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Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.

Al Kooper

Bob Dylan said to the producer, turn up the organ. And Tom Wilson said, oh man, that guy’s not an organ player. And Dylan said.
AL KOOPER

Guy Man Organ Player Producer Say Turn
I think it was Columbia politics, Columbia Records politics that, that, Tom Wilson left [Bob Dylan] after “Like A Rolling Stone”.
AL KOOPER

After Country Politics Record Roll Stone Think
Still being ambitious to want to play on the record, I was a mediocre keyboard player. And uh, I seized the opportunity and played the organ.
AL KOOPER

Ambitious Keyboard Mediocre Opportunity Organ Play Player Record Seize Still
If you’d done a good job you’d just step back and let all these different chemistries interact and let it go.
AL KOOPER

Back Different Good Interact Job Let Let Go Step
The [Bob] Dylan sessions were very disorganized, to say the least. I mean, the “Like A Rolling Stone” session I was invited by the producer to watch.
AL KOOPER

Celebrity Disorganized Invite Least Like Mean Producer Roll Say Session Stone Watch
Musically Bob [Dylan] is a primitive. He’s not a Gershwin, or somebody that uses eloquent music terms.
AL KOOPER

Bob Eloquent Music Musically Primitive Somebody Term Use User
Mike Bloomfield sat down and started playing, and I went, whoa! Because I had never heard any white person play like that before.
AL KOOPER

Before Celebrity Down Hear never Person Play Start Went White
The “Highway 61” album [of Bob Dylan] was produced by Bob Johnston if I’m not incorrect. And Bob Johnston was an entirely different producer than Tom Wilson.
AL KOOPER

Album Differ Different Entirely Highway Incorrect Recor
So I would come in on the upbeat of one. I would wait until the band played the chord, and then as quickly as I could come in play the chord.
AL KOOPER

Band Chord One Play Quick Unbeat
Every now and then we could steal somebody else’s stuff.
AL KOOPER

Now Somebody Steal Stuff Then
Unlike so many Dylan-writer-wannabes and phony ‘encyclopedia’ compilers, Sean Wilentz makes me feel he was in the room when he chronicles events that I participated in.
AL KOOPER

Chronicle Compiler Event Feel Intelligent Many Participate Research Room So Unlike
Tom Wilson had produced jazz records and was a Harvard educated.
AL KOOPER

Educate Jazz Produce Record University
Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.
AL KOOPER

Bob Dylan Much Pretty Produce Sport
The very funny thing about “Like A Rolling Stone” is it was a six minute song, there was no music to read from. And there I was playing this unfamiliar instrument.
AL KOOPER

Funny Thing Instrument Minute Play Read Rolling Six Song Stone Unfamiliar
I don’t care, turn the organ up, and that’s really how I became an organ player.
AL KOOPER

Became Care Organ Player Really Turn
You couldn’t help being influenced by Dylan.
AL KOOPER

Being Help Influence Person
I started in the music business I was first introduced to 1650 Broadway, uh, which was in reality where everything happened in the ’60s.
AL KOOPER

Broadway Business Everything First Happen Introduce Music Reality Start
Every day from 10 to 6, we’d go in there and pretend that we were 13 year old girls and write these songs. That was the gig.
AL KOOPER

Day Every Gig Old Pretend Six Song Ten Thirteen Write Year
Finally a breath of fresh words founded in hardcore, intelligent research.
AL KOOPER

Breath Finally Found Fresh Hardcore Intelligent Research Word
At the end of the playback of the take of “Like A Rolling Stone”, or actually during the thing.
AL KOOPER

Actual During End Like Playback Rolling Stone Take Thing
The place that I worked I used to joke about it. There was a, every morning at 10:30 I’d come into work and I’d go into this cubicle that had a little upright piano and fake white cork bricks on the wall.
AL KOOPER

Cock Cubic Every Fake Joke Morning Paino Place Upright Wall White Work
My influences were mostly gospel. So I was playing my twisted Jewish equivalent of gospel music over his twisted equivalent of rock and roll music. And it was a very excellent marriage.
AL KOOPER

Equivalent Excellent Gospel Influence Jewish Marriage Mostly Music Over Play Twist
In the, uh, ’30s and ’40s, the Brill Building was the hub of, uh, musical activity in Tin Pan Alley in New York City.
AL KOOPER

Activity Alley Building Country Hib Music Pan Tin
I liked being challenged by music. It’s good for me.
AL KOOPER

Challenge For God Like Me Music
Only through sheer ambition did I end up playing on [Bob Dylan sessions] and the fact that I could do that is a testament to how disorganized it really was.
AL KOOPER

Ambition Bob End Fact Play Session Sheer Through
The first generation from the ’50s that were in 1650 [Broadway] were pretty much all crooks,
AL KOOPER

Crook Doubt First Generation Mean Much People Pretty
I believe Irving Berlin was there, and uh, and everything just centered around there.
AL KOOPER

Around Believe Center Country Everything Just Live

Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.

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Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.

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