Why is Bob Dylan important? Where is the line where an icon, a superstar and a legend becomes a cliche, overrated and a myth? Well maybe to answer those questions you have to enter into the world where appreciation veers into obsession. Yes I have to confess I am a recovering Dylanologist and like an alcoholic youÂre never really cured. Yes IÂve seen the man live countless times, IÂve had the fanzine subscriptions, IÂve read over 60 books on Dylan and I suppose IÂve listened to him more than any other artist. As I once remarked to a fellow Scottish Dylan fan both lost in the hell of a massive London Dylan gig that I simply had to give those habits up, he took that to mean the expense..no I simply thought about Bob Dylan too much and too often.
Still I was 24 before I listened to Dylan, 10 years after I started listening to music seriously and if he was out of context for me then in 1988, what chance have young emerging fans today? Over 500 songs and 56 albums to date, where do you start? ThereÂs maybe four main hurdles you need to get over with Dylan, Firstly his status, like The Beatles he evokes a natural combination of resentment at the critical acclaim and of course the fact that in the main his impact is historical. Secondly his voice, IÂm told people donÂt like it much and often prefer others singing his songs. Thirdly that his words are his forte and come supplemented by second rate music. Finally the over familiarity with a handful of songs and the fact he is a shell of that kinetic wonder kid of the sixties.
Some of these hurdles arguably canÂt be cleared, his live act is clearly declining and you simply cannot talk people into liking what they naturally resist. However those were the hurdles I faced before I really started listening to Dylan and the key is listening to Dylan. The effect of listening to Dylan a lot is that voice makes more sense, he was never a Âgreat singer but he has and is an unique voice, a voice more versatile than he is given credit for but also one that retained an essence and that essence is truth; naked, cracked, funny, angry, warm, broken, lost, redeemed, -thereÂs not many emotions DylanÂs not covered. ThereÂs fewer artists whoÂve marked the terrain of a life as effectively and convincingly as he has. Indeed in that context of his work itÂs probably no surprise that Dylan (successful as he is) is the least commercially successful and viable of those considered the greatest recording artists alive.
The hurdle of Dylan as wordsmith before musician is one that has been compounded by the seriousness his work is held in by academics and critics alike. ItÂs not that in some aspects that his work cannot sustain this but it misses the key point. Dylan is a songwriter not a poet and the true magic appears in the aural form not the written one. Indeed Dylan realises more than most a great lyric will never save a bad tune...thatÂs probably why the worst of his writing fails on both fronts. Dylan has lost his audience several times over but strangely despite that fact he has created at least an album every decade that is held up close to his 60Âs masterpieces...he also has a handful of records that eclipse the banality and poverty of his peerÂs worst efforts...in similar fashion he is as uneven a live performer as you will see. HeÂs human and his music reflects that.ThatÂs why at 70 maybe his lifeÂs work looks more autobiographical and complete than any other artist.
The best observation about the barriers in listening to Dylan came from the man himself..ÂI am a mystery only to those who havenÂt felt the same things I haveÂ. Beyond that his legacy and impact on popular music transcends definition. He simply redefined what a song could be, he took the essence of several traditions and fused them together creating a new form. He quickly realised the limitations of protest and side stepped them by making the politics personal and used the raw energy of rock and roll to create cultural vandalism during his Â66 world tour..an act NME described 20 years ago as the first signs of punk. He then retreated to a more plaintive world and helped create Americana/Folk Rock when the music world was heading towards studio indulgence and psychedelia. Surprisingly for an artist who has made so many varied albums and indeed sometimes incredibly poor albums Dylan has almost never overstretched himself musically. He remained true to his core roots of rock and roll, folk, country and blues.
If you really listen to Dylan as well as the treasure lode of magnificent albums and the remarkable depth and volume of performances and songs you end up in a more profound place. ItÂs a place that suggests that the blank piece of paper and silence can be replaced by a magic that encapsulates human existence and imagination through song. He suggests that music has no barriers and no rules and understands fully the attempts to explain that are futile . ThatÂs why I took the essence of what Dylan was about and broadened my musical tastes into different areas and in the process drifted away from the more obsessive nature of being a Dylan fan. Why is Bob Dylan important? Simply because music is important.......listen to him but be careful once that door opens itÂs a long way to the other side.