MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minnesota musicians John Koerner and Peter Ostroushko about tribute CD for Bob Dylan and their personal memories of the famed musician.
An American legend was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941. Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan, would become one of the century's most influential artists. Some of the musicians who felt his influence have collaborated to create a CD in honor of his 60th birthday.
John Koerner first met Dylan in 1959, when they both were part of an emerging folk scene in Minneapolis.
Peter Ostroushko recalls his first recording session with Dylan.
Transcripts
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PETER OSTROUSHKO: The memory I have was a bunch of us, half a dozen or so, bought some wine and we went in the back of the chemistry building. There was a loading dock back there. And we had our guitars and sat around and played and sang. It was the beginning of a time, quite a bit of time in Dinkytown when we all get to know each other and hang out and perform together and so on.
CATHY WURZER: Peter Ostroushko met Dylan in 1974. Ostroushko was sick with walking pneumonia when a friend called and told him Dylan was looking for musicians to play on what would become his acclaimed Blood on the Tracks album.
PETER OSTROUSHKO: As we got there, they were already packing up. They were packing up their stuff. And someone came and brought Dylan over and introduced us. And we met him. And he looked at my instruments. I had a fiddle and a mandolin with me.
And he said, what's this one? And I said, that's a mandolin. He said, oh, well, I think there's a song I'd like to do that mandolin would sound real good on. So everyone pulled their instruments out again and he taught us this song If You See Her, Say Hello. And we recorded it. I went home, went back to bed. Got up in the morning. I had a fever the whole time. I mean, I really--
CATHY WURZER: You're still thinking this is a dream?
PETER OSTROUSHKO: Yeah. I woke up in the morning thinking it was a dream. And I called my friend down at the podium, Jim. And I said, Jim, you wouldn't believe this dream I had last night. And he listened to me describe this tale. And he said, buddy, that's no dream. You were there.
[BOB DYLAN, "IF YOU SEE HER, SAY HELLO"] If you see her, say hello
She might be in Tangier.
She left here last early spring
Is livin' there, I hear.
Say for me that I'm all right
Though things get kind of slow.
She might think that I've forgotten her
Don't tell her it isn't so.
CATHY WURZER: Peter Ostroushko and John Koerner are two of the featured performers on the CD A Nod to Bob. I asked Koerner why he chose to perform the non-Dylan song, Delia.
JOHN KOERNER: Well, OK. I have never in my life sung a Bob Dylan song, and I don't intend to. When people ask me to sing Bob Dylan song or if I know any Bob Dylan songs, I'd say, well, I got a deal with Dylan. I don't do any of his tunes and he doesn't do any of mine.
[LAUGHTER]
However, Dylan has made some very nice recordings of traditional material. I think he did a superb job on some of that. And being a person who plays mostly traditional material and who respects it, I thought I should might as well represent that aspect of it.
[JOHN KOERNER, "DELIA'S GONE"] Delia, hey, Delia
Why didn't you run?
Didn't you see that desperado
With his .44 smokeless gun?
Delia's gone, one more round
Delia's gone.
Now some gave Delia a nickel
Some gave her a dime
I didn't give her nothing
She weren't no gal of mine
Now, Delia's gone
Oh yes, now Delia's gone.
CATHY WURZER: Peter, you chose Restless Farewell, right?
PETER OSTROUSHKO: Well, actually, I didn't choose it. I was down in Tennessee back in December recording a record with a friend of mine named Norman Blake. And we were given the go ahead to do a Bob Dylan song. And so we just decided that I would be the instrumental guy and Norman would choose whatever song he felt like singing.
It's kind of like what John is kind of getting at here. I think Dylan's stuff is as universal as it is, is also a lot of it is very personal. And he says it in a way that a lot of people wouldn't ordinarily say something. And so I think in some ways, it's hard to interpret his stuff.
CATHY WURZER: You can't out-Dylan Dylan.
PETER OSTROUSHKO: Yeah, yeah. But Norman actually had a song in mind that he liked, which was one of the first things that Dylan did and did a fine job singing it.
[BOB DYLAN, "RESTLESS FAREWELL"] Oh every foe that ever I faced
The cause was there before we came
And every cause that ever I fought
I fought it full without regret or shame.
But the dark does
CATHY WURZER: Do you two think that Dylan's Minnesota roots had any impact on the way he looked at the world, looks at the world, his music? Any thoughts, Peter?
PETER OSTROUSHKO: Well, if anyone's ever been to the Iron Range and spent any time up there, I think it would be hard pressed to say that that wouldn't put some kind of influence on your life. I mean, frankly, growing up, being born and growing up there, I love it, but it's a lonesome place.
And I think that considering that he was there for a good chunk of his youth-- I'm a firm believer in that where you come from has a big influence on your bent and how you view things in life.
CATHY WURZER: Now left your own devices, what song would you pick?
PETER OSTROUSHKO: What song would I, oh boy. My tastes and Dylan's material tends to go way back to the early stuff. And if I would have chosen a song to sing, I probably would have picked Girl from the North Country. That's probably one of my favorite songs.
[BOB DYLAN, "GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY"] So if you're traveling in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine.