happy birthday, bob!

The one-and-only self-proclaimed Archbishop of Anarchy is 69 years old today!

And there simply is no stopping him. After a two-month break, Dylan will launch yet another overseas tour, opening on May 29th in Athens, Greece.

“Backyard” and “Dad’s Restaurant” from the 2010 Drawn Blank Series.

On May 22nd, his 2010 Drawn Blank Series was officially unveiled in the Castle Galleries, U.K. This is the third collection of limited edition graphics available for purchase following unprecedented worldwide acclaim and demand. The series is limited to 295 pieces signed by the artist (more info here), and are impressions of people, places, and things he encountered while on the road. How much do I love that he sketched the exterior of a restaurant?!

Meanwhile, stumbled upon a couple of fascinating old photos.

Here’s Dylan with one of his sons and George Harrison. You idolize someone and judge him by his public persona, oftentimes forgetting he’s a family man doing “ordinary” things.

from dag’s photostream.

And okay, let’s just stand around and shoot the breeze with Neil Young and Eric Clapton. *swoon*

from dag’s photostream.

I’ve noted that Sony Entertainment and others have removed hundreds of Dylan videos from YouTube.com — amateur videos of concerts, fan-made compilations, bootleg copies of official videos, etc. They’re cracking the whip on copyright infringement and now there are only a handful of videos available for public viewing and sharing (prefaced by annoying Vevo ads). I like this one from 2000, “Things Have Changed”. Dylan shows off his dramatic flair (love the way he holds a sandwich, and the bits in the coffee shop), and there are some fun cameos by Katie Holmes, Michael Douglas, and Robert Downey, Jr., among others. Enjoy!

Now, go forth and crank up your fave Dylan song. Just for today, your response to all questions: “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.” Alternately, if you’re feeling especially frisky, approach a stranger with, “How does it feel?”

Connect, engage, cherish the humanity!