It was 30 years ago today (almost)

If my mem'ry serves me well, it was late June, 30 years ago, and now is the end of May, but hey, is one day after Bob Dylan's birthday, so I guess i'm in topic


So i was a 13 year old kid, getting 14 in few days, that late June 1976. I wasn't a big music fan at all, tho my bros and sisters, older than me, were taking home albums all the time: I remember Neil Young's Harvest - not impressed -, Cat Stevens' Buddha and the Chocolate Box - quite impressed -, lots of italian songwriters - not impressed at all.

I remember tho coming home from school everyday and turning the radio on: there was some radio shows with lot of music, most of those mid 70s soft rock songs, hell punk rock was happening in the UK those days but we are always late in Italy - not impressed but i was keep on keepin' on, like unconsciously looking for something to happen.

So one night at the TV there is this music show, they are talking about someone important, it seems, then they let the video on and BLAM.. this totally unknown guy, an american guy with a black lather jack and a bunch of afro hair singing the hell out of him… guess this was what i was looking for on my radio… years later i discovered that what i was witnessed that night was Bob Dylan performance at the john hammond show, performing a 'new song', Hurricane…


From that moment, the deal of my life was to get some records from this bob dylan guy. My bros advised me: 'beware, not everything this guy have done is good' (hey mid 70s, selfportrait was just around the corner…, probably Blood on the tracks was not a big deal here)

Dont gave a flying duck, i knew that this song Hurricane was on a new album out from few weeks, Desire was the name, and my mission was to got the money to buy it.

The chance came only at the end of June of that year, 1976: it was both my birthday and also i was bound to start in few months high school, a big moment for me. My parents gave me some money to celebrate, and here i'm, running to the closest supermarket where i knew the album was. It was about 2 and half dollars, thats was a new LP price 29 years ago.

“'scusme, madam” asked to the girl at the desk, “i'd like to buy bob dylan new album”


“mmm.. we have a few, whats the name”, she asked

“Desire”, i said, trying to spell the name right

“Nah we dont have that one”

total desperation

“how come…” (about to crying)

“let me see again.. oh here it was, Desirée…” she spelled at la francoise.. hell .. fucking Desirée or not, here it was, and it was mine!


to make a long story short my life changed forever from that day. I remember staying at home all the afternoons, listening endlessy to it, trying to translate each single word, (looking thorugh the dictionary the meaning of “the” as well..), soon discovering the likes of woody guthrie, joan baez, all the possibile connection to dylans (THE BYRDS!) and they opened an entire world full of promises and dreams and hopes to me, thanx to bob.

got a bob dylan GH (the one that came out in 1967) soon after, got a book of lyrics with translations… bob dylan was all that a boy could hope for a meaning in his life, or so it seems in those days.

Not even 3 months later the italian TV showed this dylan tv special.. it was Hard Rain, christ i still can remember the shock to see that unbelievable performance.. then a 45 came out, with a song that i still love, Rita May ( gave that 45 to a girl i was in love, lost the girl soon and the 45 as well, lesson learned, never give a record to a girlfriend…).. then the new album, a live album, of corse Hard Rain…

How great were the days of discovering, how great was to be a kid, and how cool was Desire… and how appropriate that that particoular album was titled that way.. 'desire'.. like life should be...