(See the video we created around this on Barnesivan8 Youtube channel! Subscribe!)

youtu.be/GeorR3IiY4M

Our Take on Current Affairs:

By Erick Burdette, Ann Schurmann and David Brandt (aka Youth Is Wasted)

Watchtower

Song Written by Bob Dylan
Cover, 9-27-16, by Youth Is Wasted

Youth Is Wasted is:

Bass, bass lead, harmony, background and counterpoint vocals -- Erick Burdette

Lead vocals, background and harmony vocals - Ann Schurmann

Lead vocals, rhythm and lead acoustic and electric guitars - David Brandt

Performed and arranged bi-coast-ally by all 3 of us. Dropbox, GarageBand and iMovie utilized. Images from Google Images and videos from YouTube. Video produced by Ann Schurmann and David Brandt.

[NOTE: Ann and I had a great time collaborating electronically on this old classic with the very talented bassist and singer Erick Burdette who lives in CA (he was a member of Reeves Nevo & The Cinch). The video, as we made it, sort of took on a life of its own; if politics aren't your thing, then we hope you'll just close your eyes and listen!]

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(Note added 10/8/16:) In the YouTube we recently put out relating our musical interpretation of Watchtower to the current election and medieval imagery, there have been some small bits of feedback that prompted me to quote here a letter I just received from a friend on historic references to the joker and the thief, lest there be any doubt about where all three of us (Erick Burdette, Ann Schurmann and David Brandt) stand:

Indeed, they (the writer) got it!:

"Trickster or Clown [or Joker] is an example of a Jungian archetype. Often, the trickster is distinct in a story by his acting as a sort of catalyst, in that his antics are the cause of other characters' discomfiture, but he himself is left untouched.

In later folklore, the trickster/clown is incarnated as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defense. He also is known for entertaining people as a clown does.

Many typical fairy tales have the king who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by ordering several trials. No brave and valiant prince or knight manages to win them, until a poor and simple peasant comes. With the help of his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners. Therefore the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the reward.

Modern African American literary criticism has turned the trickster figure into one example of how it is possible to overcome a system of oppression from within.

The joker is also often represents the artist -- someone who entertains, but also provoked by questioning the established order.

The thief is an ambiguous archetype, sometimes a criminal, sometimes a hero (think Robinhood). Often, he represents an outsider, someone separated from the established order and who may question the values of the established order.

I'm reading online that Dylan may have meant the joker to represent Jesus.

It is Dylan-esque in its ambiguity!"

Watchtower (Cover, 9-25-16, Erick Burdette, Ann Schurmann & David Brandt (Youth Is Wasted))

Here’s our take on The Decembrist’s Song “Down by the Water”. 2016 was a tough year! Would you do it again? Would you bear it all broken just to fill your cup? You can view it on youtube by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVrD3h0b7SE

Song by The Decembrists