How We Live Now: The Illustrated Desolation Row

Another classic post. Thanks. Again.

Posted by wkimbell at April 19, 2009 12:41 PM

I used to have Highway 61 Revisited on monaural vinyl, and I wore out the disc on a low end portable record player from Sears. Desolation Row was my favorite song. As I followed the photo essay I could hear every pop and scratch on the old record. Very cool.

JWM

Posted by jwm at April 19, 2009 3:45 PM

Transcendent!

Posted by The Count at April 19, 2009 10:40 PM

The "Live 1966" album has a great solo acoustic version of "Desolation Row", along with superlative renditions of "Fourth Time Around" and "Visions of Johanna".

As if that weren't enough, it also has the best "Just Like a Woman" I've ever heard.

Posted by rickl at April 20, 2009 12:04 AM

You have done it once again. I scrolled through your Desolation Row photo essay with fond rememberance and laughter.

Life is good.

Posted by bob ham at April 20, 2009 11:41 AM

The picture with the Stuart tank is Grand Circus Park, downtown Detroit.

My law school was a couple of blocks over and one up from there. The Fyfe Building is still there. Across the street (Woodward Ave.) is Central United Methodist Church.

Comerica Park is on top of the location of my law school. To the right (East) of the photo. And bit up (North).

My guess is the photo was taken in 1943.

Posted by Mikey NTH at April 20, 2009 4:20 PM

Sorry - it just struck me "I know that place, I've been there." Sixty+ years after that photo was probably taken, I knew that place.

Fifty years after the photo, I was there.

Posted by Mikey NTH at April 20, 2009 4:34 PM

Yessss.

So just what is it you do Mon.-Fri. my friend?

Posted by adagny at April 20, 2009 9:41 PM

Yessss.

Oh, and thanx for the pyschedelic Hillary image.

Posted by adagny at April 20, 2009 10:04 PM

Great job...hope you've seen "Nightmare Alley"- the great Tyrone Power 40's film noir that has so many
correlations with "Desolation Row". If not, it's available on DVD...

Posted by Larry K at March 12, 2011 6:35 AM

Wow, that was great. Being an artist, I always
had in mind to do a painting to that song. Now
I am in awe.

Posted by Paula at March 12, 2011 8:04 AM

Odd.
Department of strange coincidence department. I was thinking of this post just last night, and hoping you'd bring it back.
And Larry K.- I was also, just last night, thinking of Nightmare Alley. I am one of about three people who has seen that movie. I have the book as well. It's worth a read. Every chapter in the book is titled from the major arcana of the tarot deck.

JWM

Posted by jwm at March 12, 2011 6:40 PM

excellent ,loved it

Posted by nog at March 13, 2011 4:25 AM

A literal interpretation of Desolation Row? Something is happening here but you don't know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones?

Posted by Dr. Filth at April 4, 2012 7:49 AM

Hell, Peter Bruegel TE, and Dylan. What's next?

Posted by Casey Klahn at April 5, 2012 8:11 AM