Bob Dylan bash to rock Shillong

Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan, has probably never been to Shillong. In his 46-year-long music career, he has also had quite a few birthday parties thrown in his honour worldwide—33 in the quaint little town of Shillong alone.

This year, too, as Dylan turns 65 on May 24, an evening of poetry and music has been planned.

It started out as a small private celebration by Lou Majaw—lead singer of the Ace of Spades band—and his friends in 1972 and grew into an annual event in Shillong, drawing fans from across the country and the world.

In earlier years, there have been 20, 000 fans, including local residents, die-hard Dylan fans from elsewhere and wandering backpackers. Performers for the evening include Ace of Spades—Lou Majaw, Arjun Sen (guitar), Lew Hilt (bass) and Nondon Bagchi (drums) —who are all independent artists as well—plus guest artistes Anjan and Neel Dutt from Kolkata and English musician Liz Cotton.

Why single out the Tambourine Man? Says Lou Majaw, “I’m not star struck. But from the first time I heard Dylan, his nasal tone, as well as the richness and depth of his verse touched me. It’s not a rock concert though, it’s a celebration. We don’t do it because we are fans, but out of respect and admiration for the man.”

Says Anjan Dutt, who has also directed the films Bow Barracks Forever and Bada Din, “I grew up listening to Dylan not only for his music, but also for his writing, poetry and literature. He has constantly changed over the years and is inspiring.

When I cover Dylan, it is dynamic and challenging: you can do his songs in your own way only if you really understand what he’s doing. It was fascinating to know they do this for Bob.”

Dylan’s fans in Shillong have tried to contact him a number of times to invite him to his own birthday party—not to perform, but to simply be there. Despite never having received an affirmative response from him, the party continues. Perhaps they’re wondering “How many roads should Dylan walk down, before he reaches Shillong?’
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