Over the past few weeks, pedestrians gathered to watch Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra paint his five-story mural of Bob Dylan near 5th and Hennepin in downtown Minneapolis. Named ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, it is 160 feet wide and five stories tall. Kobra and his team of five artists completed the massive painting on Sept. 8.
The mural commemorates where Dylan really fell in love with folk music. It freezes him in the brief moment between his life as an adolescent and his life as an artist: the space in Dylan’s history when he lived simply as a young man. Adorning the side of a five-story building, the three Bob Dylans look out, their faces checkered with polychromatic squares, all of it representing the many eras and styles of Dylan. This massive mural is a loving tribute to one of the most important figures in 20th-century music.
What is Dylan’s unique connection to Minneapolis? Born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, Dylan moved to Minneapolis in September 1959 to attend the University of Minnesota. As acknowledged in Martin Scorsese’s 2005 documentary No Direction Home, his time in the Dinkytown area sparked his interest in folk music.
Watch a time-lapse of video of Brazilian artist, Eduardo Kobra’s Bob Dylan mural – The Times They Are A-Changin’
This Week: Darryl Holter brings “Dylan Goes Electric” to Los Angeles
In 1965 Bob Dylan took the stage the Newport Folk Festival and plugged in his Fender Stratocaster. Backed by an electric band, Dylan blew away the folkies and political activists with a blistering version of “Maggie’s Farm”. It was a moment that provoked widespread bewilderment, a lot of boos and a few cheers from the crowd. And as Elijah Wald shows in his great new book, Dylan Goes Electric, it marked Dylan’s declaration of musical independence, the end of the folk revival, and the beginning of rock as the voice for a new generation.
I’m bringing my friend Elijah to LA for a book signing at Chevalier’s Books on October 14. I’ll be joining Elijah, who is also a musician, and we will do a couple of Dylan’s songs from that controversial concert. I hope you can join us Wed, October 14, at 7 pm.
Darryl Holter & Elijah Wald Live at Chevalier’s Books
Wed October 14th at 7pm
126 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
323-465-1334
