What's Up With Justin Bieber?

I am not a fan of Justin Bieber. I am a couple of generations too late for Bieber fan-dom (or is that beliebers?). Now, that said, young Will is a big fan. Whenever Justin Bieber's song "Baby" comes on the TV or the radio or even over the loud speaker system at the mall, he drops everything he is doing and starts bopping away. Is bopping away what almost two-year-olds do?

Anyways, I have noticed that young Mr. Bieber's dance moves have taken on that Michael Jackson-esque crotch-grabbing routine. The photographic evidence would seem to prove that he has a rather frequent need to check that the goods are still there, his boxers are not sitting right, or he has a nasty little "itch" that needs some pretty frequent scratching.

The sad part is that Bieber is still a boy and a role-model of sorts. I am not sure how much of a role model he is to Will, but judging by the number of fans he has, and assuming that they are not all young girls, then there are a few young boys out there that are fans too. So, is the constant crotch-grabbing an image that he needs to promote?

On a slightly different tack. The Justin Bieber story is a real lesson on how to cultivate world-wide appeal and stardom by taking a most unorthodox, at least in my view, through the use of modern technology and social networking. In that sense it is all kudos to the young man and his team of handlers.

I wonder if the crotch-grabbing thing is that Miley Cyrus / Taylor Momsen thing of being a child and trying to cultivate a more adult contemporary image?

Ho hum...

Bob Dylan -- A Complete Unknown?

I am a huge Bob Dylan fan. I have been since I was little. I am not sure that my parents understood or even understand today. They have always been supportive though, and bought me a ticket to a Dylan concert for my birthday one year. They have also been forthcoming with albums that are hard to get for birthdays and Christmases.

So, this little story out of Long Branch on the New Jersey shore I found amusing in a really funny kind of a way. Dylan was wondering around the Lake Branch community looking at houses and passing the time before heading off to an evening concert in a nearby town, Lakewood. He is currently touring with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.

A 68-year-old fella seemingly wandering around aimlessly in your community is certainly going to attract some attention. And, so it was, Dylan attracted the attention of a 24-year-old police officer who stopped Dylan and asked him for some identification.

The funny here is that the in 1985 when this police officer was born, Dylan had already been making music for 24 years at that point in time, and when she asked him for ID he had been making music for five decades. Most people would argue that Dylan is a music icon and that he has been one of the most significant singers and songwriters of the late 20th century. Yet, if you're not a fan, then you're not a fan.

In defense of the first officer, it would seem that in Lang Branch, Dylan is not well-known or a star. A second officer who arrived on the scene to assist the first officer also did not recognize Dylan.

Unfortunately, for Dylan he was carrying no identification. However, the lack of ID was overcome with some polite banter between the police officers and Dylan, and a quick trip back to where the concert people were holed up for confirmation that the man claiming to be Bob Dylan was in fact Bob Dylan.

Fame is certainly relative.