Other Things

"Destiny is when you know something about yourself that nobody else does." So Bob Dylan told Ed Bradley on Sixty Minutes one time. It's a crazy quirky interview during which Bradley comes across as a huge fan and Dylan comes across as ... enigmatic, which of course, he is. The main theme of the conversation is how Dylan always knew he would be a singer/songwriter and famous at it! Even when his room mate in New York City was ... Tiny Tim! Dylan never wanted to be a prophet or have Disciples and he loathed the press. So he lied to them, made bad records on purpose, converted from the Jewish faith to Christianity ... made a Grammy award winning album about it and then ... converted back. Then he went to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem to pray wearing a Death Mask! He wrote "Blowing in the Wind " in ten minutes. In fact most of his songs were born in just minutes. "Can you still do that?" Bradley asked. "I did that once. I can't do it again. I can do other things," Dylan replies. I was very touched by this, resonating with the experience of someone who changed so much for so many. Yet at the same time, someone who just wants to create, be happy and honest. "The only people there are to lie to are yourself and God. Either of those screw you." I've done a lot of things ... helped a bunch of people ...won an award for books I've written ... ran with the Olympic Torch ... preached in front of thousands ... have more plaques than I know what to do with ... gone where I've wanted to go ... seen what I've wanted to see ... met who I've wanted to meet. I did that once. I can't do it again. I am doing other things. I said to Tom Kohler recently, "Well I'm reinventing my whole life. It's not what it was. I can't do the things that I used to do." Stoic silence came from the other end of the phone and in the silence I could hear Tom processing this information as only he can. Finally, he said, "Uh Huh." It's hard not to love Tom. At lunch the other day, we were talking about business and work things when I said, "Well it's always what's next right? New ideas are old the next day. What worked before doesn't work now. They're immediately copied and spread across the universe. It's always about what's next." Sometimes it's nice to think about the things I've done. They are good memories and make great stories but ... I can't do them again. I am doing other things though. They are things that frighten me sometimes ... and in that way they're similar to things I've done before ... but they are the things that make me happy. So I'm going to keep doing them.