Kevin Marshall's America
Bob Dylan turns 70 today.
I had a very, very late epiphany when it came to Dylan and only started listening and appreciating his work within the last two years despite earlier efforts by friend and family members. My older sister Bridget listened to him quite a bit in High School and always encouraged me to listen to “Blonde on Blonde.” My father was a big Dylan fan, particularly of his more folky, country-tinged period of “John Wesley Harding” and “Nashville Skyline.” He was also a big fan of “Desire.” Then there are others that will point to his work in the last two decades as their favorite era of Dylan. A big part of the problem, perhaps, is that I didn’t know where to start.
And that’s what makes him brilliant. Bob Dylan’s importance to music and culture isn’t as a sixties political songwriter, but rather as an artist who evolved and changed in a way that was organic and reflected the changes in his life and mindsets, rather than trying to adapt and embrace changing sensibilities in the industry. It’s that aspect of Dylan that drew me to him and is encapsulated so effectively in “I’m Not There,” the 2007 film directed by Todd Haynes that tells the story of Dylan by having six different actors portray different characters based on the various stages, twists and turns his life has taken.
In 70 years he’s been a folk artist, country musician, actor, born-again Christian, acoustic idol, electric rock pioneer, poet, and more. If one was to emerge in modern times with that degree of depth and ability to transform and explore himself in such radical and meaningful ways, he’d be called wishy-washy and erratic in blogs and gossip columns. And, in fairness, he did face some those accusations throughout his career. It is the strength of his character as an artist, however, that has kept him relevant and made him unsusceptible to the influence of an increasingly cynical culture.
Happy birthday, Bob.
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8 Responses to Bob Dylan at 70
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Dylan 70! That makes me old too! Think I’ll put in a Dylan cd tonight and have a pop or two.
I think of Dylan when I watch “Life of Brian.” For years he had hordes of worshippers following him around, ascribing meaning to every word like it was gospel, casting him as their messiah.
Dylan’s denied being anything but an entertainer and claimed to be uncomfortable with all that “voice of a generation” stuff.
It’s best to turn all that aside and consider the music on its own merits. For my money, Blonde On Blonde did more to transform rock music than any album ever released.
Yeah, the “voice of a generation” stuff was always a bit much. For what it’s worth, I never got it. The Beatles I think you could qualify in the sense that they’re so intrinsically tied to a specific place in time, but Dylan was all over the map so much that it always made me wonder. I mean, even if you’re going with the politically conscious stuff in the early part of his career (with smidgens here and there later), there were much louder and more political voices in that scene like Pete Seeger.
He’s 70..and he STILL ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s Farm no more…I don’t trust people who don’t like Dylan at least a little.
You had to mention Pete Seeger…he’s even older! (like him too)
Kevin, if you can, get ahold of a copy of No Direction Home, the documentary that Martin Scorsese directed for PBS’ American Masters series.
Karin – I don’t have the DVD, but I have seen it! Great, great stuff.
I’m the only one I know who likes Bob Dylan. He’s cool. I can’t believe how hold a lot of musicians/stars are now. I saw him in a mixed concert (one of dozens) in NYC.