what are the lessons to be learned from this performance?
1.) If the song itself is good enough, the performance can be in shambles, the song will prevail.
2.) a truly sublime, transcendent artist (like Dylan) will be able to pull it off, no matter what, if he's in the zone. Bob keeps trusting that rule to this day :)
@culls33 The band was known as 'The Plugz'. They were, perhaps, the first latino punk band. They released a single, Move', 'Let Go' and 'MindlessContentment' on Slash records in 1978 and an album 'Electrify' in '79. They were also on the soundtrack for 'Repo Men' in 1984. Band consisted of, Justin Jesting on lead guitar, Tony Marisco on bass and Charlie Quintana on drums. They opened this show with "Don't Start Me Talking' followed by "License to Kill' and this one, "Jokerman'.
@culls33 Charlie Quintana (drums - ex- Plugz, Cruzados, Social Distortion, etc), Tony Marisco (bass, ex- Plugz, Cruzados), J. J. Holliday (guitar, ex-Cruzados, Imperial Crowns)
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
What a mess. Guitar guy left wants to be Keith Richards (he's not), bass player right wants to be Elvis Costello & The Attractions (he's not) and the drummer wants to be The Clash (he's not either). Bob doesn't even know who he wants to be..more importantly the song doesn't know what it wants to be. Disappointing to say the least.
@DeenoMarteeno : Laughable...people saying Bob Freakin' Dylan needed to pay closer mind to his art. I think he did quite well for the 50 YEARS he was at it. MILLIONS of songwriters, only one Dylan.
@flatrounds hope you meant that in a good way. they're really pretty good. its a shame there was a mixup with the right key of harmonica on national tv though. in letterman's old timeslot this just added to more fun.
I recall a very, very, similar version - but even "punkier" on some bootleg my ex-husband had...but I wasn't Letterman. Does anyone remember/know anything? My imagination suggests a "live in San Jose", could this be? The cover was an intense yellow/very light ochre, I am sure about this. Thanks in advance in case somebody knows better :-)
nice take on the original, superb lyrics,positive, religious, atheist, or whatever!...... soundman hands him a harmonica in the wrong key, shoulda just used his harmonica holder, but u do lose a little something w/o the hands not to mention 2 instruments at same time!
I heard him in '65. If he hit less than 3% of his notes in 2011 he has improved about 2.5%. But I heard Dylan Thomas sing once and he sucked, though his words were not bad.
Thanx, captain my captain, for your reply ! I do share most of your views, too.
I grew up in a Stalinist household in East Berlin where only classical music & opera was listened to. When I first heared "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by Van The Man I was knocked away and wondered, that popular music could mean more than just shoobeedoo. I hadn't heared much at this time of BD - but later I would be studying English, due to his songs. And of a few more people. Bye
The only time Bono got close to Bob was when he returned Bob's shoes by placing them outside his hotel room after realizing he wasn't good enough to shine 'em.
Amazing performance!! I always love coming back to this.... Those who think it's crap.. You need to understand what Dylan does, he's continually changing things... It's all about the live performance of the song. It took me a while to understand Dylan, but when I did my whole world changed.... When you get Dylan, you realize how amazing his words and music really is.... Not to mention his attitude...
@15rounder What's what be the point of singing a song the same way as it's sung on the album? Listen to the album if you only like that version. I think variety is the spice of life.
this is what about sucks about Dylan...no fans wanna here reworked versions of the studio version because his reworked versions really suck. its fuckin annoying. No matter now that he lost his voice he aint even worth seeing live.
this is great but not half as good as the studio version......the narrative gets lost in the translation.....still its like dylan meets the romantics......frank whaley ....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha .....target shift....hahahahhahahhahhah......
they rehearsed this.. there is a video of it.. go to soku(dot)com... search for "dylan - jokerman" and you will find it.. same place, same guys, dylan in diff clothes & shades.
i think i got wrong some lyrics: "standing on the water, catching your breath" , "fools rust in where ancient feel the threat, boats of the future, so full of bread" , "shaving on one more layer of skin" , "joke a man, dance to the night and gay tune, butterfly, hi!, marmalade on the moon" , "so sweetly the son has sex in the sky" , "you got a saddle on the moron, what do you care, ain't nobody that would want Mary, your sister. Frank did the math though.." , "..and the dude got round at me" etc
Part of the fun of a Dylan concert is being the first in your group to figure out what the heck song each one is. lol. The way you "know" Dylan's songs are not the way they're supposed to be, that's just the way he felt like playing them on that day in that recording studio. There is no "real" way they should sound.
This raw punk version is so alive and rhythmic and casual at the same time. It reflects much of what makes Dylan great. The improvised sounding performance and his confident demeanour, just wandering around for the harmonica and back to the mike. This is performance art.
This version kicks ass. Less Dire Straits (like the original, which of course is also great) and more 80s new wave. Great energy. I love that it's raw and imperfect.
@freewheelinQ no doubt,this is such a different version but this jams!!! was really genius on Bob's part to come up w/this arrangement...& I don't know who the other guitarist is playing the Tele but he sounds amazing
at first i was like this is ridiculously funny! i just recently got into the original jokerman song which is one of my favorites, so seeing bob here reinventing himself once more with this punk version of it was hilarious at first. but then this song, much like the original one, grows on you, and know I can't stop listening to it.
It's amazing what happened to me when I was watching the video I said God
mine sounds like a song of the stones. The video quality is very bad but the sound is very good when I look good !!! I can see that Keith Richards, I knew I had a few riffs of the stones.
This is pathetic. Why not play the song the way you wrote it. This hurts my ears
bvhalen9 1 day ago
Great, thanx for posting.
You MUST listen to brazilian Caetano Veloso's cover of "Jokerman". That's simply amazing!!!
(look for "Jokerman [Fixed Audio)])
RogLobato 5 days ago
this has got vital energy, really. Bob is always great at finding the vital energy!
3chrds 2 weeks ago in playlist Favorite videos
tone deaf for other tone deaf fucks that don't know the difference
TheCozybear65 1 month ago
fucking right bob.
cuddles69696969 1 month ago
what are the lessons to be learned from this performance?
1.) If the song itself is good enough, the performance can be in shambles, the song will prevail.
2.) a truly sublime, transcendent artist (like Dylan) will be able to pull it off, no matter what, if he's in the zone. Bob keeps trusting that rule to this day :)
philipheubeck 1 month ago
@philipheubeck well said.
kenleycloud 1 month ago
It's a pity about the harmonica screwup, Bob was really getting into it.
plunkza 1 month ago
anyone know the band members? do anything else?
culls33 2 months ago
@culls33 The band was known as 'The Plugz'. They were, perhaps, the first latino punk band. They released a single, Move', 'Let Go' and 'MindlessContentment' on Slash records in 1978 and an album 'Electrify' in '79. They were also on the soundtrack for 'Repo Men' in 1984. Band consisted of, Justin Jesting on lead guitar, Tony Marisco on bass and Charlie Quintana on drums. They opened this show with "Don't Start Me Talking' followed by "License to Kill' and this one, "Jokerman'.
mrselfdestruct23 1 month ago 3
@culls33 Charlie Quintana (drums - ex- Plugz, Cruzados, Social Distortion, etc), Tony Marisco (bass, ex- Plugz, Cruzados), J. J. Holliday (guitar, ex-Cruzados, Imperial Crowns)
nailer65 1 month ago
@culls33
band called plugz
mjb7752 1 week ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
What a mess. Guitar guy left wants to be Keith Richards (he's not), bass player right wants to be Elvis Costello & The Attractions (he's not) and the drummer wants to be The Clash (he's not either). Bob doesn't even know who he wants to be..more importantly the song doesn't know what it wants to be. Disappointing to say the least.
DeenoMarteeno 2 months ago
@DeenoMarteeno : Laughable...people saying Bob Freakin' Dylan needed to pay closer mind to his art. I think he did quite well for the 50 YEARS he was at it. MILLIONS of songwriters, only one Dylan.
quad1000 1 month ago
what year?
boardsaket 2 months ago 2
One of dylan's greatest live performances!
fishtruckthatloads 2 months ago
JOKERMAN dance, a nightengale tune, Bird fly high, by the light of the moon, oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, JOKERMAN
DAKaasa 2 months ago
@flatrounds hope you meant that in a good way. they're really pretty good. its a shame there was a mixup with the right key of harmonica on national tv though. in letterman's old timeslot this just added to more fun.
tomcaat1 2 months ago
Love this version!
I recall a very, very, similar version - but even "punkier" on some bootleg my ex-husband had...but I wasn't Letterman. Does anyone remember/know anything? My imagination suggests a "live in San Jose", could this be? The cover was an intense yellow/very light ochre, I am sure about this. Thanks in advance in case somebody knows better :-)
ziafe 2 months ago
Who are these "jokers" he's playing with?
flatrounds 2 months ago
Good performance. Do you have the other two songs Dylan sang on Letterman?
Cannibalization 2 months ago
the best song from his "bad era"
ri394 3 months ago
Turn all the way up with headphones. ROCK PROPER.
gtrrs71 3 months ago
I wish this version were available on CD.
tool68und 3 months ago
A tribute to Reagan. Nice job Bob! Love this version
gimmeshelter1969 3 months ago
nice take on the original, superb lyrics,positive, religious, atheist, or whatever!...... soundman hands him a harmonica in the wrong key, shoulda just used his harmonica holder, but u do lose a little something w/o the hands not to mention 2 instruments at same time!
greeneking77 3 months ago
no one can't play the harmonica like bob
12darosenb 3 months ago
@12darosenb
Precisely remarked. But wouldn't a Dylan song with harmonica sound boring otherwise ?
About 1965 Bob The Great stopped singing. Unfortunately he didn't stop touring.
This October in Berlin, in the first song he hit less than 3 % of notes singing.
Fortunately he improved a lot lateron.
Greetings t u ! Mike
michaelvoland54 3 months ago
@michaelvoland54
I heard him in '65. If he hit less than 3% of his notes in 2011 he has improved about 2.5%. But I heard Dylan Thomas sing once and he sucked, though his words were not bad.
12darosenb 3 months ago
@michaelvoland54 Bob dylans best voice and best live acts came out in the 70s and 80s.
kaptainbastard 3 months ago
@kaptainbastard
Don't see it like u do. In my view he didn't care any more for the right note after '65, just for the right feeling expressed ...
Nevertheless accept your point of view, as I follow Voltaire's statement, which reads:
>My view's opposite to yours. But I will do everything that your voice will be heared.<
michaelvoland54 2 months ago
@michaelvoland54 Bob dylan has a million voices. and our tastes change I been listening to bob dylan since a kid liked the acoustic stuff.
when he played maggies farm that was classic.I like it.
I just cant get enough of that hard rain album but I didnt like it first time around.now its my favourite.
good live ones on youtube shelter from the storm from hard rain.
and I want you from .dylan and the dead.
He is bit of an enigma but at least he's not micheal jackson
kaptainbastard 2 months ago
@kaptainbastard
Thanx, captain my captain, for your reply ! I do share most of your views, too.
I grew up in a Stalinist household in East Berlin where only classical music & opera was listened to. When I first heared "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by Van The Man I was knocked away and wondered, that popular music could mean more than just shoobeedoo. I hadn't heared much at this time of BD - but later I would be studying English, due to his songs. And of a few more people. Bye
michaelvoland54 2 months ago
@michaelvoland54 Oh I like classical music & opera.very much
but nobody can beat bob dylans version of It's All Over Now Baby Blue..
I grew up on the outskirts of Nearly Eastern trotskyite europe in a country called glasgow.
How free we are.but for how long.
kaptainbastard 2 months ago
@12darosenb I agree. The closest one to Bob would have to be Bono.
Katragew 2 months ago
@Katragew
The only time Bono got close to Bob was when he returned Bob's shoes by placing them outside his hotel room after realizing he wasn't good enough to shine 'em.
12darosenb 2 months ago
@12darosenb lol good one...I'd be glad to shine Dylan's shoes especially if he was still wearing them.
Katragew 2 months ago
too amazing for words :)
tenaciusdmaster 3 months ago
what year is this?
boardsaket 3 months ago
@boardsaket 1983
johnlv12 3 months ago 2
@boardsaket 1984
johnlv12 3 months ago 2
wow! dave's soooo young!
alabaster9 3 months ago
Amazing performance!! I always love coming back to this.... Those who think it's crap.. You need to understand what Dylan does, he's continually changing things... It's all about the live performance of the song. It took me a while to understand Dylan, but when I did my whole world changed.... When you get Dylan, you realize how amazing his words and music really is.... Not to mention his attitude...
jiyder 3 months ago 2
@jiyder yeah its wierd huh!! its the world of it that counts!!!
boardsaket 3 months ago
crap,,,,,,,,
kangaroo992 3 months ago
Love Dylan and this is one of his best songs, but a dreadful performance. Trying to look and act like Huey Lewis or J Geils is very un-Dylan.
NICKYGFIN1 3 months ago
@NICKYGFIN1 noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
boardsaket 3 months ago
Nice to have this one back.
TheVeryBiggestAl 3 months ago
I love this version... remember seeing it when it first aired and being blown away, having expected the album version. Love the outro...
steventeasdale 3 months ago 2
Fucking kick ass performance. Oh to be in the crowd that night!
Kucingmatt 3 months ago 2
@15rounder What's what be the point of singing a song the same way as it's sung on the album? Listen to the album if you only like that version. I think variety is the spice of life.
OvalGray 4 months ago 13
In a first moment a thought its Keith Richards on the left side :) anyway this is the BEST version of Jooookerman :)
tvojmatko 4 months ago
best rock, even today!
dablueman21 4 months ago
He doesn't even know how to play the chords. Jazz!
JerusalemRocks 4 months ago 2
He never plays a song the same way twice...
sneak108 4 months ago
this is what about sucks about Dylan...no fans wanna here reworked versions of the studio version because his reworked versions really suck. its fuckin annoying. No matter now that he lost his voice he aint even worth seeing live.
15rounder 4 months ago
@15rounder I don't agree with you.
dahliafinal 4 months ago
@15rounder I don't like reworked versions of songs but this version is great, and I love the original with my heart. My favourite Dylan song by far.
CoffeeBeatsTea 4 months ago
@15rounder you speak for the entire fan base of Bob Dylan?
rolfemusicgroup 4 months ago
@rolfemusicgroup
yes they named me spokesman a while ago
15rounder 4 months ago
Comment removed
15rounder 4 months ago
this is great but not half as good as the studio version......the narrative gets lost in the translation.....still its like dylan meets the romantics......frank whaley ....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha .....target shift....hahahahhahahhahhah......
marbleheadband 4 months ago
wow, how could the quality of this recording be worse?
w5pollar 4 months ago
they rehearsed this.. there is a video of it.. go to soku(dot)com... search for "dylan - jokerman" and you will find it.. same place, same guys, dylan in diff clothes & shades.
stickz66 4 months ago
Comment removed
stickz66 4 months ago
dude he's rocking it 80's punk pop style
jonnymoka 4 months ago
Frank Whaley on bass! (after his shift at Target, of course....)
TKL90266 4 months ago
Worst version ever.
Vivated 4 months ago
My shining light.
yanishmakaro 4 months ago
Comment removed
RDBeatnik 4 months ago
i think i got wrong some lyrics: "standing on the water, catching your breath" , "fools rust in where ancient feel the threat, boats of the future, so full of bread" , "shaving on one more layer of skin" , "joke a man, dance to the night and gay tune, butterfly, hi!, marmalade on the moon" , "so sweetly the son has sex in the sky" , "you got a saddle on the moron, what do you care, ain't nobody that would want Mary, your sister. Frank did the math though.." , "..and the dude got round at me" etc
Calinn86 5 months ago
simply awesome!
oakdale76 5 months ago
Part of the fun of a Dylan concert is being the first in your group to figure out what the heck song each one is. lol. The way you "know" Dylan's songs are not the way they're supposed to be, that's just the way he felt like playing them on that day in that recording studio. There is no "real" way they should sound.
lovemywolfie 5 months ago
@lovemywolfie Completely true!
begbieboy 5 months ago
shit, this is really good...wow, better than , just wow.
JinShing 5 months ago
Man, Bob Jokerman is awesome.
jeremydefrancophone 5 months ago
So the song is called Dylan and it's written by Bob Jokerman?
JohnMacLennon 5 months ago
Comment removed
begbieboy 5 months ago
I'd go with this man....anywhere............to be his best Amiga.....wit love, Annemarie
MsAnnestube 5 months ago
kookl kool
MsAnnestube 5 months ago
kookl
MsAnnestube 5 months ago
This raw punk version is so alive and rhythmic and casual at the same time. It reflects much of what makes Dylan great. The improvised sounding performance and his confident demeanour, just wandering around for the harmonica and back to the mike. This is performance art.
letsif 5 months ago 3
It's great!!!
ladbrady 5 months ago 6
This version kicks ass. Less Dire Straits (like the original, which of course is also great) and more 80s new wave. Great energy. I love that it's raw and imperfect.
matthewzin 4 months ago 2
This literaly is unreal. Bless you bob..... Bless you
sectionpink1 6 months ago 2
@superbillythepoet they were not from Chicago, but they were CHICANO! Maybe you got a little confused?
sugarinthegourd 6 months ago
Comment removed
martinhodgkins 6 months ago
@martinhodgkins Why was it awful???
aimOanit 5 months ago
WOW. He might've figured since he was on TV, why bother being quiet. You can tell he got into it as well...
prgvidiot 6 months ago
Bobby you always follow your own artistic instincts and gave us many versions of your visions. you are a godly creature.
Leona10037 6 months ago 3
Talk about re-working a song...
notimewarp 6 months ago 21
@notimewarp i dig it !
ActiveStateOfMind 5 months ago
Itand they love each other
Isismusicnow 6 months ago
It's too great to put words to. Rockabiily meets punk :)
Isismusicnow 6 months ago 15
The band's name is The Plugz... From Chicago, I think... Great performance!!! Bob is great!
SuperBillythepoet 6 months ago 2
@SuperBillythepoet Yay, The Plugz from the Repo Man Soundtrack !!!
prgvidiot 6 months ago
On guitar "Justin Jesting" Holiday, or J.J. Holiday.
ThePepelolo123 6 months ago
who is his guitarist on this?? he sounds great
4runner39 6 months ago
the part when he takes the wrong harmonica and then looks around for the right one is one of highest moments in rock ever! :-)
jotazenda 6 months ago
i'm so glad this got re-posted again! Powerpop Dylan > all.
elfuegojoereno 6 months ago
w/the plugz (a great band in their own right)
oface024 6 months ago
@ladbrady for posting this, you just became one of my best friends!!! XD
THANKS!
freewheelinQ 7 months ago
That style is sooooo not Dylan's!!!
Guess being sooo not Dylan is what His BOBNESS does BEST!!!
The way he changes his songs is unique!!!
EPIC VERSION of an EPIC SONG!!!
freewheelinQ 7 months ago
@freewheelinQ no doubt,this is such a different version but this jams!!! was really genius on Bob's part to come up w/this arrangement...& I don't know who the other guitarist is playing the Tele but he sounds amazing
4runner39 6 months ago
In this video, Dylan is as respectable as a prophet. I have watched this video many times and it still interests me. He is doing a good job here.
MichaelStepkoff 7 months ago 2
The Great Charlie Quintana of Social Distortion on drums!
glennbo76 7 months ago
amazing version, stellar vocal performance
FsharpAsharpInfinity 7 months ago
at first i was like this is ridiculously funny! i just recently got into the original jokerman song which is one of my favorites, so seeing bob here reinventing himself once more with this punk version of it was hilarious at first. but then this song, much like the original one, grows on you, and know I can't stop listening to it.
th1a90 7 months ago 2
@davescot100 its on infidels,but this punk version its only here
ferchon123 7 months ago
Dylan goes punk! MARVELOUS!
begbieboy 7 months ago 3
i remember watching this live. they keep taking it down on youtube, but it just keeps getting put back up.
phillyb666 7 months ago 2
It's amazing what happened to me when I was watching the video I said God
mine sounds like a song of the stones. The video quality is very bad but the sound is very good when I look good !!! I can see that Keith Richards, I knew I had a few riffs of the stones.
palobonito80 7 months ago
I remember this on letterman didn't he do a John hiatt tune too?
56BUICKRiviera 7 months ago
Great f**king performance. Better than the Infidels version. Sort of New Wave/Elvis Costello. I'm totally digging it.
heygorgeousbeast 7 months ago
lol bob and letterman at the end... so awkward... classic bob haha long live dylannnnnnnnn!
ProducShuns 7 months ago
This is awesome. Thanks for posting. The story of this performance is great.
emich28 7 months ago
Amazing
Verified1 7 months ago
punk harmonica
breathlss79 8 months ago
Gosh I love seeing this whenever it pops up on YouTube. Thanks ever so much for posting it.
TheRobertBilly 8 months ago 4
I love this version
ferbuschmann 8 months ago
awesome awesome awesome! if anyone has a better quality of this, please p.m.! and thanks for this one as well!
augusc 8 months ago