In his time Dylan was a breath of fresh air; he talked through his music about real things – things about ordinary people. That was new.
Today, he is just an old man who should have retired about 30 years ago. But these stars never retire, do they?
The great political comic Bloom County had Opus in a ‘Death Tongue’ band, and who can forget the lyrics to the song which got them testifying before congress on obscenity in music…
‘Let me graze into your veldt Let me stomple your albino Lemme nibble your buds I’m your love rhino.’
The great political comic Bloom County had Opus in a ‘Death Tongue’ band, and who can forget the lyrics to the song which got them testifying before congress on obscenity in music…
‘Let me graze into your veldt Let me stomple your albino Lemme nibble your buds I’m your love rhino.’
If he’d retired 30 years ago there’d be a lot of songs we would have missed out on. They don’t retire because their art is their life. A star is probably the wrong word.
If he’d retired 30 years ago there’d be a lot of songs we would have missed out on. They don’t retire because their art is their life. A star is probably the wrong word.
Last edited 1 year ago by Brett H
Chris W
1 year ago
In his time Dylan was a breath of fresh air; he talked through his music about real things – things about ordinary people. That was new.
Today, he is just an old man who should have retired about 30 years ago. But these stars never retire, do they?
Matt M
1 year ago
I grew up on Dylan. Apart from maybe JJ Cale, he was all my parents listened to. By the time I went to secondary school, I knew every lyric from Freewheeling Bob Dylan to Blood on the Tracks.
My wife can’t have him on the radio. She says his voice offends her.
Then again my parents said that about The Smiths when they came along.
But I would never expect a showman to have a philosophy. That’s crazy. Most philosophers don’t, why would an entertainer?
Last edited 1 year ago by Matt M
Matt M
1 year ago
I grew up on Dylan. Apart from maybe JJ Cale, he was all my parents listened to. By the time I went to secondary school, I knew every lyric from Freewheeling Bob Dylan to Blood on the Tracks.
My wife can’t have him on the radio. She says his voice offends her.
Then again my parents said that about The Smiths when they came along.
But I would never expect a showman to have a philosophy. That’s crazy. Most philosophers don’t, why would an entertainer?
Last edited 1 year ago by Matt M
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago
the man coulden’t even sing?!!!
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago
the man coulden’t even sing?!!!
John H Abeles
1 year ago
His nasal, often off-tone voice and forced, artificial Southern twang – even more so after his accident that affected his voice – didn’t endear him to to many listeners, but his inventive wordings did
His earlier works – polemic and non – could perhaps be better enjoyed when others sang them eg Baez, Mamas and Papas, Collins, Taylor et al
His ‘woke’, hippy devotees abandoned him after he switched to acoustic guitar and embraced a wider audience for himself, but I went along, with enjoyment
I must confess to really liking some of his later non-polemic songs eg “Things have Changed” and “Make You Feel My Love”
Robert Zimmerman of Minnesota, you’re one of a kind …
And after he endorsed a particular brand of lingerie a few years ago I suppose you could describe the arc of his endeavours as acoustic > electric > elastic.
And after he endorsed a particular brand of lingerie a few years ago I suppose you could describe the arc of his endeavours as acoustic > electric > elastic.
John H Abeles
1 year ago
His nasal, often off-tone voice and forced, artificial Southern twang – even more so after his accident that affected his voice – didn’t endear him to to many listeners, but his inventive wordings did
His earlier works – polemic and non – could perhaps be better enjoyed when others sang them eg Baez, Mamas and Papas, Collins, Taylor et al
His ‘woke’, hippy devotees abandoned him after he switched to acoustic guitar and embraced a wider audience for himself, but I went along, with enjoyment
I must confess to really liking some of his later non-polemic songs eg “Things have Changed” and “Make You Feel My Love”
Robert Zimmerman of Minnesota, you’re one of a kind …
Last edited 1 year ago by John H Abeles
AC Harper
1 year ago
Words are tricksy things with much of their meaning entirely revolving around (usually unspoken) context. So I admit I’ve rarely been fond of rhyming poetry (heresy, I know) because often the emotion has been bent to suit the rhyme, although when done artfully it may be doubly effective. Same with song lyrics.
AC Harper
1 year ago
Words are tricksy things with much of their meaning entirely revolving around (usually unspoken) context. So I admit I’ve rarely been fond of rhyming poetry (heresy, I know) because often the emotion has been bent to suit the rhyme, although when done artfully it may be doubly effective. Same with song lyrics.
Phil Rees
1 year ago
Being the same age as Dylan I kind of grew up with him, absolutely loved his work, above all other non classical music. So of course I bought the book – in audio form from ‘Audible’. Half way through I used their facility to return it for refund as I found it utterly boring. Boring songs, accompanied by boring words.
It really is a mystery to me; his books and paintings. He doesn’t need to do it, I’m sure. It’s almost like he’s challenging the buyers just to see how far he can go.
It really is a mystery to me; his books and paintings. He doesn’t need to do it, I’m sure. It’s almost like he’s challenging the buyers just to see how far he can go.
Phil Rees
1 year ago
Being the same age as Dylan I kind of grew up with him, absolutely loved his work, above all other non classical music. So of course I bought the book – in audio form from ‘Audible’. Half way through I used their facility to return it for refund as I found it utterly boring. Boring songs, accompanied by boring words.
Michael O'Phull
1 year ago
There are two truly great Dylan songs. Mr Tambourine Man as performed by The Byrds and All Along The Watchtower as performed by Hendrix.
Michael O'Phull
1 year ago
There are two truly great Dylan songs. Mr Tambourine Man as performed by The Byrds and All Along The Watchtower as performed by Hendrix.
D Glover
1 year ago
His greatness was always in his writing, not his singing or his lamentable harmonica playing. That’s why cover versions of Dylan are better than his original, nearly always.
That is the reverse of his contempories, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
His greatness was always in his writing, not his singing or his lamentable harmonica playing. That’s why cover versions of Dylan are better than his original, nearly always.
That is the reverse of his contempories, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
A weird thing about Dylan is that he can sing – as he does in Lay Lady Lay – and most of the time he chooses to croak instead. His artistic persona is that of an untutored genius, but I guess it’s at least somewhat cultivated. In any case, he’s the Shakespeare of our age imo. I suspect Leonard Cohen wrote all his songs.
Alex Tickell
1 year ago
The man started off as a fraud, stripping the tradition to feed off the anti war movement of the late sixties and seventies. Despite appearances he was simply a grifter who famously fell out with Pete Seeger who thought he had found a messiah who could lead the crazy folk left.
Dylan wasn’t interested and in Seeger’s mind sold out to commercialism and pop culture.
After that he just became a very poor singer and musician who seemed able to put words and meaningless phrases together in a fashion which appealed to drug addled hippies and well off middle class pseuds……..the END.
Oh my. This article has certainly attracted a number of Dylan haters. There are many big name music artists that do not appeal to my taste, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Elton John, I could go on, but I do appreciate that many people do like them. Certainly I would not wheel out the vitriol that you have obviously had stored up for some time. Your comments say much more about you than they do about Dylan.
Well, I have followed his career from absolute obscurity to absolute mediocrity.
He succeeded in fooling most of the record buying public during the whole enterprise.
I stopped contributing after Highway 61.
Well, I have followed his career from absolute obscurity to absolute mediocrity.
He succeeded in fooling most of the record buying public during the whole enterprise.
I stopped contributing after Highway 61.
Oh my. This article has certainly attracted a number of Dylan haters. There are many big name music artists that do not appeal to my taste, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Elton John, I could go on, but I do appreciate that many people do like them. Certainly I would not wheel out the vitriol that you have obviously had stored up for some time. Your comments say much more about you than they do about Dylan.
Alex Tickell
1 year ago
The man started off as a fraud, stripping the tradition to feed off the anti war movement of the late sixties and seventies. Despite appearances he was simply a grifter who famously fell out with Pete Seeger who thought he had found a messiah who could lead the crazy folk left.
Dylan wasn’t interested and in Seeger’s mind sold out to commercialism and pop culture.
After that he just became a very poor singer and musician who seemed able to put words and meaningless phrases together in a fashion which appealed to drug addled hippies and well off middle class pseuds……..the END.
Main Edition
US
FR
In his time Dylan was a breath of fresh air; he talked through his music about real things – things about ordinary people. That was new.
Today, he is just an old man who should have retired about 30 years ago. But these stars never retire, do they?
I could never understand Dylan’s appeal, to my ear he always seemed to be suffering from a bad case of nasal polyps.
I agree. His voice induces in me the nearest thing to physical pain that a sound can produce. But I fear we’ve lost the argument on that one.
so true!
The great political comic Bloom County had Opus in a ‘Death Tongue’ band, and who can forget the lyrics to the song which got them testifying before congress on obscenity in music…
‘Let me graze into your veldt
Let me stomple your albino
Lemme nibble your buds
I’m your love rhino.’
Now that was in the days they wrote real music!
Well that’s an interesting perspective which I will have to sleep on, but I thank you.
Well that’s an interesting perspective which I will have to sleep on, but I thank you.
I agree. His voice induces in me the nearest thing to physical pain that a sound can produce. But I fear we’ve lost the argument on that one.
so true!
The great political comic Bloom County had Opus in a ‘Death Tongue’ band, and who can forget the lyrics to the song which got them testifying before congress on obscenity in music…
‘Let me graze into your veldt
Let me stomple your albino
Lemme nibble your buds
I’m your love rhino.’
Now that was in the days they wrote real music!
If he’d retired 30 years ago there’d be a lot of songs we would have missed out on. They don’t retire because their art is their life. A star is probably the wrong word.
I could never understand Dylan’s appeal, to my ear he always seemed to be suffering from a bad case of nasal polyps.
If he’d retired 30 years ago there’d be a lot of songs we would have missed out on. They don’t retire because their art is their life. A star is probably the wrong word.
In his time Dylan was a breath of fresh air; he talked through his music about real things – things about ordinary people. That was new.
Today, he is just an old man who should have retired about 30 years ago. But these stars never retire, do they?
I grew up on Dylan. Apart from maybe JJ Cale, he was all my parents listened to. By the time I went to secondary school, I knew every lyric from Freewheeling Bob Dylan to Blood on the Tracks.
My wife can’t have him on the radio. She says his voice offends her.
Then again my parents said that about The Smiths when they came along.
But I would never expect a showman to have a philosophy. That’s crazy. Most philosophers don’t, why would an entertainer?
I grew up on Dylan. Apart from maybe JJ Cale, he was all my parents listened to. By the time I went to secondary school, I knew every lyric from Freewheeling Bob Dylan to Blood on the Tracks.
My wife can’t have him on the radio. She says his voice offends her.
Then again my parents said that about The Smiths when they came along.
But I would never expect a showman to have a philosophy. That’s crazy. Most philosophers don’t, why would an entertainer?
the man coulden’t even sing?!!!
the man coulden’t even sing?!!!
His nasal, often off-tone voice and forced, artificial Southern twang – even more so after his accident that affected his voice – didn’t endear him to to many listeners, but his inventive wordings did
His earlier works – polemic and non – could perhaps be better enjoyed when others sang them eg Baez, Mamas and Papas, Collins, Taylor et al
His ‘woke’, hippy devotees abandoned him after he switched to acoustic guitar and embraced a wider audience for himself, but I went along, with enjoyment
I must confess to really liking some of his later non-polemic songs eg “Things have Changed” and “Make You Feel My Love”
Robert Zimmerman of Minnesota, you’re one of a kind …
And after he endorsed a particular brand of lingerie a few years ago I suppose you could describe the arc of his endeavours as acoustic > electric > elastic.
And after he endorsed a particular brand of lingerie a few years ago I suppose you could describe the arc of his endeavours as acoustic > electric > elastic.
His nasal, often off-tone voice and forced, artificial Southern twang – even more so after his accident that affected his voice – didn’t endear him to to many listeners, but his inventive wordings did
His earlier works – polemic and non – could perhaps be better enjoyed when others sang them eg Baez, Mamas and Papas, Collins, Taylor et al
His ‘woke’, hippy devotees abandoned him after he switched to acoustic guitar and embraced a wider audience for himself, but I went along, with enjoyment
I must confess to really liking some of his later non-polemic songs eg “Things have Changed” and “Make You Feel My Love”
Robert Zimmerman of Minnesota, you’re one of a kind …
Words are tricksy things with much of their meaning entirely revolving around (usually unspoken) context. So I admit I’ve rarely been fond of rhyming poetry (heresy, I know) because often the emotion has been bent to suit the rhyme, although when done artfully it may be doubly effective. Same with song lyrics.
Words are tricksy things with much of their meaning entirely revolving around (usually unspoken) context. So I admit I’ve rarely been fond of rhyming poetry (heresy, I know) because often the emotion has been bent to suit the rhyme, although when done artfully it may be doubly effective. Same with song lyrics.
Being the same age as Dylan I kind of grew up with him, absolutely loved his work, above all other non classical music. So of course I bought the book – in audio form from ‘Audible’. Half way through I used their facility to return it for refund as I found it utterly boring. Boring songs, accompanied by boring words.
It really is a mystery to me; his books and paintings. He doesn’t need to do it, I’m sure. It’s almost like he’s challenging the buyers just to see how far he can go.
It really is a mystery to me; his books and paintings. He doesn’t need to do it, I’m sure. It’s almost like he’s challenging the buyers just to see how far he can go.
Being the same age as Dylan I kind of grew up with him, absolutely loved his work, above all other non classical music. So of course I bought the book – in audio form from ‘Audible’. Half way through I used their facility to return it for refund as I found it utterly boring. Boring songs, accompanied by boring words.
There are two truly great Dylan songs. Mr Tambourine Man as performed by The Byrds and All Along The Watchtower as performed by Hendrix.
There are two truly great Dylan songs. Mr Tambourine Man as performed by The Byrds and All Along The Watchtower as performed by Hendrix.
His greatness was always in his writing, not his singing or his lamentable harmonica playing. That’s why cover versions of Dylan are better than his original, nearly always.
That is the reverse of his contempories, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTWx-kIuEdE
You’re absolutely right.
Well he’s not. But each to his own.
Well he’s not. But each to his own.
You’re absolutely right.
His greatness was always in his writing, not his singing or his lamentable harmonica playing. That’s why cover versions of Dylan are better than his original, nearly always.
That is the reverse of his contempories, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTWx-kIuEdE
A weird thing about Dylan is that he can sing – as he does in Lay Lady Lay – and most of the time he chooses to croak instead. His artistic persona is that of an untutored genius, but I guess it’s at least somewhat cultivated. In any case, he’s the Shakespeare of our age imo. I suspect Leonard Cohen wrote all his songs.
The man started off as a fraud, stripping the tradition to feed off the anti war movement of the late sixties and seventies. Despite appearances he was simply a grifter who famously fell out with Pete Seeger who thought he had found a messiah who could lead the crazy folk left.
Dylan wasn’t interested and in Seeger’s mind sold out to commercialism and pop culture.
After that he just became a very poor singer and musician who seemed able to put words and meaningless phrases together in a fashion which appealed to drug addled hippies and well off middle class pseuds……..the END.
Well said sir!
More tea Vicar?
Oh my. This article has certainly attracted a number of Dylan haters. There are many big name music artists that do not appeal to my taste, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Elton John, I could go on, but I do appreciate that many people do like them. Certainly I would not wheel out the vitriol that you have obviously had stored up for some time. Your comments say much more about you than they do about Dylan.
Well, I have followed his career from absolute obscurity to absolute mediocrity.
He succeeded in fooling most of the record buying public during the whole enterprise.
I stopped contributing after Highway 61.
Well, I have followed his career from absolute obscurity to absolute mediocrity.
He succeeded in fooling most of the record buying public during the whole enterprise.
I stopped contributing after Highway 61.
Well said sir!
More tea Vicar?
Oh my. This article has certainly attracted a number of Dylan haters. There are many big name music artists that do not appeal to my taste, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Elton John, I could go on, but I do appreciate that many people do like them. Certainly I would not wheel out the vitriol that you have obviously had stored up for some time. Your comments say much more about you than they do about Dylan.
The man started off as a fraud, stripping the tradition to feed off the anti war movement of the late sixties and seventies. Despite appearances he was simply a grifter who famously fell out with Pete Seeger who thought he had found a messiah who could lead the crazy folk left.
Dylan wasn’t interested and in Seeger’s mind sold out to commercialism and pop culture.
After that he just became a very poor singer and musician who seemed able to put words and meaningless phrases together in a fashion which appealed to drug addled hippies and well off middle class pseuds……..the END.