day 10: tulsa: the rest of the centers, and hanging around while allan dives in

our newest fridge magnet

Both the Woody Guthrie and the Bob Dylan Centers house the official archives of both artists. Time in the archive is by application and appointment only. Allan applied in advance, and spent a lot of time figuring out what he would focus on in the two days we allotted for this. 

As I mentioned earlier, if it were possible, Allan would spend hours, days -- months -- combing through the Dylan archives. He is especially interested in the development of songs. The archives hold Dylan's famous notebooks and papers (sheets, scraps, many on hotel stationery) which reveal his creative process of working out song lyrics. 

Dylan famously changed and continues to change lyrics over time. For many songs, the version that lands on the album is a moment in time, the one version of the many that could have been included. In concert, Dylan will sing well-known songs in various ways. Live performances, both official and bootlegs, will always differ.

While I do find this interesting, I lack the patience required to comb through and compare versions. I look at a page from a notebook with typing and handwriting, and think, this is interesting -- and move on. Allan is one of the diehards who takes the time to analyze and mentally chart the changes.

We headed into town early, and decided to meet back at the car. I returned to the Woody Center; the desk staff welcomed me back. I had missed a wall of audio that is paired with photographs, small sections available through touch-screens and headphones. It was actually a documentary about Woody broken up into bite-size pieces, a very smart technique. 

I visited the small gift shop, and was very disappointed that the t-shirt I had my heart set on is sold out in the size I need. The helpful staff suggested I keep an eye on it online, as they will re-stock it soon. I did get this nice tee, along with a fridge magnet for our collection. Most of the tees had messages of resisting fascism or standing up for equality. There was a great "all humans are equal" tee that interested me, but it was superimposed on the outline of the US map. 

Next stop, the Dylan Center, to see the current (non-permanent) exhibit, about Jesse Ed Davis. Davis was a Native American musician from Oklahoma, who was a great blues and rock guitarist. He is best remembered for playing with Taj Mahal, but he played with many country and rock greats. His career included the Rolling Stones' famous Rock and Roll Circus and the Concert for Bangladesh. If you're familiar with the guitar solo in Jackson Browne's song "Doctor My Eyes" -- that's Jesse Ed Davis. Davis died in 1988 from his heroin addiction. It was a really good exhibit, curated by the poet Joy Harjo. 

After that, I walked around the neighbourhood a bit, stopping into Magic City Books, a great independent bookstore owned the Tulsa Literary Collective. I felt like buying everything! Good thing we're flying. Front and center, there is a large local-interest section (speaking of Joy Harjo, there were signed copies of many of her books), and a whole section on the Tulsa Massacre. I was surprised at how many books have been written about it; there had to be at least 10 titles.

In the Arts District and on the Guthrie Green (the park in front of the Dylan/Guthrie Centers), trucks and booths were being set up for Tulsa Mayfest. I feel like I should be excited we're in town for this, and I once would have been. Now a street festival just feels like noise, crowds, and mediocre music. 

I hung around and read while I waited for Allan. He emerged shortly after 4:30, not having moved once -- not to eat or get a water, not even to pee -- the entire day. He had spent the whole day hand-copying pages with a pencil, the only method allowed in most archives, including this one. It was fun hearing about his experience communing with Dylan's papers. 

We stopped at Caz's for a thirst-quencher, then drove in search of Dante's Woodfire, a funky pizza joint working out of a truck. The guys in the truck were super nice and friendly -- and the pizzas were incredible. Really some of the best we've ever had. We ate at a picnic table, and took our leftovers home in this box decorated by one of the cooks, their "resident artist". It's a slice of pizza riding a gorilla.

The Dante's chef told us about a local bakery called Country Bird. It's open four hours a week; it's mission is "storytelling through baked goods". A line forms more than an hour before opening. The Dante's guy suggested we order one of everything.

Today, May 9, is Cookie Day! The day my little golden oreo joined our family. We miss the dogs so much!