In which Bob forcefully speaks his mind on a controversial issue of society today!

It’s worth noting that despite DJ Dylan’s freewheeling and comedic commentary on a vast range of matters over the course of his “Theme Time Radio Hour” shows for XM Satellite Radio, you can count on one hand the number of times he’s really stopped and made what you could call a speech advocating a certain point of view of his own. One time was during last year’s Christmas show, when he explained with some passion that if you have a bad case of the blues, you “don’t need Dr. Phil,” you just need to get out and help someone less fortunate than yourself. Another time was when he loudly lamented the passing of the days when country music was about “real people” with “real problems,” like “drinkin’ and sleepin’ around.”

In this past week’s episode of his show, the topic Bob saw fit to stop and rail about for a while was — no kidding — ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivy Disorder). And his words were wise ones indeed, I do believe. (And in this show he also delivers a priceless personal anecdote about jazz saxophonist Arnett Cobb.)

See his words on ADHD below, along with the playlist and other random notes by yours truly:

Dinah Washington — Darn That Dream
( Bob highlights the tenor sax solo by Harold Land on the above recording of this tune, and talks for a while about Land’s career. )
The Everly Brothers — All I Have To Do Is Dream
( “According to the Talmud, a dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read.” )
Tony Bennett — The Boulevard of Broken Dreams
( Bob reads a poem by Langston Hughes called Dreams. )
Otis Redding — I’ve Got Dreams to Remember
( “Our Wi-Fi is down, so we can’t check our emails, but luckily we can take these phone calls.” There follows a call from Elvis Costello, during which he sings a snatch of Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer.” Bob talks about Stephen Foster’s life, his dream of making a living writing songs, and his death at age 37, ending, “Stephen Foster, poet of dreams.” )
Roy Orbison — In Dreams
Charles Mingus — Weird Nightmare
The Chords — Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream)
The Louvin Brothers — When I Stop Dreaming
( Bob tells some tales of Ira Louvin’s tumultous life and eventual sad death, “with a warrant out for his arrest.” )

( Bob mentions daydreams, and then launches into it: “Back when I was going to school, you’d see kids daydreaming, sometimes not paying attention, running around, or acting impulsively. I was always thought that was being a kid. Nowadays everybody’s got ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivy Disorder’ — ADHD. They say it’s hyperactivity, impulsivity, and all sorts of other things. I’m sure there are kids with real problems, but quite often, I’m sure there’s cases people just didn’t want to pay attention. I see parents not wanting to spend time with their kids, and for them not paying attention, or being bored, or acting impulsively, it’s the kid’s problem. I don’t think so. Spend time with your kids. You might find they don’t have ADHD — they have other needs. A need to see their parents.

I don’t mean to get up on my soapbox. Luckily, I don’t have anything to say about this next record, so I can just shut-up and play it.” )

The Cherry Pies — Do You Keep On Dreaming?
Big Bill Broonzy — Just A Dream
( Bob reads “a letter from Bruce Larson” thanking him for playing so much jazz stuff lately, and asking him who replaced Illinois Jacquet in Lionel Hampton’s band. The answer turns out to be Arnett Cobb. )
Arnett Cobb — When I Grow Too Old To Dream
( Bob tells how Cobb was terribly injured in a car crash in 1956 and obliged to use crutches for the rest of his life. He then reminisces about seeing him in the early sixties in a jazz club in New York. “He came out — you could tell it was painful — he moved slowly on his crutches, but as soon as the band started playing, it was like he was able to dance. As a matter of fact, at one point during his solo, he saw a girl at the front table take out a cigarette. For those of you who’ve never been to New York jazz clubs, the front tables are just about right on the stage. Well, Arnett Cobb saw this beautiful girl take out a cigarette, and finished playing his solo with one hand. With his other hand, he fished in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette lighter, leaned over, and lit her cigarette, without missing a beat. Where is that sense of style nowadays?” )
( Marianne Faithful talks about working things out in your dreams. )
Tom Waits — Innocent When You Dream
( Bob reads a poem by William Butler Yeats — “Cloths of Heaven.”

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. )

( “Let your dream devour your life, not your life devour your dream.” )

Next week’s theme: PARTY

(By the way, I know I haven’t put a post up about the SMOKING episode yet. It’s not because of any health-related qualms. It is likely to be coming soon.) (Update: Here it is.)

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