31 Comments

This is so complex and funny and impressive and only something that could come from Merrill

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Only because I beat you to it,Gaines (year after year after year)

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oh my god I fucking love this post. merry Christmas, Merrill

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I started screaming with laughter when I got to 2015. Your manager should get on the phone and scrounge up AT LEAST an honorary PhD out of this, and also a top slot at the MLA Conference.

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Thank you, Marina.But I am holding out for a Nobel.

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Absolutely!

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Why do you work so hard, give us so much astonishing original content, and refuse to take our pledged subscription money? Are you waiting until you can debut with the biggest number in Substack history? I believe you can do it if that’s your goal.

You’ve been a hero of mine for decades & I appreciate your talent & efforts.

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I think the current Christmas lights symbolizes Dylan’s switch from playing different songs at every show to now playing a fixed set list nightly.

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i think you are right. Also perhaps he started taking effexor.

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I had heard rumors of the Dylan Light Interpretation by Markoe but was never sure it was real.

It is, and it explained everything!!

Surely this will push you over the top for that Nobel in Science or at least a Carnegie Prize.

This one goes out to my entire email address book ( thus saving me thousands in gifts)

Sincere thanks, i loved it

Brian M

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Bob’s electric lights are interesting. . .but, I prefer the acoustic version.

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Tangled Up in Green. Fantastic!

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This is brilliant! So scholarly in its interpretation of the intersection of Mr. Dylan’s holiday lights and his life.

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Beyond brilliant!!

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Don't we all start out with this exact hope in our heart, chosing the branch to clip the first light onto.

"And thus did he create a deeply personal self-portrait in lights that told the tale of the triumphs, and tragedies he faced as he continued to move forward with his Never-Ending-Tour, undaunted in the face of an possible apolcaylpse."

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Haaa. And um.....yes.

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Brilliant! Oh the part about the manager, amazing haha!

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So, so good MM. Love it! CC a/k/a PP

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Those is insane and amazing. Thank you.

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You know who else won a Nobel? John Nash, in 1994, for “pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games.” John Nash was more famous in the non-genius world for having schizophrenia, which made him seek and interpret hidden patterns in things where no patterns actually existed. Yup, he’s the “beautiful mind” guy. My point being that Merrill is a genius sans schizophrenia. She walks right up to that line, but hold on to your hat! Her superpower - humor - kicks in. Her analysis of equilibria in hedge Christmas lights makes us laugh with muy gusto. Heck yeah she deserves a Nobel Prize. And all the other prizes.

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Damn. Thank you for the lovely complement. But spoiler alert: "Pioneering analysis of hedge equilibria:" was going to be my next substack entry. I hope your compliment didn't give too much away. Nevertheless, have a lovely Christmas Eve Jonathan P. A

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It's a multi-year timeline. Is he telling us that history is the future?

My mind is a little blown over here, I'm not gonna lie.

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