In 1976 I was 13 years old and I already had Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1. One night, I was sitting in my neighbor’s car with my feet up on the dashboard when the radio disc jockey announced the new Bob Dylan song. It was SARA from DESIRE. I sat spellbound during the entire song, absorbing it like a small sponge in a large lake. I had never been taken to such a place before in my life, while at the same time it all felt so familiar. Everything about it, the melody, the tempo, the interaction between the bass and the drums, the lyrics, the style of singing, Emmylou Harris’ harmonies and on top of all that, Scarlet Rivera’s haunting gypsy violin. As a 13 year old kid, I was absolutely transported. The song etched itself into the very core of my being. The very next day, I cut a neighbor’s lawn to earn the money to buy the album, and I still own the same original worn-out copy to this day. It’s one of the reasons that I became a musician and songwriter and I am forever in debt to DESIRE. Thank you all who were a part of it: Scarlet, Howie, Stoner, Emmylou, Levy and of course, Dylan himself.
Who can ever forget Scarlet's beautiful, haunting playing on Desire and the following tour. A wonderful musician who left such a indelible mark on Dylan's songs and sound during this great period. Thanks so much.
Scarlet's point that Bob runs on intuition is really true. Because of this, he can seem sloppy or careless or even perverse at times, and he rarely bothers to explain his choices, but he still makes it work in often extraordinary ways. He does not wear it on his sleeve, but he is a highly intelligent and intuitive man.
I was and still am so overwhelmed by Desire and the violin kept me haunted for years. Love to see this sweet person and interesting personality. Glad I bumped into this documentary. Great interview. Make me feel humble in a way. Thumbs up from the Netherlands, namaste !!
Ms. Rivera is an exquisite artist - I never heard of her before Dylan, or after.............but what talent! (Not to mention she is beautiful)........Thanks for this interview.....................cheers
Desire was a wonderful fruit of two fortunate encounters. the first one the random encounter of bob and jack Levi and the second is that of bob and Scarlet. Levi's poetical contribution , discussions and suggestions had a wonderful impact on the lyrics and Scarlet's spontaneous ad lib playing had a remarkable impact on the music. I daresay that Bob had a moment of illumination when he saw the young gypsy like, most naturally looking young lady walking down the street. He had already written One More Cup of Coffee when he met her and she was surprisingly the embodiment of the subject of the song, the gypsy fair lady towards whom the speaker of the poem has the most unrequited love. Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky Your back is straight, your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie But I don't sense affection, no gratitude or love Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below Your daddy, he's an outlaw and a wanderer by trade He'll teach you how to pick and choose, and how to throw the blade He oversees his kingdom, so no stranger does intrude His voice, it trembles as he calls out for another plate of food One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below Your sister sees the future like your mama and yourself You've never learned to read or write, there's no books upon your shelf And your pleasure knows no limits, your voice is like a meadow lark But your heart is like an ocean, mysterious and dark One more cup of coffee for the road One more cup of coffee 'fore I go To the valley below
A great account! Reinforces the tales told by the Blood on the Tracks band -- all local Minneapolis musicians at the time -- who all have similar tales. Thanks for posting.
John Mayall has just released a new album at the age of eighty nine, and the wonderful Scarlet Rivera is playing scintillating violin on two of the tracks. Great decision John.
What a great story and what perfect timing to be discovered the way she was, when a difference of just a few minutes would mean it never would have happened!
Scarlet / Donna, I bought the album “Desire” in 1977 when I was a senior in high school. The violin on the album hit me right off. It was and is eerie and haunting and quite different from anything Dylan had done before or since. It could really send a chill down your spine. There was so little info on the album cover/jacket that one didn’t have any idea who contributed what. This interview brings it all home along with the new Scorsese film. Thanks. SW
master stroke of bobs to put unkown scarlet on desire , bob operates on a different level to other artists ,, guess thats why he so brillant at what he does .
I humbly appreciate your gift. You gave Desire color and that in itself gives you credentials for everything else. After listening to your gift, I'm positive that you have to be amazing, tho' I'm just as positive that you don't believe it. I'd be honored if you read this,
A very minor point but the artist's name is "Muddy Waters", not "Muddy Water", as she repeats several times. I guess Scarlet isn't a blues fan. That's OK, she can play anyway.
Scarlet started following me on Twitter, so I was blown away of course, it's not often Musical Royalty shows up like that! So I friended her on Facebook, and she's heard my music and been nothin but Nice to me. I'm even assumin she may have mentioned me to Bob, who I'd like to meet sometime. But that is, of course, too much to ask of such a Legendary an fundamentally hard-workin musician. So I'm satisfied if he's just Aware that I exist, after years as a huge Fan in the Welsh Wilderness. Thanks.
I'm curious to know if Scarlet's name is from birth. It is unusual, but maybe baby had some scarlet locks as little hair as babies have or later because of her scarlet hair she adopted the name. And it was cool for her that, as she says, Bob was intuitive, and she played for him that day instead of waiting for days and getting anxious. It must've all seemed so surreal to her making it easier and more natural. I bought Desire after hearing Hurricane or seeing and hearing it on PBS and I had heard some of Blood on the Tracks. At that time for me, at 17 and after my 1st serious love affair broke up it was the perfect album. A mixture of the real world and a 17-year-olds ability to plug into different realities. And in retrospection, I soon realized Desire is a great companion piece to Blood. I'll always view and consume those two albums intertwining and overlapping together. I saw Muddy Waters in 1975 and my friend OD'd. As the ambulance pulled away, I yelled to Muddy, "Boogie for George!" He looked over by the window where the lights were flashing, and he did boogie harder and with more intent the rest of his show. I sat on the edge of the stage after that and no one bothered me. After the show he walked off in the direction I was in and I patted him on the back and said, "Great show Muddy. Great show." It was a magical, mysterious and dark time. One more cup of coffee for the road, indeed, pops into my mind.
Yes, Donna Shea was in o.rchestra,I was in band, Only met her once when the two groups did an end of the year thing.Along with the choir. This was 8th grade and it went off great. Joliet,Ill.had a lot of good musicians.
They always say, 'it's not about how good you are, but who you know.' Scarlet's story is the quintessential proof of that mantra. Talk about a lucky break. I never got such a break, but I'm old enough now to where it really doesn't matter anymore. And lo and behold, I'm still truckin' on.... :-)
I love your long hair scarlet! you describe the bobby I know. what happens if you don't rise to the occasion when the grand wizard taps you on the shoulder and you go the other way. does that make you a myth buster if you did? :) maybe something like this: Debt by Sara Teasdale What do I owe to you Who loved me deep and long? You never gave my spirit wings Or gave my heart a song. But oh, to him I loved, Who loved me not at all, I owe the open gate That led through heaven's wall.
Bob’s one true love will always be Joan. Couldn’t live with her, couldn’t live without her. There is a part of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue film, in which there is a scene with Bob and Joan talking while sitting at a bar, just the two of them, and it’s very revealing. There is obviously a lot of affection still there for each other. He still expresses his remorse for the way he treated her during the mid sixties British tour, and she eventually forgave him.
Muddy always refereed to himself as "Muddy Water", as did all his early contemporaries.Chess Records added the "s" to the end of his name,so he became known as "Muddy Waters". Legend says his grandmother gave him the nickname "Muddy Water" because,as a child,he'd always go find a mud puddle to play in.
Too bad she was dating Gene Simmons. I did like that she had that Blues for Allah sticker on her violin. In the RTR movie she didn’t mention the GD when asked about the sticker! I think she was being cheeky.
I gotta say that violin has always seemed out of place in some types of music. It somehow lacks a kind of expressiveness of other intstruments. I think it's the interaction of the bow with the strings. A lack of an ability to define a clear attack point on a note. In rock, it came on in the 70s, but is absent now.
"Desire" was a good album and could have been a great album, but "Hurricsne" and "Joey" dragged it down, imo. I began to move away from Dylan at that point. Dylan's gospel shit sealed the deal for me. I never liked any of his stuff after that.
Pfff... I wish people would stop talking about Bob as if he's some sort of mythological larger than life figure. He isn't. He goes to the toilet and takes a crap like every one of us.
Scarlet’s contribution to Desire is immeasurable. Wonderfully talented artist.
Oh yes, she is!
In 1976 I was 13 years old and I already had Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1. One night, I was sitting in my neighbor’s car with my feet up on the dashboard when the radio disc jockey announced the new Bob Dylan song. It was SARA from DESIRE. I sat spellbound during the entire song, absorbing it like a small sponge in a large lake. I had never been taken to such a place before in my life, while at the same time it all felt so familiar. Everything about it, the melody, the tempo, the interaction between the bass and the drums, the lyrics, the style of singing, Emmylou Harris’ harmonies and on top of all that, Scarlet Rivera’s haunting gypsy violin. As a 13 year old kid, I was absolutely transported. The song etched itself into the very core of my being. The very next day, I cut a neighbor’s lawn to earn the money to buy the album, and I still own the same original worn-out copy to this day. It’s one of the reasons that I became a musician and songwriter and I am forever in debt to DESIRE. Thank you all who were a part of it: Scarlet, Howie, Stoner, Emmylou, Levy and of course, Dylan himself.
Imagine if "Oh Sister" was recorded without Scarlett's violin. Or any of the songs on "Desire". We are so lucky that Bob discovered her.
yea desire was a great vindication for dylan ...with a little help from his friends
The universe Discovered her..... Bob was paying attention.... I am thankful for this
Todo el disco no seria lo mismo
@@imannonymous7707 Yes. friends like his "Blonde On Blonde" and "Planet Waves" LP's, just to name a few. And do bring me a copper kettle.
or the great Rob Stoner's bass and backing vocals, largely uncredited on Desire
Desire is one of Dylan's best and the violin made that album.
Who can ever forget Scarlet's beautiful, haunting playing on Desire and the following tour. A wonderful musician who left such a indelible mark on Dylan's songs and sound during this great period. Thanks so much.
Scarlet's point that Bob runs on intuition is really true. Because of this, he can seem sloppy or careless or even perverse at times, and he rarely bothers to explain his choices, but he still makes it work in often extraordinary ways. He does not wear it on his sleeve, but he is a highly intelligent and intuitive man.
Like him telling Al Kooper to play organ instead of piano on "Like a Rolling Stone". Genius
@@DeadFlowers69 Gasp!
Exactly🌺🎶🌺
Scarlett phrased perfectly how Dylan functions.. which is also a perfect and preferable way🌺🎶🌺
I was and still am so overwhelmed by Desire and the violin kept me haunted for years. Love to see this sweet person and interesting personality. Glad I bumped into this documentary. Great interview. Make me feel humble in a way. Thumbs up from the Netherlands, namaste !!
Ms. Rivera is an exquisite artist - I never heard of her before Dylan, or after.............but what talent! (Not to mention she is beautiful)........Thanks for this interview.....................cheers
Desire was a wonderful fruit of two fortunate encounters. the first one the random encounter of bob and jack Levi and the second is that of bob and Scarlet. Levi's poetical contribution , discussions and suggestions had a wonderful impact on the lyrics and Scarlet's spontaneous ad lib playing had a remarkable impact on the music. I daresay that Bob had a moment of illumination when he saw the young gypsy like, most naturally looking young lady walking down the street. He had already written One More Cup of Coffee when he met her and she was surprisingly the embodiment of the subject of the song, the gypsy fair lady towards whom the speaker of the poem has the most unrequited love.
Your breath is sweet, your eyes are like two jewels in the sky
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie
But I don't sense affection, no gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your daddy, he's an outlaw and a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose, and how to throw the blade
He oversees his kingdom, so no stranger does intrude
His voice, it trembles as he calls out for another plate of food
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Your sister sees the future like your mama and yourself
You've never learned to read or write, there's no books upon your shelf
And your pleasure knows no limits, your voice is like a meadow lark
But your heart is like an ocean, mysterious and dark
One more cup of coffee for the road
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below
Desire still one of my fav Dylan albums
I love her playing on hurricane.
A great account! Reinforces the tales told by the Blood on the Tracks band -- all local Minneapolis musicians at the time -- who all have similar tales. Thanks for posting.
John Mayall has just released a new album at the age of eighty nine, and the wonderful Scarlet Rivera is playing scintillating violin on two of the tracks. Great decision John.
What a great story and what perfect timing to be discovered the way she was, when a difference of just a few minutes would mean it never would have happened!
Scarlet is a major talent. A musician's musician.
Hurrican🎶 great violin. Great everything.
love this. visionary. illuminating. imagination. poetic.
Great interview, she is really amazingly talented.
Scarlet / Donna, I bought the album “Desire” in 1977 when I was a senior in high school. The violin on the album hit me right off. It was and is eerie and haunting and quite different from anything Dylan had done before or since. It could really send a chill down your spine. There was so little info on the album cover/jacket that one didn’t have any idea who contributed what. This interview brings it all home along with the new Scorsese film. Thanks. SW
Gorgeous remarkable talent!
Love her on "Desire," especially "Isis."
master stroke of bobs to put unkown scarlet on desire , bob operates on a different level to other artists ,, guess thats why he so brillant at what he does .
Beautiful story!
Would love to hear more. Such a gifted artist
I humbly appreciate your gift. You gave Desire color and that in itself gives you credentials for everything else. After listening to your gift, I'm positive that you have to be amazing, tho' I'm just as positive that you don't believe it. I'd be honored if you read this,
yes the Album "Desire" You!!!...are, why i so love the violin!!! and often play and record with a violinist!!
what a wonderful story
Gene jokes aside, I love SR as a musician. All these years I thought she was Spanish, but she’s Irish & Sicilian. Paesana.
Fabulous hair Scarlet (and fabulous player of course!)😄
You violin helped MAKE that a great album.
My 2 fav fiddle player ever thank you so
Thanks ❤love you
A very minor point but the artist's name is "Muddy Waters", not "Muddy Water", as she repeats several times. I guess Scarlet isn't a blues fan. That's OK, she can play anyway.
right time in the right place
he needed the violin on desire im sure
and he probably knew he was goingto need it before
In other words he was cruising for some dames and he found this hot looking violinist.
scarlet really gave a it everything on joey, my favourite song the album.
You are à talented artist.
Muddy Water??? Did she think they were going out for a drink? This is what you get from an interview with a Mythological One-Eyed Violinist.
Extraordinaire violinist
Sure, I love Muddy Water
Scarlet started following me on Twitter, so I was blown away of course, it's not often Musical Royalty shows up like that! So I friended her on Facebook, and she's heard my music and been nothin but Nice to me. I'm even assumin she may have mentioned me to Bob, who I'd like to meet sometime. But that is, of course, too much to ask of such a Legendary an fundamentally hard-workin musician. So I'm satisfied if he's just Aware that I exist, after years as a huge Fan in the Welsh Wilderness. Thanks.
She doesn't speak with him anymore...
I'm curious to know if Scarlet's name is from birth. It is unusual, but maybe baby had some scarlet locks as little hair as babies have or later because of her scarlet hair she adopted the name. And it was cool for her that, as she says, Bob was intuitive, and she played for him that day instead of waiting for days and getting anxious. It must've all seemed so surreal to her making it easier and more natural. I bought Desire after hearing Hurricane or seeing and hearing it on PBS and I had heard some of Blood on the Tracks. At that time for me, at 17 and after my 1st serious love affair broke up it was the perfect album. A mixture of the real world and a 17-year-olds ability to plug into different realities. And in retrospection, I soon realized Desire is a great companion piece to Blood. I'll always view and consume those two albums intertwining and overlapping together. I saw Muddy Waters in 1975 and my friend OD'd. As the ambulance pulled away, I yelled to Muddy, "Boogie for George!" He looked over by the window where the lights were flashing, and he did boogie harder and with more intent the rest of his show. I sat on the edge of the stage after that and no one bothered me. After the show he walked off in the direction I was in and I patted him on the back and said, "Great show Muddy. Great show." It was a magical, mysterious and dark time. One more cup of coffee for the road, indeed, pops into my mind.
Her birth name is Donna Shea apparently. I'm not sure how she came about adopting the name "Scarlet".
Yes, Donna Shea was in o.rchestra,I was in band, Only met her once when the two groups did an end of the year thing.Along with the choir. This was 8th grade and it went off great. Joliet,Ill.had a lot of good musicians.
this is incredible. i so desperately need a violinist for the songs im doing on my channel. unbelievable
She really defined Desire
I love her talent. I don't know how to read her.
She's beautiful
Intuition yes I like that.
They always say, 'it's not about how good you are, but who you know.' Scarlet's story is the quintessential proof of that mantra. Talk about a lucky break. I never got such a break, but I'm old enough now to where it really doesn't matter anymore. And lo and behold, I'm still truckin' on.... :-)
Yeah,good points there,,,,,,,I always say,if its meant to be ,it ll happen,,,,but happen with a good plan in mind.
Kinda. Sure, blind luck got her in the door, but it was her talent as a musician that got her the job.
The Rolling Thunder Revue was peak Bob imo
Desire album and The Rolling Thunder Revue was not the same without Scarlet's violin . Dylan music sound besser with Scarlett's violin . No doubt.
I love your long hair scarlet! you describe the bobby I know. what happens if you don't rise to the occasion when the grand wizard taps you on the shoulder and you go the other way. does that make you a myth buster if you did? :) maybe something like this: Debt by Sara Teasdale
What do I owe to you
Who loved me deep and long?
You never gave my spirit wings
Or gave my heart a song.
But oh, to him I loved,
Who loved me not at all,
I owe the open gate
That led through heaven's wall.
Bob should have married her what went on between them , im so curious
She was just a desire ....
Bob’s one true love will always be Joan. Couldn’t live with her, couldn’t live without her. There is a part of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue film, in which there is a scene with Bob and Joan talking while sitting at a bar, just the two of them, and it’s very revealing. There is obviously a lot of affection still there for each other. He still expresses his remorse for the way he treated her during the mid sixties British tour, and she eventually forgave him.
You'd think someone, over all these years, would have told her it's Muddy Waters, not Water! Waters.
Muddy always refereed to himself as "Muddy Water", as did all his early contemporaries.Chess Records added the "s" to the end of his name,so he became known as "Muddy Waters". Legend says his grandmother gave him the nickname "Muddy Water" because,as a child,he'd always go find a mud puddle to play in.
haters gonna hate.
does anyone know if tapes exist of Bob and Muddy that night?
Yeah, that's my question. Bob & Muddy & Scarlet. That had to have been mythological
Lovely hair I must say.
Too bad she was dating Gene Simmons. I did like that she had that Blues for Allah sticker on her violin. In the RTR movie she didn’t mention the GD when asked about the sticker! I think she was being cheeky.
Man what kind of hair is this?? Lovely hair!
👌👌🎻😎
These are awesome interviews. Unfortunately you spelt her name wrong. Only one 't' in Scarlet.
Well, she left out the "s" ....saying she great fan of Muddy Water :-)
Dylan works-as Miles did.Real creativity has as its foundation uncertainty. Did he learn it from Miles? Very possibly. Oddly similar. Just IMO.
Joey Ramone''s sister ?
Yep......
"he played songs that had not been recorded"
Hi friends ... Muddy Water ...
@00:43 The way I’d want my girlfriend to look at me!! AS A MYTHOLOGICAL HERO!! 👌 long live Bobby Dylan
Moved.
Muddy Water(s) not Muddy Water lol
Original nickname Muddy. Later changed it to Muddy Water, then finally went with Muddy Waters.
❤ merry me
@00:39
Solche Haare habe ich mir immer gewünscht!!
Nice interview. But good grief. Leave your hair alone woman.
Close friends and family use the nickname muddy water. Folks he never met spell it out... no b, no o, whyyyy..
And I expect he was "somewhat pleased" with Scarlet........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !
its not a shame , shes just not so taken with pop culture to say it properly as im sure u do
Jeez hard to respond when out in restaurant
Only the Steppenwolf cares.
Muddy Waters...
?
Sorry i get it sorry
i hope he tapped her too x
Lol right? I wanna know!
WHAT A F--KING PIG YOUR ARE
@@jennierose8112 let's all hope that deep in our hearts.
I gotta say that violin has always seemed out of place in some types of music. It somehow lacks a kind of expressiveness of other intstruments. I think it's the interaction of the bow with the strings. A lack of an ability to define a clear attack point on a note. In rock, it came on in the 70s, but is absent now.
Bob trying to play along and just can't
i love muddy water.....lol
Muddy Waters..Not Water..I'm not one to correct but he deserves to have his name pronounced right...
'cept that wuz his stage name - his Mom and friends called him 'Water'
"Desire" was a good album and could have been a great album, but "Hurricsne" and "Joey" dragged it down, imo. I began to move away from Dylan at that point. Dylan's gospel shit sealed the deal for me. I never liked any of his stuff after that.
Pfff... I wish people would stop talking about Bob as if he's some sort of mythological larger than life figure. He isn't. He goes to the toilet and takes a crap like every one of us.
But he thinks up a classic lyric while he's there.
He's pretty mythological, maybe immortal too.
I've been told that Jesus did, too!
Many people need myths to make them forget about the crap.
Jesus & Mozart took sh*ts too, WTF is your point?
Waters!!!!! Jesus
He was Muddy Water before the record company added the 's'
That was so boring.
the dog said, "I'm dying my hair red." ~ tenderbastard
@00:42
@00:29