Distance: 6.2 miles (sunny day!)
Ciwt's heart is gladdened (See CIWT 5/336) by Bob Dylan's apparent true-to-himself non-acceptance (so far), non-comment (so far) of the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is possible that he will follow this up by also not appearing at the award ceremony.
Nobody captures Ciwt's thoughts better than President Barack Obama in 2010 after Dylan performed at the White House for the first time. Asked by Rolling Stone's publisher Jann Wenner how it went, Obama is quoted as saying: Here’s what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you’d expect he would be. He wouldn’t come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn’t want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn’t show up to that. He came in and played “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage — I’m sitting right in the front row — comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it — then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That’s how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don’t want him to be all cheesin’ and grinnin’ with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise. So that was a real treat.
President Obama took his praise even further in 2012 when he awarded Dylan the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor. Bob Dylan accepted
and came for the ceremony.*10/28/16 Addendum: Today Bob Dylan called the Secretary of the Swedish Academy telling her, "The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless. I appreciate the honour so much." He also said he would 'absolutely' attend the award-giving banquet in Stockholm "if at all possible."
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