Episode 25 of On The Record with Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie begins where so many arguments in roots music eventually end up: Bob Dylan.
Specifically, the minor detail of him turning 85 (born 24 May 1941) and still looming over popular music like a sarcastic weather system.
Wise traces his Dylan origin story to a very Australian setting: the MCG, a transistor radio, and the moment “Like a Rolling Stone” clicked hard enough to “change [his] life forever.”
The two reflect on how Dylan’s early acoustic material often reached mainstream ears via cover versions (Peter, Paul and Mary; The Byrds) before the electric era bulldozed its way onto radio.
They also underline the sheer cultural audacity of a six‑minute single in mid-’60s broadcast land—especially one powered by Dylan’s accusatory bite: How does it feel?
From there, the episode becomes a guided tour through Dylan’s catalogue, with special attention paid to that famously productive run of Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde before charting other note worthy releases from his 60 year career.
The most vivid Dylan “event” in the episode isn’t a stadium gig, though—it’s a birthday tribute concert at Memo Music Hall. Wise lists an enviable Melbourne line-up: Adelita, Rebecca Barnard, Van Walker, Lisa Miller, Charles Jenkins, Rob Snarski, Susanna Espie, backed by a band led by Shane O’Mara (with Adrian Whitehead on keys, Shane Reilly on pedal steel, Rick Plant on bass, Ben Wisner on drums).
After the Dylan critique, Mackenzie recommends two TV series — The Capture (on iView) as a surveillance-and-evidence thriller, and Rivals(on Disney) as a glossy, satirical plunge into Thatcher-era media warfare.
The episode closes by teasing Wise’s interview with Darian Sahanaja (of The Wondermints, who backed Brian Wilson on the Smile and Pet Sounds tours) ahead of a tour with Al Jardine along with the unexpected bonding point: deep affection for the Beach Boys’ cult-favourite Love You album.
All this plus Homer’s Odyssey and losing your earbuds in the cracks between plane seats.
Listen right here…