OTT:  Did you create your Dylan parodies with the Rush Limbaugh show in mind?
Paul:  Yes. Whether you're from the left or the right of the political spectrum, you can't deny that he's got a unique show!

OTT:  Any special reason you selected Dylan songs for your parodies?
Paul:  For the first one, I was looking for a song to turn into kind of a year-end summary of the political scene. One with an "open" song architecture, that would give me freedom with lyrics and wouldn't necessarily rhyme all the time.

I thought of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" because it has a lot of images and thoughts packed into it, and it kind of jumps around. It's humorous in a way, the original.  After I'd finished it, I dropped a tape off for Rush to hear.  He just seized upon it - absolutely loved it - to my surprise.  I don't think he's a big Bob Dylan fan, necessarily, but he kept playing it over and over.  It became a "big hit" on his show.

Then the controversy about Newt Gingrich and his ethics came up.  I changed Dylan's "I Want You [So Bad]" to "They Want Newt [So Bad]."  Again, Rush just loved it.

Then finally, there was that little incident where the people down in Florida taped Newt Gingrich on their cell phone. So, I took the chorus to ["Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"] - "Everybody must get stoned!" - and changed it to "Everybody's scanning Newt's phone!"  For a third time, it was a huge hit.  Rush liked my Dylan parodies so much, he used to play them three in a row!

OTT:  You sound a lot like Dylan. Is that your true voice?
Paul:  No, that's just for the Dylan parodies. I do have sort of a chameleon-like voice - after playing Top 40 songs for years and years, you get it down. In college, I would earn money playing in coffeehouses and lounges, singing songs from Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Bob Dylan.

OTT:  Are you a Dylan fan?
Paul:  I have to admit I got a late start on appreciating Bob Dylan. I knew he was a great songwriter - that he writes really beautiful stuff. But I didn't get into his albums until I was playing in coffeehouses and people would request more Dylan songs and [by listening more to his albums] I came to appreciate just how great he really is.

OTT:  Is The Lippo Tiptoe your only album with Dylan parodies?
Paul:  No, I put another one out, called Spinball Wizard - the title song is a takeoff on The Who's "Pinball Wizard."  It includes a take-off on [Dylan's] "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" [called "Knockin' On Heaven's Gate].

It's interesting, because Rush Limbaugh suggested using this tune. When the "Heaven's Gate" cult had notoriety, Rush had his office call to ask me if I could turn Dylan's song into "Knockin' On Heaven's Gate." I said "Hmmm . . . let me give it a try . . . I don't know how humorous a mass suicide can be!"

Then I began thinking, "Well, maybe if I just approach it from the "outer space" aspect and stay away from the suicide aspect, it would work." Rush really liked it, and also played that one a lot.

OTT:  Do you perform elsewhere?
Paul:  Not anymore. I've got a full-time career. But whenever I get enough songs together, I put out an album. Limbaugh fans like to hear the music from the show, so there is built-in market there.

OTT:  Do you listen to the show to find out what his "hot topics" are?
Paul:  Yes. I sometimes interject something that Rush said, too. I mean, frankly, it just enhances the chance he might play it. I've sometimes stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish something that I think would be great for the next day's show. I'll drop it off at 8:30 the next morning on my way to work in New York, and he'll have it on the air by noon. It's fun to hear my stuff on the radio.

OTT:  Do you rent a studio?
Paul:  No, I cook my songs up here in my home studio. I use a 16-track recorder and do all the parts myself - one instrument at a time, one voice at a time. When I put it all together at the end, I'm careful to watch the synchronization and the timing on the tracks, and it sounds like a whole group is recording.

OTT:  Have you had to get permission to use Dylan's tunes?
Paul:  No, not yet. It's a fine line. Under the "fair use" doctrine [part of the copyright law], you can use, for political commentary, etc., what otherwise would be an infringement of somebody's copyrighted material.

OTT:  I wonder if it bothers Dylan that his tunes are used to promote politically conservative ideas. He may be tired of the label "The Voice of a Generation" but I think he's demonstrated that he's just a bit more liberal than Rush!
Paul:  I don't think he's heard my parodies, but if he ever did, I'd love to know his reaction!

OTT:  For those who might not be familiar with the Limbaugh show, what is the story behind the name"The Lippo Tiptoe"?
Paul:  I selected the title for the rhyme, basically. When I wrote that [The Clintonian So-Slick Blues, based The Subterranean Homesick Blues], the Lippo scandal was breaking. We were learning more and more about the Raity family and how much money they put into Clinton's campaign - sending John Huang over here with bags of cash. Yet, the Clinton administration was trying to low-key it. They acted like there was nothing there - as if to say "This is no big deal; don't blow it out of propertion" - kind of tiptoeing around the whole thing. Well, "Lippo" rhymes with "tiptoe", so I used it - and it's become part of Rush's vocabulary now.

OTT:  Your parodies provide some much needed humor to break up Rush's monologue. You should ask for a paid position!
Paul:  I'll work on it. [laughter]