Idiot Wind: Bob Dylan’s Outhouse Saga

“Someone’s got it in for me, they’re planting stories in the press…”

“Someone’s got it in for me, they’re planting stories in the press…”

Some residential areas are troubled by vandalism; others communities are prone to theft.  For a few unlucky residents of Malibu, California, the gravest issue at hand involves a famous folk singer and his increasingly-infamous outhouse.  Neighbors of legendary songwriter Bob Dylan are fed up with the foul fumes emanating from a portable toilet located on his Point Dume property.  Supposedly for use by security personnel that patrol the premises, the Port-a-Potty first became a nasal nuisance in September of last year.  The neighboring Emminger family are especially furious, as both mother and son have literally been sickened by the smell.  The odor is apparently so strong that the family has invested in several industrial-sized electric fans to attempt to both shield themselves and give Dylan a taste of his own medicine.  Despite their best efforts, the stench continue to haunt the Emminger house.  Though the neighbors have been lodging official complaints for months, the city has yet to take any significant action towards resolving the problem.  Some feel that the singer’s celebrity status is to blame for escaping any sort of legal consequences, which city manager Jim Thorsen vehemently denies.  Regardless of the special treatment that Dylan may or may not be receiving, the outhouse continues to be an ironic thorn in some residents’ sides.  In the words of Mr. Emminger, “It’s a scandal — ‘Mr. Civil Rights’ is killing our civil rights.”