Spitball Army

No, it’s not what you’re thinking.

GUAM [1975-1976] Guam was the band name informally given to the great assemblage of musicians Dylan took on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour of 1975 and 1976. Alternative names considered and/or given out in jest were the Budweiser Revue, Somebody & the Flaming Corks and MC & the Ushers. In 1975 Guam comprised: Bobby Neuwirth, Scarlet Rivera, T-Bone Burnett, Roger McGuinn, Steve Soles, Mick Ronson, David Mansfield, Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth and Luther Rix. For some reason Joan Baez, Ronnie Blakley, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Allen Ginsberg were generally not considered part of Guam.

In his Rolling Thunder Logbook, Sam Shepard tags Guam as ‘Neuwirth’s miraculous band of street thugs.’ In 1976 the line-up was unchanged except that Luther Rix was replaced on congas by Gary Burke.

Another nugget from Michael Gray’s The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia.  This book is my current favorite browsing volume, and I am finding things out about Dylan and within the Dylan orbit that I never could have imagined.  Other surprising entry headings in this “reference” book:

• Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden [1946- ]
• nursery rhyme, Dylan’s use of, pre-1990
• Yearwood, Trisha [1964- ]
• Chabad telethons
• book endorsements, unfortunate