This was (surprise!) another spectacular episode of Bob Dylan’s “Theme Time Radio Hour” show on XM Satellite Radio, filled with super music, gags, history and philosophy. It was great to hear him attest that he would never run out of themes, and, with the recent approval of the XM/Sirius merger, it seems clear that he won’t be laid off anytime soon either. And to hear Bob — followed by Hank Williams — telling some truth about Joseph Stalin was naturally a pleasure. With musical gems from such as Blu Lu Barker, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Georgia Crackers and the Dixieaires, it was definitely another one for the vault. It also included the first time he’s played Joan Baez, preceded by — of-course — a gracious introduction. Playlist and subjectively selected quotes below.

( “People stop me on the street and they say, ‘Bob, when are you going to run out of themes?’ Well, I got news for ya: NOT GONNA HAPPEN. We can do a show about anything. Let me prove it to ya. This week: Joe. Just Joe. We can do an entire hour on those three letters, J - O - E. Joe.” )
Foy Welling & The Riders of the Purple Sage — Ragtime Cowboy Joe
André Toussaint — Hold ‘Em Joe
( Bob talks a little about the New Testament Joseph and a lot about the Old Testament Joseph, ending with his forgiveness of his brothers for their attempt to do him in. )
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys — Cotton Eyed Joe
( Bob talks about the actor Joseph Cotten. )
( Bob talks about the movie, “Cabin in the Sky,” from whence comes the song, “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe.” He says amongst other things that in the film, “just like in life, the agents of God and the Devil compete for his [i.e. Joe's] soul. It’s all singin’, all dancin’, entertainment at its finest.”
( Bob talks about Joseph Stalin. “He was responsible for sadness and death. I wanna let him speak for himself. Here are some words straight out of his own mouth: ‘The people who cast the votes do not decide an election. The people who count the votes do.’ He also said, ‘Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don’t allow our enemies to have guns — why should we allow them to have ideas?’ ‘Die, but don’t retreat.’ ‘Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.’ And finally, ‘A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.’
Here’s Hank Williams with a song about a man who put too many statistics in the history books.” )
Hank Williams — No No Joe
( “Of-course Stalin was our ally during the Potsdam conference, which is when the big three — Truman, Stalin and Churchill — discussed how they would carve up the world after the war. Turns out, Stalin wasn’t capable of playing nice. Soon we’d be in another war, this one fought mostly in our minds. It wasn’t a war of heat; it was a cold war.” )
The Dixieaires — Joe Louis Is A Fighting Man
( Bob talks about Joe Louis, and his famous defeat of Nazi favorite Max Schmeling in 1938, and plays a clip. He says some more about Louis, ending with how he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors. )
( “Here’s the ever-talented and very generous Joan Baez, and ‘Joe Hill.” )
Joan Baez — (I Dreamed I Saw) Joe Hill
( Bob tells the story of the workers’ troubadour Joe Hill. )
Georgia Crackers — Diamond Joe ( “No matter how you slice it, that’s rock’n'roll.” )
Bo Diddley — Ride On Josephine
Joe Bataan — Subway Joe
( Bob talks about and quotes comedian Joe E. Lewis. )
( “Jerry Lee had such a strong left hand that he didn’t need a bass player. He could make anything swing. For example, here’s a song by Stephen Foster that Jerry Lee rocks the heck out of.” )
Jerry Lee Lewis — Old Black Joe
( Bob tells us some more about Stephen Foster, especially about his early years and the care he took with his craft. )
Blu Lu Barker — Where’s Joe?
( Bob tells us a bunch about Cisco Houston’s life. )
Cisco Houston — Diamond Joe
( Bob talks about Senator Joe McCarthy’s career — not in a complimentary fashion. )
( Bob reads an email from “Joe Perkins” complaining that Bob isn’t playing enough Van Morrison these days. Bob explains how they like to shine a light on lesser known types, but says, “You’re right, you can’t play enough Van Morrison, and it’s about time we played him again.” )
Van Morrison — I’m Tired Joey Boy
( Bob talks about the punishment of Sisyphus, having to roll a rock to the top of a hill, only to have it keep rolling back down again for eternity, and how Albert Camus says that the gods were wise in picking such a hideous punishment. Bob sez, “Think about it. Take your time. Does it remind you of … life? Life’s a lot like that. You roll a rock uphill, and you know you’re gonna have to do it again tomorrow. But there are those moments, when you’re walking down the hill, without the rock, and you look up at the sky, look around at the land — and it might only be a fleeting moment — but that’s a time that you say, ‘Life’s OK.’
Now excuse me. I’ve got to go back down to the bottom of that hill, and start rolling the rock again.” )

Next week’s theme: HEAT

(Yes, I know I’m behind on these summaries. Who can keep up with this old man?)

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