I posted this yesterday at The Faculty Lounge but forgot to link it here.
Yes, today is Friday, but I am posting early because it is was on this day in 1965 that Bob Dylan “went electric” at the Newport Folk Festival by opening his set with “Maggie’s Farm,” backed by members of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The event is still controversial in some quarters, as seen in the recent film A Complete Unknown and the book it was based on, Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric. How much did the audience boo the performance, and were they complaining about the electric instruments or the sound quality? Did Pete Seeger really try to take an axe to the cables? The answer to the latter question is that he did not, and the myth was likely started by MC Peter Yarrow, who said that Dylan was looking for an axe, which meant guitar in musician slang (then as now). Anyhow, there is no question that Seeger was distressed by the extra-loud rock music, even though there had been electric instruments by other acts earlier in the festival. Even Seeger had to concede years later that “Maggie’s Farm” is a great song. Dylan’s live performances have varied it quite a bit over the years, as you can see at the bottom of the post on The Faculty Lounge.
Posted by Steve Lubet on July 26, 2025 at 06:04 AM