A Road Less Traveled? It should be.

by Ken Gabütner

The meeting went something like this:

Visionary: I have an idea for a CD-ROM.
Executive: Good. CD-ROM. That's big. I want one!
Visionary: I've always been a fan of Bob Dylan.
Executive: Good. Bob Dylan. He's Big. Made a comeback. I want him on CD-ROM.
Visionary: Great. The idea is to do a retrospective, to bring Dylan's rich history to a new generation...
Executive: WAIT! CD-ROM. What was the biggest CD-ROM ever?
Visionary: Well, Myst...but this is a retrospective. I don't think...
Executive: Yeah! Myst! My kid talked about it once. He said it was big.
Visionary: But Myst has nothing to do with...
Executive: How many copies did it sell?!
Visionary: Well, I'm not really sure. I think around half a million...
Executive: Half a million?! That's HUGE! I want that. I want Bob Dylan in MYST on a CD-ROM!
Visionary: But...
Executivev: DO IT! Here's the cash! I want it in 2 weeks!
Visionary: But...
Executive: DO IT!
Visionary: But...
Executive: DO IT! Dylan. Myst. CD-ROM. HUGE! NOOOOWWWWW!!!

Okay...you see the Lettermanesque "Writer's Embelishment" sign flashing in your head, but to be quite honest, I can't imagine the creative process for this interactive piece proceeded unimpeded.

I am a touch too young to have experienced Dylan's significance first hand. I mean, I know that he's big and that he's the roots and inspiration of modern rock, but I only know that from magazines and my stoner uncles and the fact that he had a television special telling me how damned important he was.