Drifter's escape

A hilarious interview with Bob Dylan in the latest
Sunday Star-Times (appropriately, in the section
called Escape). ‘In an exclusive extract, Bob Dylan
talks to music writer Bob Flanagan,’ according to the
intro, but no source for the interview is given.
Actually, it’s Bill Flanagan, described elsewhere as a
‘leading rock critic and MTV producer,’ but the whole
thing reads like a parody. Why anyone should bother
trying to interview Dylan is a mystery, as he has never
been known to make a foolish move or for that matter
give a straight answer. ‘Everybody has dreams,’ he
tells Flanagan. ‘I’ve always thought of them as coming
out of the subconscious.’ Really? Must say, that never
occurred to me before. As for Barack Obama, who was
born in Hawaii, ‘Most of us think of Hawaii as
paradise,’ says Bob (to Bill), ‘so I guess you could say
that he was born in paradise.’ Wow. I guess you could.
‘You’ve sold over a hundred million records!’ exclaims
Bill (to Bob). ‘Yeah I know,’ replies Dylan inscrutably,
‘It’s a mystery to me too.’ Unfazed, Flanagan presses
on (and here, I think, is where he shows real journalistic
integrity): ‘How do you think this new record will be
received?’ One imagines Dylan thrown for a moment,
but swiftly he recovers his poise: ‘I know my fans will
like it. Other than that, I have no idea.’ No wonder the
interview is headlined ‘Conversations with God.’