On January 17, 1965, Bob Dylan appeared on “The Les Crane Show” at WABC studios in New York.
He was interviewed at length by Les Crane, and he performed two songs: “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleedin’)”
Here’s a bit of the interview. The entire interview is reprinted below the audio.
Dylan: Well, I’m gonna try to make a movie this summer. Which Allen Ginsberg is writing. I’m rewriting …
Crane: Allen Ginsberg, the poet?
Dylan: Yeah, yeah.
Crane: He was on this program you know.
Dylan: Yeah.
Crane: Extolling the virtues of marijuana one night.
Dylan: Really? Allen?? (audience laughter). Sounds like a lie to me (audience laughter).
Crane: That’s really … You think I’m lying?
Dylan: No, I didn’t mean that.
Crane: Allen Ginsberg was sitting in that chair where Caterina Valente is sitting right now and he said that he thought that we ought to legalize pot.
Dylan: He said that?
Crane: Right on the television.
Dylan: Pheeeww!
Crane: Can you imagine that?
Dylan: Nah. Allen is a little funny sometimes (audience roars with laughter).
Crane: Allen’s funny sometimes, huh? Yes … what is this movie going to be about?
Dylan: Oh it’s a, sort of a horror cowboy movie (audience laughter). Takes place on the New York Thruway.
Crane: A horror cowboy movie that takes place .. I don’t think that’s exactly what Tommy Sands had in mind.
Dylan: No, well, its, that’s the kind of movie it’s gonna be though. You know.
Crane: It’s gonna be one of those underground pictures, right?
Dylan: No. It’s gonna be all straight. On the up and up.
Crane: Yeah? Are you gonna star in it?
Dylan: Yeah, yeah, I’m a hero.
I’ve included the songs, audio of Les and Bob’s conversation, and a transcript of the interview.
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”:
Les Crane interviews Bob Dylan, February 17, 1965:
“It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleedin'”:
Here’s the interview in full:
Crane: Mr Bob Dylan, Ladies and Gentlemen! (applause) (shouts) Hello Bobby!
Dylan: I’m alright!
Crane: Are you plugged in? All right.
Dylan: [sings It’s All Over Now Baby Blue]
Crane: Thank you Bob and I’ll be right back.
—-< break >—-
Crane: How’d it feel?
Dylan: Fine.
Crane: Did it feel good?
Dylan: Felt good.
Crane: Yeah, you were groovy. What’cha doin’ with that?
Dylan: Oh, I’m just trying to get it down so it doesn’t fall in the way of my voice you know.
Crane: We had … looking at that harmonica, have you ever met Jesse Fuller?
Dylan: Sure.
Crane: Jessie was on the show a couple of weeks ago. We didn’t get a chance to talk much but next time he comes back, I want to because he looks like an amazing gentleman. Talking about amazing gentlemen, how old are you?
Dylan: 23!
Crane: 23 years old!
Dylan: Yeah, I’ll be 24 in May!
Crane: Yeah. A lot’s happened to you in just 23 years hasn’t it?
Dylan: Yeah, yeah, fantastic!
Crane: Are you happy about it?
Dylan: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Crane: You oughta be. Because you’re successful at doing, I think, what you want to do more than anything else.
Dylan: Yeah, yeah, I don’t have much to think about.
Crane: You don’t have much to think about? I think you must be thinking about an awful lot of things to write the kind of things you do.
Dylan: Yeah, yeah.
Crane: Tell ’em!
Dylan: Yeah.
Crane: Tell ’em, just for those out there in the audience that might not know all of the songs that you’ve written. Just name a few of the big ones!
Dylan: Oh.
Crane: This is the composer of …
Dylan: SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES!
Crane: No! That ain’t one of the big ones! (audience laughter)
Dylan: No?
Crane: No.
Dylan: Let’s see, One Too Many Mornings.
Crane: How about Blowin’ In The Wind?
Dylan: Yeah? (applause)
Crane: Do you folks. maybe you remember the night that Judy Collins…, and I kept saying “You gotta sing this song, you gotta sing this song” and Judy Collins came out and and sang the full original version of Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall? Well, Bob wrote that!
Dylan: Yeah, I wrote that (applause).
Crane: Who are you waving at?
Dylan: Odetta!
Crane: Odetta! (To audience) Do you know who Odetta is? (lots of applause). Put a light on that lady!! How are you darling? … Talk about great artists! That’s one of them! (To Odetta) You are going to be on show in a while aren’t you?
Odetta: Next month.
Crane: Next month. Yeah, Odetta is all booked …
Crane: When did you first start pickin’ and singin’, Bob?
Dylan: Oh… When I was about ten, eleven.
— continued —
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