By popular demand: The Freewheelin' Mark Arm

Although hundreds of thousands of Americans opposed Papa Bush’s initial invasion of Iraq in 1991, for the most part, it enjoyed massive popular support—something like 90% of the public sided with the President. I recall attending a protest in downtown Seattle that included thousands and thousands of participants; while walking from Capitol Hill to the Federal Building, several adults yelled at me and flipped me off, even though I was a teenager. Needless to say, the general public had little interest in dissent or even skepticism of any kind.

Slightly more than a month after Hussein tipped the first domino with his invasion of the emirate of Kuwait, Mark Arm headed to Reciprocal Recording to record a cover of Robert “Bob Dylan” Zimmerman’s “Masters of War.” The recording session lasted a day, and Sub Pop had the record on the shelves by the first of November 1990. Two months later, the bombing started.

Although the speed of the recording and release indicate the urgency of the situation, it’s hard to take this single too seriously as a form of protest. I don’t doubt Mark Arm’s sincerity, but the American public felt determined to invade Iraq, and rightly or wrongly (I think wrongly) had rendered all protest quaint and futile. The single seems to acknowledge this situation: although Arm performs the Dylan cover earnestly, the B-side is a shuffling novelty called “My Life with Rickets,” jokingly credited to “M. Arm/B. Diddley” and featuring a “Who Do You Love”-like riff and the refrain “she beats the shit out of me.” Sub Pop released the record under the moniker “The Freewheelin’ Mark Arm,” and the cover ever goes so far as to parody Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan record from the early 60s.

How are the songs themselves? While nobody would place them in the pantheon beside “Touch Me (I’m Sick)” or “You Got It,” they have a semiserious charm of their own, and Arm’s voice shares a distinctive, enjoyable imperfection with Dylan’s voice that suits the cover well. Several people have asked us to post these songs (by several, I mean two), but I think that’s mostly because of their orphan status. They aren’t like to be appended to any Mudhoney records, so until Mark Arm records a proper, bonus-ready solo record, they’re likely not to see the light of day anytime soon.

Incidentally, while all this was happening, the real Bob Dylan was banging out such classics as “She’s My Baby” and “Wilbury Twist” with his “super” group, The Travelling Wilburys. The late 80s and early 90s were not kind to Mr. Dylan.

“Wilbury Twist” . . . I mean, Jesus Christ. . . .

The Freewheelin’ Mark Arm—“Masters of War”
The Freewheelin’ Mark Arm—“My Life with Rickets”

--William