With subjects as oblique as “Lock & Key,” and song matches for it as tenuous as “Ouvrez La Porte” (that’s French for “open the door”), it’s clear that Bob Dylan will never run out of material for his Theme Time Radio Hour show on XM Radio, and that’s a good thing. Last week’s show was another worth preserving in the vault.

Playlist and some quotes below:

Bessie Smith — Lock and Key
( Bob talks about restraining orders, and tells of the dog in New York City who obtained one against a human aggressor. )
Sonny Boy Williamson — The Key To Your Door
( Bob talks about chastity belts, and then gives us some interesting biographical info on the following artist, including how he “made his first fiddle out of chocolate box and screening wire.” )
Adam Herbert & The Country Playboys — Ouvrez La Porte
Jimmy Nelson — Unlock The Lock
( Bob talks about Harry Houdini, and then we hear Larry “Ratso” Sloman talk about Houdini possibly being a spy. )
Lucinda Williams — Changed The Lock ( “Time magazine called her America’s best songwriter in 2002. I guess I was out of town.” )
Bing Crosby — Jimmy Valentine ( clip, and then Bob tells the legend of Jimmy Valentine from a story by O. Henry. )
Wynonie Harris — Somebody Done Changed The Lock On My Door
( Bob takes a call from “Tim Ziegler,” who takes Bob to task for saying that the previous record was on the King record label. “I went to Wikipedia,” he says, “and I’m sorry to tell you it’s on Apollo Records.” Bob replies, “Huh, whaddya know? You’re probably right, Tim. You know sometimes we tell you who wrote the song, what kind of music it is, who else recorded it, but sometimes we don’t get it right. I mean it’s important to remember, this is not a classroom here. This is music we’re playing. This is music of the field, the pool-hall, the back-alley crap game, the barroom and the bedroom. We don’t want to make it dusty and academic. It’s full of sweat and blood — it’s like life itself. If every once in a while we get a name wrong, or we tell you it’s on the wrong label, it’s not going to kill anybody, Tim — just listen to the music!” Tim replies, “Well, I hear what you’re saying, but … it was on the Apollo Record label.” After huffy goodbyes, Bob finishes, “Well, there’s no pleasing some people. That was Wynonie Harris and ‘Somebody Done Changed The Lock On My Door,’ on the Apollo record label. Y’happy, Tim?” )
Dusty Fletcher — Open The Door, Richard ( clip, and Bob talks about Fletcher’s record, and how the song was eventually covered more than 22 times and became a pop-cultural phenomenon. )
Jack McVea — Open The Door, Richard
Clive and Naomi — Open The Door, Richard (clip)
Little Walter — Key To The Highway ( “the best version!” )
( Bob gives precise instructions on his preferred method for putting dreadlocks in your hair. )
Groovy Joe Poovey — Ten Long Fingers On Eighty-Eight Keys
( Bob lists a few famous people named “Key,” including, “the fiscally prudent and Harvard educated Alan Keyes. And of-course I would be remiss if I did not mention Alicia Keys.” )
( Bob reads “a poem Carlos Santana gave to me,” The Lock and the Key by Sri Chinmoy. )
Henry “Red” Allen — Who Stole The Lock On The Henhouse Door?
Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies — You’re Bound To Look Like A Monkey
Detroit Cobras — You Don’t Knock ( “a song written by Pop Staples” )
( Bob finishes by talking some about St. Peter, “known as the keeper of the key to Heaven’s gate,” and then reading these lines from Walt Whitman:

“Walt Whitman, safe cracker of the soul. See you next week.” )

Next week’s theme: MAIL (or MALE?)

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