I've been travelling around the mid-West, from St. Louis to Dallas and now Minnesota...just northeast of St. Paul. I have a gig here today but when I drove here from the airport, I crossed Highway 61. Its significance wasn't lost on me. "Route 22" was my song and I had forgotten about Dylan's. Until now.

US Highway 61 runs along the Mississippi River from Tulane Street in New Orleans, through Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and ends near the Canadian border in Wyoming, Minnesota. It was a major route for poor southerners to take north to find work in the early to mid 20th century. The "Blues Highway" went through Memphis and St. Louis. In Clarksdale, MS, it crosses US 49...the famed mythological "Crossroads" where Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil to become such a good guitar player.

But Dylan's song resonates today. Rocking, crazy (with the siren and Mike Bloomfield's manic slide) and biblical (Dylan's father and grandfathers' names were Abraham) its lyrics sing so well, so perfectly that hip hoppers should go to school on it.

I'm just a sucker for nostalgic places and US 61 even in suburban St Paul makes a connection with me.

Oh God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe says, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God say, “No.” Abe say, “What?”
God say, “You can do what you want Abe, but
The next time you see me comin’ you better run”
Well Abe says, “Where do you want this killin’ done?”
God says, “Out on Highway 61”

and I know...I spelt  "laparascopic" wrong.

Here is a post from after the surgery.

That's Dave Webster on guitar, Benny Harrison on keys, Tony Mercadante on bass and Andrew Caturano on drums,

Thanks to Steve Hoffman and Doug Abdelnour for the video.

LOOK at Chuck's discography!

Chuck and David took me to Caribou Ranch in Nederland, CO, to finish the LP. That was Chicago's hot studio in the Rockies. Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney had been in the week before to record "Ebony and Ivory."

Recording basic tracks at North Lake Sound, 1982, Chuck with Dom Romao on percussion. Notice SM57 near Chuck. That was a talkback mike that picked up neck-slap noise that he fell in love with. We ended up recording the entire LP that way (remember LP's?)

Outside the studio at 8200 feet in Nederland CO.

For those who might have missed it, "Route 22":

Hero of the Day, Dr. Roger Riechers

Technical title of the surgery was a robotic laproscopic radical prostatectomy. The "robot" is the da Vinci Surgical System that is "the next generation of surgeons will be working on 3-D high definition displays combined with augmented reality of articulating instruments and image fusion." In short, he peers through 3D glasses at a screen while his hands are in these "gloves" that offer him 360 manipulation of the tools. Regular laproscopy vs. da Vinci: think trying to open your card door with a coat hangar vs. your arm. And he is using several tools at once.

I had read somewhere in the thousands of pages I scoured  about prostate cancer that the robotic system was developed for the military. Can't be, says Dr. Riechers. Although "telesurgery" is being touted and tried and pushed, he maintains that the surgeon must be next to the patient...especially when the computer freezes (no way...computers don't freeze) The robot (the surgical team affectionately refers to it as "Leo") more importantly assists the surgeon in fine-tuned twists and manipulations of the tiny tools at the end of each "arm." Watch the video from YouTube of the actual doctor's eye view   

Here I am before...

And during...

And here is Dr. Riecher's team

That's what you want, folks, happy people who are dealing with your survival. I can't thank them enough. 100% removal of the bad boy and all nerves were spared (IYKWIMAITYD.)

By the way, the morning after Dr. Riechers came in my room to look me over and said the surgery took an hour but the photgraphy took 3. I had asked ahead of time if it was OK to bring a camera in and let a nurse or someone take some pix. Guess what? HE did all the photography. And by the way,  the surgery took 5 hours.

Benny Harrison: keys, Dave Webster: guitar, Andrew Caturano: drums, Tony Mercadante: bass, Jim Nowak: sound

Here's the "making of..." A behind-the-scenes POV by Derek Gedney