The following interview was produced for the 89th episode of the KEPW Weekly News program.
Joshua: Today I’m speaking with Daniel McKay who produces a weekly radio show for KEPW called hard rain and slow trains, Bob Dylan and fellow travelers. He began listening to Bob Dylan in January of 1989 and has seen him 57 times in concert since then. He has a PhD in English literature and teaches literature and writing at Lane community college. Thanks for joining me today, Daniel
Daniel: Yeah, happy to be on the show. Thank you, Josh.
Joshua: So the show is called Hard Rain and Slow Trains, Bob Dylan and Fellow Travelers. Who are the fellow travelers?
Daniel: The fellow travelers are not only musicians that Dylan has played with and musicians that Dylan has influenced, and those are countless, but also his antecedents – musicians that influenced him. And Dylan is a really great, perhaps one of the best, musicians to use as a focal point to other musical forms. So it’s a really hop, skip, and a jump to go from Bob Dylan, to some of the country blues musicians from the 1920s and 30s, or even some jam jazz music form, honky tonk, western swing, and of course folk balladry, which the recordings were coming from the 20th century, but extends back into the 16th, 17th to 18th century, some of those older songs.
So Dylan’s just a great musician to use to not only introduce people to his music, and in some cases play favorites that people like to hear, but also to explore all different kinds of music and all different kinds of musicians.
Listen below to hear the full interview…