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Tune in for Bob Dylan B-Day Programming!

Posted at 4:43 PM on May 13, 2011 by The Current (7 Comments)
Filed under: Local


Joan Baez and Bob Dylan


Bob Dylan will turn 70 next week, and The Current and MPR News have lined up some great Dylan programming to celebrate.


MPR News coverage

Starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, MPR News presents an evening of special Dylan programming. First up is a one-hour documentary from Morning Edition & MPR News producer Jim Bickal called Boy from the North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota.


Dylan's Career in Photos


Find photos from various stages of Dylan's long career at MPR News.


Boy from the North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota


It's well known that Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth and raised in Hibbing, and that he later lived in Minneapolis while he briefly attended the University of Minnesota—where, of course, he dropped out after one year, eventually moving to New York City to kick off his visionary career. However, those early years remain an underexplored part of Dylan's life story, and this documentary seeks to bring them to light.


Boy from the North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota features interviews with many people who knew Dylan during his childhood and during his time in Minneapolis. The documentary will also showcase archival tapes of Dylan performing in Minnesota, as well as a guide to the music he heard while living here and how it influenced him.


At 8 p.m., MPR News will have a special edition of Sound Opinions devoted to Dylan, where veteran rock critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis debunk the myths and debate the highs and lows of Dylan's most-well known and prolific period from unplugged to electric.


On Tuesday, May 24 (Dylan's actual birthday), MPR News will replay Boy from the North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota at noon.


Dylan on Prairie Home

Though he's never appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, Bob Dylan has had a great influence on the music presented on the show. To celebrate Dylan's 70th birthday on May 24th, PHC scoured the archives for some incredible performances of Dylan songs.


89.3 The Current coverage


On Sunday, May 22, Bill DeVille will host a six hour—yes, six hours—Dylan tribute as we play 70 Dylan songs in a row, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., right here on 89.3 The Current.


At 8 p.m., The Current will play the Sound Opinions special, followed by The Current presents at 9 p.m., an encore presentation of Boy from the North Country: Bob Dylan in Minnesota.


All of this programming is sure to be please both die-hard Dylan-o-philes and neophytes, so don't miss it. And while you're at it, check out our miniature Dylan trivia challenge below:

8 Dylan Songs in 8 Seconds

Can you name all the Dylan songs in this snippet? Post your answers in the comments section.

Stream it:


Or download an MP3 for in-depth analysis.

Comments (7)

I believe the 8 songs are:

1. Idiot Wind
2. Highway 61 Revisited
3. Lay Lady Lay
4. Forever Young
5. Moonshiner
6. Maggie's Farm?
7. Like A Rolling Stone
8. Tangled Up In Blue

I'm excited to listen to the Current the 22nd!

Posted by Taylor Bundy | May 14, 2011 6:07 PM

The songs are:
1. Homosapien
2. Death to Van Gogh's Ear
3. Theme from "The Third Man"
4. That's Entertainment!
5. A Night in the Stony Lonesome
6. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
7. The Yankee Doodle Boy
8. How Can I Tell My Guru?

Wait a minute, that was Dylan's set list in SHANGHAI!

Posted by Carnac | May 18, 2011 11:24 PM

Thank you so much for honoring Dylan in this manner. I look forward to hearing BOY FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY and the six-hour Dylan fest--and Dylan Days in Hibbing next weekend will be FAB, too.

Posted by KALV | May 20, 2011 1:00 PM

Well done MPR - thank you for devoting time to this important milestone. Looking forward to hearing the Boy From The North Country.

Posted by Nelson French | May 21, 2011 10:24 AM

Starting at 8 a.m. on a Sunday?! I take it The Current programmers hope no one's listening. Not too sure about this idea, are we, Current?

Posted by Eric | May 22, 2011 2:59 AM

Where is the Dylan special as listed above:
"On Sunday, May 22, Bill DeVille will host a six hour—yes, six hours—Dylan tribute as we play 70 Dylan songs in a row, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., right here on 89.3 The Current."

You aren't playing it now! I'm disappointed!

Posted by Laura | May 22, 2011 9:03 AM

I was expecting the 70 Dylan songs to be played today, on his 70th birthday. I am oh, so disappointed.

Posted by Harriet Campe | May 24, 2011 7:48 AM

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