Marc Caplan: A Complete Unknown and Bob Dylan; Yiddish Charlie on the MTA

• Charlie on the MTA in Yiddish is performed by Yiddishists from Boston’s Arbeter Ring and exclusively recorded for The Yiddish Voice on Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025, in Medford, MA. All of the following sang, with additional contributions noted:

  • ליליע װײַצמאַן — Lily Weitzman · איבערזעצונג און נײַע סטראָפֿע (translation, introduction and new verse)
  • יונה סידמאַן — Jonah Sidman · גיטאַר (guitar)
  • עמאַ ברעסלאָװ — Emma Breslow · טשאַרלי צאָלט זײַן דײַם (“Charlie pays his dime”) verse
  • שׂרה־לו האַרטמאַן — Lou Hartman · הערט אויס בירגער פֿון באָסטאָן (“Citizens of Boston, hear me out”) verse
  • ליבע גריץ — Linda Gritz

• Marc Caplan in conversation with Yiddish Voice host Mark David (Meyer) about the recent Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. The film traces Dylan’s formative years, culminating in his landmark performance of Like a Rolling Stone at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in a mostly-Jewish band of blues-rock musicians — Bob Dylan (guitar and vocals), Michael Bloomfield (guitar), Al Kooper (bass), and Barry Goldberg (organ). (Drummer Sam Lay was the non-Jewish member.) Marc Caplan is a Yiddish literature and Bob Dylan expert, currently Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth. We reached Marc at his home in the Dartmouth College/Hanover, NH, area via Zoom on Sept. 3, 2025.

  • CORRECTION: Murray Lerner, who filmed the Newport Folk Festivals (including Dylan’s 1965 performance), is incorrectly identified by Meyer as “Lerman” in the interview.
  • Related links:
    • Marc Caplan's article in Afn Shvel #351-350 Winter-Spring 2006: באָב דילאַן: פֿאַרנומען מיטן געבױרן װערן: https://docs.leagueforyiddish.org/mark-brukhes-artikl.pdf
    • Marc Caplan's academic website: https://dartmouth.academia.edu/MarcCaplan
    • Wiki page for the film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Complete_Unknown
    • Mike Bloomfield's Final Interview - Part Two (1981): https://youtu.be/K7cKLr6tOdE
    • Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone (Live at Newport 1965): https://youtu.be/a6Kv0vF41Bc (from Murray Lerner's film The Other Side of the Mirror)

• Music:

  • Kingston Trio: M.T.A. (A/K/A "Charlie on the MTA") (from YouTube: https://youtu.be/S7Jw_v3F_Q0)
  • (Yiddishists in Boston - see credits above): Charlie on the M.T.A. (in Yiddish translation, with added verse)
  • Bob Dylan: Like a Rolling Stone (recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965)
  • Intro instrumental music: DEM HELFANDS TANTS from Jeff Warschauer: The Singing Waltz

Air Date: September 3, 2025