Today in History: April 11

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Bob Dylan made his New York City debut opening for John Lee Hooker at Gerde’s Folk City 55 years ago today. He sang about it in “Talkin’ New York”:

After weeks and weeks of hanging around
I finally got a job in New York town
In a bigger place, bigger money too
Even joined the Union and paid my dues.

“Talkin’ New York” (below the fold):
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Where Am I?

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

This morning, I became a grown-up: I attempted to remove glasses from my face that were already in my fist.

For those of you who are lifelong glasses-wearers (it is almost 40 years for me), you know that there are several distinct methods of removing eyeglasses and several messages that can be communicated in the manner of their removal. Off the top of my head, there’s “Two-handed and Thoughtful,” “One-handed and from the Right and Peeved” (I usually accidentally fling my glasses to the floor or across my desk with that one), and “One-handed and from the Left and Trying to Get to the Heart of Things.” There are others. Putting them on in front of people usually communicates this: “Enough Fun, Everyone. Back to Work.”

It can be like semaphore, but with glasses.
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Today in History: April 10

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Reading alters the appearance of a book. Once it has been read, it never looks the same again, and people leave their individual imprint on a book they have read. Once of the pleasures of reading is seeing this alteration on the pages, and the way, by reading it, you have made the book yours.—Paul Theroux, The Old Patagonian Express

Paul Theroux is 75 today. The author of more than thirty novels (“The Mosquito Coast” is perhaps his most famous, as it was made into a Harrison Ford film in the 1980s), he is best known for his travel writing, and has written more than a dozen books about his world travels. He never flies to a destination but travels by train and/or bus in the company of those who live where he is, and he rarely has a destination. No “from the Atlantic to the Pacific in a week” or “80 days in Spain” type books, these are travel books that are different from Fodor’s guides or guides of any sort: there are no photos of the author in front of famous locations or meeting other famous writers. Often, there are no photos at all.
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