Addendum 09:43 am: I’ve never even gotten used to the idea of paying for TV; now this?? $12.95 a month! … However, a little research reveals that XM Channel 40 is also available (currently) on XM’s “online only” offer, which is $7.99 per month.

On the other hand, if you subscribe to the main satellite service, you get the online part thrown in for free.

(Of-course, take nothing written here as binding, and be sure to consult your own legal and accounting professionals.)

…

Addendum 9:24 pm: Other than the $ involved to listen, this thing is going to be a blast. Dylan has fantastic taste in music, and very strong opinions about it, and it’s something he’s only been able to hint at in interviews because the interviewers are always more interested in talking about his music. It’s ironic, because when it comes to his own songs, Dylan, quite rightly, has little to say. (He’s already said what he wants to say by writing the song. Adding to it, for him, probably only risks subtracting from it.)

Well … “and beyond,” let’s hope. Clearly any labels and restrictions have to be thrown out the window when Dylan is doing the deejaying. I’d fully expect everything from early Louis Armstrong to late Van Morrison, “and beyond” … way beyond. Dylan knows his “rock” too, but he gets the bigger picture, as he’s always conveyed in his own music, and this will be a golden chance for him to share his love of it all. And that’s what works on the radio. You want to listen to records spun by someone who has a deep affection for what they’re playing and can communicate that to their listeners. Then, you’re hearing it through their ears as well as your own.

Who’s he going to interview? I’d bet he mixes it up, but he’s not going to miss the chance to talk to some of the old guys who are still around. Ralph Stanley comes to mind.

Good gracious … what a treasure for posterity these shows are likely to be; God willing that we live to hear them.

Of-course, the news raises a couple of questions for Dylanologists everywhere. Does doing a weekly radio show mean Dylan is going to retire from touring? Some people have been speculating he was going to pack it in anyway. My guess is just plain “no;” I think he’s going to grace the stage till he dies. And the NY Times quotes an XM honcho as saying the show will emanate from “a combination of home and hotel rooms and buses.” So, that seems to be a pretty direct answer to that.

Another question that occurs to me is this: what is the role of the cottage industry of Dylan analysis (this humble web site included), when the artist himself is making himself so seemingly accessible and transparent? A straightforward memoir, with two more volumes to come, and now a weekly radio show. (Are the media going to keep calling him “reclusive?” I saw the word in a couple of stories today.) How can people justify writing reams and reams analyzing someone who is already being so open? I mean, at least wait till he passes on! Well, as alluded to earlier, Dylan doesn’t talk too much about his own songs—and he’s not likely to use his radio show to do so either. So others will continue talking about his own work, and speculating about his motives, and spinning their web sites and books. And RWB is certainly not going to unilaterally disarm (peace through strength, y’know).

I think the show is going to be a music-lover’s paradise, and I can’t wait.