Inside the busy roncesvalles cafe, getting a snack for my daughter, over all the chatter the music was unclear and then I realized it was Bob Dylan’s Street Legal. Only hard core Dylan people would know it or play it. I looked at the guy working the counter and said Street Legal, he nodded like I won. My daughter had a chocolate croissant, me Earl Grey. We played riddles. How many people are facing North? Which ones are drinking coffee? How many are wearing polka dot underwear? My big academic test approaches, assuming I pass the audition I’ll up the ante and apply for the next level, a PhD. Either Environmental Studies or Theatre Performance. Does one stand a better chance than the other of getting me a job later where I can riff off of what I love? If it is Environmental Studies, hope I can do something with re-wilding and melodic piano pieces, if Theatre Performance, will probably marry a variety of moving images with song. Wish I could make videos like Martha Colburn or Mark and Nancy at the Rag and Bone Shop. The song in the cafe changes, “can you cook and sew, make flowers grow.” I remember 1978 when this came out. His voice was so much warmer on Desire, Street Legal very raspy, substantial morphing of the Dylan voice. Street Legal came unannounced whereas Joni Mitchell’s Mingus had a lot of build up that year. I still remember reading an interview with her where she replied about meditating on Mingus. I hadn’t heard someone describe their songwriting process like that before, didn’t understand what exactly that meant, makes sense now. More Songs About Buildings and Food also slayed me that year. Those first 3 Talking Heads Records were the most beautiful shock in the world. One after the other broke newer ground each time, should be commemorated as an annual holiday. Sometimes I think it might be cool to design a whole course on one song like I Zimbra or Goodbye Porkpie Hat or the one playing now, Senõr, Senõr, can you tell me where we’re heading’, Lincoln county or Armageddon.”