the border, stopping along the way in Juarez, in New Mexico with Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and in an all-night cafe/cantina somewhere along the border.  Segments include Dylan's connection to La Bamba, anti-heroes, Aaron Copland, & Tex-Mex music.  Includes a rare sampling of Dylan's take on Pastures of Plenty.   

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Bob Dylan takes us into that wild, unknown country south of the border accompanied by his sidekick, J.B. Pariah, who offers not just samplings of Dylan tunes but of musical tropes and Mexican heritage.

"Hope I die before I get old" is to the rocker what "to be or not to be" is to the actor--words to fuel the fire within.  In this re-podcast commemorating the Who's Superbowl performance of 2010, Dr. Russ Omens applies his expertise in clinical psychology and the Who to explore their quintessential youth anthem, "My Generation," sharing his insights on its origins, permutations, connections to growing up, and implications for its surviving members who age before our eyes even as they sing their defiant ode of youth.  Un-spoiler alert: Nothing stodgy here, done with verve and wit.  

Upcoming podcast: Dylan Goes South of the Border

Come hear why Bob Dylan's Visions of Johanna was proclaimed the "best pop lyric ever written" by Sir Andrew Motion, former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom.  Spoiler alert: It is not a drug song or a journey to the center of Dylan's mind-- it's an existential escapade to a whorehouse in an attempt to shed the ghost of Johanna. See Podcasts at jbpariah.com for a special slideshow of images relevant to the song and analysis.

"Electricity howls in the bones of her face."  

And join us on April 20 for a podcast on the Who's anthem of youth rebellion, My Generation.

Come all ye Dylan and/or Celtic music fans and hear even more songs that influenced many a Dylan tune and lyric while celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a virtual 

White Horse Tavern, where Dylan spent many an after-hour night soaking up the tunes & spirit of the Clancy Brothers and others.  Enjoy!

Coming soon: Visions of Visions of Johanna.  Learn why Andrew Motion, former poet laureate of Great Britain, considers it the greatest pop lyric ever written.

Come all ye Dylan and/or Celtic music fans and hear the songs that influenced many a Dylan tune and lyric while celebrating St. Patrick's Day at a virtual

White Horse Tavern, where Dylan spent many an after-hour night soaking up the tunes & spirit of the Clancy Brothers and others.  Enjoy!

Does August 28, 1964 ring a rock bell for you?   Probably not!  But it should if you're a fan of the art in rock & pop. This Rockademia U podcast takes you back in time and place to the Delmonico Hotel in New York on that day, when an interaction between Bob Dylan and The Beatles fueled a change in the course of their careers and pop music. And it might even strengthen your argument either for or against recreational pot! 

Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies. 

Length: 32 ad-free minutes.

Coming soon: Dylan at the White Horse Tavern on St. Paddy''s Day.  Hear for yourself the Celtic melodies and artists Dylan lifted & twisted from.

Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)

All alone this Valentine's Day with just one glass of Merlot, a dozen roses, and a box of chocolates for company as Joan Baez sings Dylan's "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word" in a loop?    To avoid a repeat next year, check out Dylan's five lessons of seduction.  Could be the most useful 41 minutes you've ever spent on your love life, especially if you don't share them with potential rivals.  Includes cuts straight from the master's mouth. 

Written, Engineered, and Produced by me, J.B., hoping that originality will make up for any technical deficiencies.

Coming soon: Dylan, the Fab Four, & The Book of Love & Visions of Visions of Johanna (an explication of what poet laureate Andrew Motion considers the best pop song ever written)