Q – …in Famous Blue Raincoat, do you take it to actually be his brother, or rather a friend close enough to be called a brother? And why in the world do you think Jane is coming by with a lock of the other guy’s hair???
A – Remember it was the late 60’s early 70’s… I think there are two possible reads that make sense to me. One is the LC/the narrator is actually the one the letter is addressed to, deep in the desert. The other is the more traditional understanding, that the narrator is the wronged one, which makes the last verse – ‘and thanks…’ all the more poignant. The Brother/Killer stuff I think is tangential, sure they were close, but I don’t think about it.