It’sa rare event for theatre and rock n’ roll to cross paths. Suchan alluring mixture routinely gives way to organic art in the purestsense.

Words& Music by Bob Dylan is no exception. The show’sstopover in Toronto this month is spot on as the legendary musician’sthirty-first studio album hits shelves. While two thirds of theproduction is a musical celebration of Dylan’s work, artistPeter Landecker steps in to speak to the audience throughmonologues and interview transcripts and in doing so establishescontext to a lyrical legacy.

ActOne embodies his protest songs and concludes with Like A RollingStone. The second act roams through his country period, his divorce,and re-birth as a Christian right up to the present day.

PeterLandecker gives TorontoStage.com an exclusive interview on theman, the myth, and the music.

Howold were you when you first discovered Bob Dylan and what do youremember about the experience?

Iwas about 8 years old and I remember my older brother bringing‘Highway 61’ home and playing it and my mother not likingit. But I sure did.

Whydo you feel that Bob Dylan is such an important musical icon?

Hesingle-handedly brought down tin-pan alley which was literally aplace where songwriters were employed in a building and then thesongs were fashioned into pop music by producers who chose thesingers for their looks and charisma.

Dylanrevived the tradition of the troubadour – thesinger/songwriter. He brought the sense of emotion and mysticism andheavily layered storytelling inherent in folk music to the rocksensibility which was not dated like folk. He brought brains to rockn roll, without sacrificing any of the heat & passion.

Healso created a rebel persona and at the same time set down a strongsense of values. His words & music captured an outrage againstracism, war, profiteering, and the realities of life in the nuclearage that were widely felt, but not widely expressed. He broughtbeautiful poetic imagery to popular music that was only found inpoems before him.

Hedidn’t quit, over-dose, get killed, or fade away. He has keptat it for over 40 years. And he did this all while maintaining anexcellent sense of humour!

Wheredid the idea for this play originate?

Igot the idea from someone who had done a similar show in SouthAfrica. I staged a version when I was a student at UCLA and shortlythereafter I met Dylan by coincidence. He had heard about the showand it began my quest to acquire the rights. We’ve doneseveral versions of the show over the years.

Whatdid you set out to achieve when you drafted this play?

Iwanted to make a show without pretense. There is no artifice of anon-existent fourth wall. The speaking parts are at times intimateand if there is a mystery of whom Bob Dylan is. The show takes someof that away. There is a lot of truth in the material and a lot ofhumour. But most of all, it’s the songs. It’s apleasure to hear them and they can be very moving and inspiring.

What’syour favouite Bob Dylan song and why?

Blowinin The Wind – it’s so simple and timeless –beautiful, truthful, inspiring.

Doyou feel Bob Dylan has his rightful place in music history?

Itdepends who you are talking to. If you go to the bookstore, there isa whole row of thick tomes about him so the music historians havecaught on—perhaps excessively so. But most people don’teven know all these fantastic songs they know and love were writtenby him. I think most people don’t understand what all the fussis about. These people should come to the show.

Thisisn’t the first offering paying homage to Bob Dylan but themusician is well are of your project, correct?

Thereis a show opening on Broadway soon called ‘The Times They Are aChangin,’ created by the choreographer Twyla Tharpe. I thinkit’s a more allegorical take on his journey. I was recently onthe set of a Todd Haynes film with Richard Gere which also tellsDylan’s story in allegory.

Dylanknows about my show, we spoke about which songs I had included. Icut a song I had chose because he said it should be dead and buried.I added “Idiot Wind” on his suggestion. He told me healways wanted a show about him, he said “Leonard Cohen has ashow about him….”