Win a chance to read Dylan poetry at this year’s BobFest

by JAY LUSTIG

Pat Guadagno\’s annual BobFest concert takes place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, May 25.

When Bob Dylan was named a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, the question naturally arose: Do Dylan’s song lyrics stand on their own as literature, without the music?

We’re going to find out. We’re asking Dylan fans to make YouTube videos of themselves reading a Dylan song, as if it were poetry. The videos will be compiled on NJArts.net, and the person who offers the best performance will win the opportunity to do the reading live at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank as part of Pat Guadagno and his Tired Horses band’s 19th annual BobFest concert, May 25.

To enter, simply upload the video to YouTube, and send the URL in an email to njartscontest@gmail.com. The deadline to enter is May 19, and the winner will be notified on May 20.

Any type of reading is acceptable: long or short, funny or serious, melodramatic or restrained. 

The winner will be determined jointly by me and Guadagno.

Guadagno started presenting BobFest concerts as a way to celebrate Dylan’s birthday; Dylan will turn 76 on May 24. This year’s show has the theme of “Songs of War and Peace,” though that won’t be a factor in picking the winner of this contest.

The show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $19.50 to $39.50; visit countbasietheatre.org or Guadagno’s site, magombo.com.

 

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1 comment

Gary Wien May 1, 2017 - 3:11 pm

Wish we knew you were doing this, we would have included it in our piece on BobFest at http://www.njartsmag.com

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