"What does Bob Dylan Mean To You?" -- Short Survey 11/2011
As a follow up to my original research work via Dylan fans on the Expecting Rain (ER) site, I launched some survey questions on my Facebook pages. The following are samples of these questions and responses.
What does Bob 'mean' to you?: (Here can include 'means' in a personal way--to you as a person, or as related to events in your own life, beliefs, etc. ; what his music, a song, lyrics 'mean' to you--as you interpret them -- or, what Bob 'means', meaning what he signifies or represents to you personally, or as envisioned as a cultural person or figure, and, as in what way is Bob significant or important, regarding influence, values, experience, etc. The question is intentionally 'open-ended' for you to write what personally matters to you.
If you need more space, please send me as a separate email to [email protected] --Thank you!
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My life has been filled with Dylan’s music and, like the air we breathe, we do not notice most of the time that we are being sustained and kept alive by this invisible, undetectable force. Like oxygen, Dylan’s songs keep my blood running through my veins. Dylan’s songs fulfill so many purposes. They rile, they tease, they seduce, they hurt, they inspire, they confuse and provoke thought. There are even a few that can raise a smile or an outright laugh! They are always intense, multifaceted... nothing is to be taken at face value in Dylan’s world. Entering – no, immersing – oneself in Dylan’s world is like living Alice’s Adventures Through The Looking Glass. Characters recur. Reality is exaggerated and twisted until it becomes a new reality. Dreams merge with consciousness and the lines become blurred. And yet, through all the twisting, blurring, posturing and allegory, listening to Dylan is like standing in a hurricane-force wind of truth. It is like standing on top of a mountain and taking a deep breath of the clearest air imaginable. It is enough to knock you off your feet with the power of the realization. Human emotion and condition laid bare. Painfully so sometimes. It is as though Dylan says, ‘Listen to me. I know how it is. I have lived it. I have felt the joys and the pain; the highs and the lows. Let me take that burden from you and guide you through to the other side.’
hey Barry, next month I'm coming out with a memoir Tangled Up In Tunes: Ballad of a Dylanhead. My website has a blog where I have a lot of personal Dylan content. I think you might find some interesting stuff. If I can help you in any way, let me know. My book is a case study on being a Dylan and Grateful Dead fan. www.tangledupintunes.com
Fantastic, great danceable music; great imagery in the lyrics; freedom of expression in his music and life.
I was 13 when we emigrated to New Zealand, I was lost, lonely and embarking upon a journey of self harm (not eating, cutting, overdoses)which lasted 50 years. I desperately needed something in my life in which to believe, an anchor to bind me to reality that is life. I bought a record by Peter, Paul and Mary, and began to wonder, who is this MAN? who writes certain songs I liked called Bob Dylan. A year or so later FREEWHEELIN was released in NZ and I found what I had been looking for. I was able to relate to what this young man, not so much older than myself was singing. He spoke to my parents when I was unable to 'Come mothers and fathers throughout the land..., yet they still criticised! I was saved, although hospitalised at 16 with Anorexia Nervosa, I had gained a reason to stay alive. And I thank Bob everyday for being exactly who he is. I am now singing and recording several of his songs on my own album which I hope to publish. Do you publish an album? Good luck with your venture! Sue!
Bob Dylan enriched my life by his lyrics and by going to his concerts. He inspired me to write poems to set my thoughts on paper and he was a magnificent "teacher" because my publisher published three poetry books. I met many "soulmates" from across the world who became real friends and what's more I met my husband at a concert. I even was a very lucky girl because I met Bob Dylan twice. One time I had a 20 minute conversation with him over a cup of coffee and last month I met him in the Hilton hotel over here in Antwerp where I live.
before bob i always thought you have to have a great voice and be beautiful for people to pay attention to you. then along comes bob without the great voice and he is telling me its ok to be the person that i am. he is telling me that i no longer just need to accept the values of my parents and teachers and its ok to question the morality of politics, religion, and virtue.
I adore his music, because it's so danceable and the imagery of the lyrics is phenomenal. I couldn't care less what the "real meaning" is. I just bask in the images!
Bob dylan can put into song what i have a hard time speakin' out....his aspect @ everything seems to fall into place with our Creator.....he makes me laugh, cry, love, feel and think about whatever is goin'on in my life or others....just so sweet and smart and funny and a very gracious loving person Bobby is..I thank him at every concert i have been to ....just yellin' it out to him...and i do pray for him very much, askin' the Creator to bless him for makin' others aware of reality. i, personally love his songs @ God....any shape and form,as there are many and many quotes from the bible. i really love his love songs as they make me feel whole as a woman....Bob just says the sweetest things "put you in a wheel barrel and wheel ya down the street", "sittin on my lap and drinkin' champagne". as a child, his music and words have comforted me, along with Jesus' words, as i tried to make it through the days. Bob has also influenced me in my piano and guitar playin, especially as a youngster(6yrs. old) i find myself quotin' his words as i talk with my children(and they let me know, that is what Bob said") and friends and workers.. My happiest moment is when Bob Dylan was invited by PopeJohn Paul ll, to come and play for a youth rally...Bob was just so kind and played "blowin' in the wind". could go on and on but it's all good...peace love and prayers.
My relationship with Mr Dylan's music is one that has endured my whole adult life.. at the age of 14 his music opened my ears and my eyes and lifted me out of my East London, working class background and taught me another way to see the world. He has been my constant companion through good times and bad, never ceasing to inspire and challenge my thinking. For me personally, I have enjoyed all of Bob's different phases and I have embraced the way he has revamped and changed many of his songs. I see Mr Dylan influence in many genres of music and he is respected and admired by many and of late we see covers of his great songs popping up everywhere, I even heard a young British band (The Kooks) covering 'Tangled up in Blue' the other day. For all the criticism that has been hurled at him he can still sell out pretty large venues and I have recently had the pleasure of seeing him perform in London at the age of 70, still rocking the house whether it be old or young followers. Bob has written some great songs and if you take the time to listen to them you will find the pure poetry, thought provoking and emotional.
I love the music (folk rock is my favorite genre) and the poetry. His use of words is amazing/inspiring/puzzling (what does he mean by that?)/unsurpassed by any other pop/rock artist. The first Dylan album I heard was Blood on the Tracks when I was 17. It blew me away. I've bought every album before and after. I first saw Bob live at Earl's Court London in 1978 and later the same year at Blackbushe - fantastic memories - and have seen him on nearly every tour of Britain since, including at Cardiff in October 2011.
When I were 9 I started buying singles each week, worked to pay for my music addiction. My dad was a Johnny Cash fan who hated anything counterculture - Beatles, Stones, longhairs, so btw Dylan was too folky for me, I digged the lyrics, but not the music. At 14 we had feature days at high school, and I started really liking the raggedness of Bob. At 18 I bought Blood On The Tracks - changed my life forever. Started singing and quoting anything Bob. A song is like a really good novel or poem; always the same but always new. Nowadays I realize fully how he steals - standing on the shoulders of giants - Both Dylan and The Grateful Dead give me a glimpse of stories from way behind. In Denmark we sometimes refer to a danish album title - BBreve fra Onkel Bob - Letters from Uncle Bob - sums it all up nicely. And, singing something like You Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, I can make it my own - the imagery, collapse of time, lack of logic, subject/object, stream of consciousness, and it's still touching my soul, heart and feet on a very personnel level, and even beyond - as the zen monks say don't even try describing - The Bob That Is - Is Not ;-)
Hi I would say Bob dylan has personally affected my belief system i remember the first time i played saved then read an interesting article in the telegraph (dylan fanzine written by the sadly missed john bauldie) i was blown away by the personal message that dylan sang about how jesus had transformed his life this was made real when i saw him live at the nec with tom petty and the highlight of the set was in the garden there is not a day goes by when i dont listen to bobby one of the
rreasons that life is worth living
Bob Dylan is the main reason why i decided i wanted to be a musician,he is also the only artist still living who's still relevant.I had my first musical "epiphany" listening to"sad eyed lady of the lowlands".
I love music. I was doomed to "meet" his Bobness some day, since I started listening to the Beatles as a little child, then
fell in love with U2. After moving on from the "disappointment" one experiences at school(forced to play Blowin ́in the wind"
with the flute and such things), I got to learn his multi-sided, sometimes irreverent sometimes soothing voice, his vast production. I got to appreciate his talent as a songwriter, as a composer and as a stage interpreter. I "got in touch" with him like with no one else! The years as a "dylaniata" (Italian passionate hard-core fans) simply forged me. This is something I miss now that I live in Austria. More detailed things should be said...some hints are in my blog http://felicitamodna82.wordpress.com/ or maybe I will send you an e-mail?
Without his music and especially lyrics,world would be a little bit darker.Without seeing him from time to time,visiting his concerts my life would be much darker.Without the rose,he gave me eleven years ago,there would be much lesser joy in my life!
Bob is sort of the blue print to my life, I listened outside of my elder brothers bedroom door to him, and got it right away , at the age of 8yrs, I still feel as though I have come home when I hear him, and also see him perform, I was at five gigs this year !
i literally don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't a Bob Dylan fan. My folks listened to his records when I was growing up, and even as a I child I remember being drawn to the puzzling truths that littered his lyrics. His songs seemed impossible to comprehend, and yet, I understood them. When I went to college, there was a little folk club on my college campus that featured great songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, and it was my sanctuary. I started really focussing on how people conveyed ideas through songs, and the more I learned, the more I appreciated Dylan's gifts as a troubadour. A few years later, I became great friends with a man who was a fanatic Dylan fan. I thought I knew a lot about Dylan, but he thought I had only skimmed the surface. He was right. He started teaching me more about Dylan. He gave me Anthony Scaduto's biography of Dylan to read, telling me that it changed his life when he was in high school. Thanks to him, I started "studying" Dylan's albums- starting with the very first one and going in order. Listening carefully to each song- thinking about what it meant when it was recorded, and what it means now. I read Dylan's books and books about him, and became intensely fascinated with Dylan the artist and celebrity. To me, Dylan and his songs remain fascinating and relevant because there are so many contradictions-on one hand he has a unique take on the world, and on the other, his message is universal. He's full of puzzles, and full of truths. He's forever changing and challenging his audience. He's indefinable, yet iconic. You can listen to a song a hundred time, and then hear it once again, and discover some gem of truth that you've never focussed on before. I'm not one to believe he's a god, or a prophet, or an infallible human being, but I do believe he's a great artist who is able to channel something that is not apparent to most us most of the time. He has enriched the lives of millions through his songs, which is quite remarkable if you think about it.
Bob Dylan's music makes me think about things and has brought me to examine not only his music and lyrics, but other music and literature as well...Also, topical issues...
Sorry but I don't speak English very well. However, I think Dylan is a poet and a great singer and musician and that is the thing important to me ....
Human nature. Art. Freedom. Genius. Youth.
Bob is a regular guy who takes on whatever character is needed by each person who shares life with him ...He touched my life in ways I am only beginning to understand ...
Bob means to me very much! More than anybody else. I have got oh, so many thoughts & feelings when listening to Dylan music. It’s a safe and warm place for me to be, especially with ear phones in my head. Relaxing and thinking, dreaming,
enjoying all the many nuances of his voice. I totally agree what Paul Williams is writing in his first two books in his trilogy, ”Performing Artist” (haven’t read the 3rd yet). Dylan’s voice have exceptionally much nuances!! Maybe Cohen or Joplin have
them too but I have not noticed because I have listened to Dylan 39 years and much much more often than others. When I was a child in late 60’s my older brothers listened to Dylan records very much! I was a teenager in 1972 when I started
studying what on earth they have in their collections and accidentally I found Dylan. Back Home, Highway 61 and Blonde and others. Why Dylan? Why not Beatles, Cream or Herman’s Hermitts? I don’t know. I played Dylan records first time
myself and did a remarkable note: every time when song ended, I KNEW how the following song is gonna start! And i loved it! Ever since I sold my soul and found a peaceful and meaningful place to be: Dylan music and his voice! Dylan became my hobby and I grew much wiser in Dylan knowledge than my brothers. Travelled long long way to Gothenburg Sweden in 1984 to hear him and to see him the first time. In 1987 Dylan came to Finland first time. And about 2 years ago Karl Erik of ER invited me to be his FB friend (and many others) and now I love my Dylan friends in FB. Trying to teach some newbies a little sometimes. Trying to share this love of mine. But it’s alright, Ma, it’s life, and life only Copyright © 1965
It's 1963. I'm 13 years old and I'm off school poorly with flu. I live in a small, dirty, industrial town in the north west of England. On this particular day, Mum tuned the radio to Radio Luxenburgh....and then it happened! This voice came over the airwaves..this totally different voice; I heard/felt something that I never had before....his name was Bob Dylan and he was singing 'Hard Rain'. Something in that voice and that song spoke directly to me....and he has stayed with me ever since. A wonderful, iconic, unique and original man who has given me all those magical, amazing songs that seep into your world and help you to survive within it......
I first heard Dylan when I was 15 years old from a bootleg my older brother owned. First I was not impressed, but when I listened to it the second and third time it realy took me. During my life I experienced that music and especially lirics, mean a lot to me. Some of the Dylan songs always return on crossroads in my life. It is hard to explain, but on the funeral of my wife I did choose the music of Bob Dylan. I think this tells is what it meand to me.
( I will send my long essay about Bob and me to your address as suggested)
(Taken from my website, http://thefreewheelin.org) For me, there was no difficulty with Dylan's voice - because of his lyrical power, bravery and honesty, every word for me oozed with an unmatched seduction right from the very beginning. I was much like a flower leaning towards the sun, wanting more and more of this nourishment of the mind and imagination and the ears and soul. With every listen, my soul was being washed and my life perspectives renewed. For me, it is Dylan's breadth of material and ideas and images, collated over the past half-century, that have kept me spellbound - learning more with every record, treasuring more with every year gone by. From his folk era to the electric era, the mellowed country era, the mystical Rolling Thunder Revue, the Reborn Christian era, the present era of dirty blues and mature realisation - from love songs to political thrashers, biting folk songs to swooning ballads - it is spellbinding how, as the man himself ages, his music never seems to age in quality or conviction. For me, Dylan isn't the achingly natural, personal, and beautifully accurate soul-writer who cries for the pains of Ordinary People and burns with the power to resume justice that Neil Young is; nor is Dylan the blue-collar American hero, trudging through the mines and holding up the true, Everyman baron for freedom and reality, with faith and conscience burning and churning through his blood that Bruce Springsteen is for me. No, Dylan is something much different - something grander and more political - like the world's poet speaking from the mountain, reeling in rhymes and riddles and melodies, but wording out the truest truths of the world. Explaining why I adore Dylan's music is something too internal and longstanding in me to even begin to extract. So now I'll keep it short: I fell in love with him - his music, his thoughts, his ideas. Dylan's soul drips with this mesmerising bravery, honesty, humour and yearning - humanity in hard rain. This is something I yearn for everyday - in people, media, culture, news, faces, conversation, love; so thank you, Robert Zimmerman, for sharing your honesty, bravery and music with us, and for helping me to take my life in a direction I will always challenge, always enjoy, and so very often trace back to you.
Dylan, to me, is the Shaman of the ages. He is the outlaw's hide-out, while personifying everything that a good God-fearing prophet should be. He is the child's balloon that hovers on his own steam while the establishment burns sideways. He is the anarchist by rumor but a boy from Hibbing by heartbeat. Billy Parker may be the name in the decade of decadence but "Lucky" is more like it. As good as he's been to us, the world has still gone wrong...but not too much while he's in it. It takes a lot to park your car and I've done so many times in the fierce cold and sweltering heat while listening to blondes on top of blondes and self portraits being painted which look like all of us all at once. That one November was crystal, hearing "those semis rolling too", in the snug of the New England early winter while on the other hand, Salt Lake City was not recorded. Russian hats, lightening straps, Carribean Winds, the Summertime, Alias, one-time saxophone solo, the storm in Poland, long black coats, secret gardens, Palace Theaters and the whole shebang 'round Pluto and back...and that's not even an appetizer.
bob says the answer is blowing in the wind...but its the opposite..if you look deeper into his music you can learn to understand life...the different sides of life...the faithful..the agnostic ,the jokerman,and the contradictions...the times they are changing..yets things have changed
I think he's one of the most spiritually relevant artists of our times. Incredibly 'tapped in' to the collective consciousness.. I use his works as a guide, a celebration and an affirmation of my path. I've always had a very strong sense of his songs being very close to my heart, to the extent that even as a kid i recognised certain ones as being specifically for me. Not just 'me' in the personal sense; the Divine Feminine that needs to be honoured and brought into balance with the current Patriachal system in order for the tide to be turned. I heard him say once in an interview that he would chiefly like to be remembered as an 'admirer' and that's something that's stuck with me since.. Also his blurb about Heroics in the Biograph liner notes.. His acknowledgement that he is like the Psalmist.. Writing songs beside moonlit streams n all that.. This (and of course his numerous numinous works) have also helped inspire me to ultimately keep believing in True Love. He speaks directly to me via song very specifically about certain situations and people in my life and thus acts almost as an oracle and guide, too. Pretty cool!
Bob has influenced my life since my very early teen years. I felt deep meaning & inspirationin his songs & still do.He inspires me & makes me think. His music is beautiful, his lyrics magical. He chose his path early on & has stuck with it ever since. I admire him as a person & as a dedicated musician. His music makes me happy whe I am sad, & when happy & celebrating, he is the icing on the cake. Who Bob Dylan really is, I don't know. I don't know if he really knows. I do know, without a doubt, that he is a genius in many ways and is generous with his talents.He certainly was kissed by a muse, probably thousands of them. I respect his privacy, but like to know about him. "I'll let you be part of my dreams if you let me be part of yours" Bob Dylan said that. What more can I say, except I hope he lives forever. How very fortunate I am to have lived in his era. He truly has influenced not only my life in many ways, but the lives of both of my daughters. He is in a word~~MAGIC.
I felt he was saying things that I empathised with but couldn't articulate. I also felt somewhat that he was my alter ego - I identified with him and the changes he was going through - including approaching old age!
i find comfort and inspiration in bob's music. his words find their way in my thoughts daily. his humor, both subtle and overt makes me laugh. his insights to love and the human condition sometimes overwhelm me. his melodies and his voice soothe me ... most of the time.
No one can turn a phrase or string words together better than Dylan.
I first heard Bob through a neighbour who lent me his first 2 albums and I've loved his music ever since, I have seen him only once but loved his show, his music although going through many changes and directions has always, in my view,carried messages of the day and affected thinking of the time, he hasnt really altered my views on the values I beleive in but reinforced how I feel about them.
In this movie No Direction Home Joan Baez says that their are some Dylan fans that are true belivers and that his music goes right to the core of those fans, I am one of those each song that I love get right to me and who I am. I am a poet and lyricist myself, I am greatly influenced by the writers that Dylan's lyrics have led me to discover, and by the history of music that Dylan has led me to find. Also I believe that Dylan has led me to become a more spiritual person, as he has searched and continued to search so have I, not necessarily the same path as him, but my own path. I often find in my life that I have used BOTT as a Rorsharch test for my feelings and this has helped many times in my life.
He fascinates me as an individual. I think he is a near genius, although I can't be quite sure. He constantly surprises, delights, disappoints me and apart from producing some of the most sublime music over the years, that is what he does for me.
Dylan-Concerts for me are something to live up to. I can just enjoy this music and forget about everything else while hearing it. Its a time to meet new ppl, enjoy life, relax and celebrate. I couldnt imagine a world without all this. Dylan also opened a door to the music of other interprets (if you think of ThemeTimeRadioHour). I can listen to his music more often than I can listen to the songs of other interprets. They never get boring and theres always something else to find out, some little detail you have missed the first 100 times when hearing the song. I find Bob amazing and exciting. All the periods of his life and all albums are interesting in some way.
Where do you start! So one of great writers (prolific) of the 20th century and of all time...along with Shakespeare and not many others. Then there is the music - sublime and so many categories...be it folk, rock, country, kids songs, Christmas songs! Then his historical role as a leader of his generation plus the interest in which way he'll go next. The experience of his live concerts is like no other. Watching his never-ending band evolve. In short we're lucky to have been alive at the same time as Dylan. What does he mean to me? My daughter is called Ramona! She is 13 and now joins me at his concerts. She wonders why his lyrics change! What does he mean to me? The precious memory of seeing him in the desert in Phoenix in 2000, or the same year in Bakesfield or seeing him in at the Hammersmith in London with a punk band in 1990, and just so many times in Sydney including outdoors in the mud in 1978 and endlessly with Tom Petty in 1986 & as recently as this year.
Not much to say, I like his songs, I like the lyrics. But I don;t look for truth in somebody else, this is somehow a message that Dylans music carries. Try to find the truth in you, don't look for answers in other people's lifes. His transition from folk to hipster to recluse to late hippy to born again to musical scam to old hero to modern genius is the real stuff, his big happening through the ages :). Cheers.
In my opinion no one comes even close to Bob Dylan on any level but seeing a performance really captures it all - you rarely know which songs he will sing, which way he will move the show, how he will perform the songs and how he will communicate with the audience. There is no doubt that whenever I see him I am in awe - I go with other people but they are not there I am absolutely transfixed and in another place.
Bob means music, poetry, storytelling, expressing an idea or a feeling. Understanding his lyrics you will learn how to love better, how to hate better, how to fight better etc.
He's written the best songs I've ever heard - and lots of them. I listen to loads of other singers who occasionally reach Bob's level of songwriting brilliance, but Dylan's has been sustained at such a high level for so long.
His lyrics are nearly always fantastic and blended with the very diverse songs (rock, country, folk, americana, love songs, crooner songs, etc., whathever it is called, absolutely unique. Also as a person/human he is very interesting and unique.
In seminary I had a professor who suggested we find a theologian we liked and read all that person's works as a way of grounding ourselves. I didn't take his advice but I did discern that in many ways Bob DYlan is my "theologian."
First and foremost it has been the lyrics that have impressed me through life - either the ability to articulate a feeling I share or to be able to give me a fresh perspective on things. The other key ingredient is that he has always been such a COOL dude - even now at 70.
No matter what my mood, my finances, my state of mind, Dylan's music will take me out of that and give me space and time to re-jig. Essential mental maintenance, if you like?
dylan's music and lyrics remind me to keep a open mind with people and life. It helps me to elevate myself over the absurdity of every day life.
Interesting to track Dylan's constantly evolving music and career, tracing his influences and those influenced by him.
He is like an old friend
It starts with Bob's songs, lyrics, in particular. But he also represents so much as a person. His resolve to do it his way, his strength to face detractors and not allow them to influence his work. His persona and music both give me strength as a person, have inspired me to create (paint and write), and has pushed me to pursue many other artists who also create with the strength he does. His music has driven me to create friendships that have shaped my life. My life and Dylan's have crossed paths many times and I have many friends who have been inspired by him.
he's my best friend.
His music and lyrics have gotten me through all stages of my life
Well, more or less, Dylans work is kind of a "bible" to me. As I was raised as a christian I sure can post this statement. Any
kind of situation I face in my life can be connected to Dylans poetry. For me he ́s definitely one of the greatest poets still alive, of course if you are able to read english poetry. But surely he ́s also a great musician, bandleader, painter and song and-danceman. I met most of his band-members, never him, well, time will tell.
Bob continually inspires me to do my own thing and not be restrained by other people's expectations.
Like his music, words and voice Some of the songs have great words and meanings Every album is different
that art matters and is complex; that one can be smart, funny, mercurial, brave and speak to people across age and time
If I had never seen Bob in concert I'm not sure how I would answer this. Fortunately, I've had the pleasure of seeing him 29 times since July 1988 so what he means to me is largely based on, not only his recorded output since the 60's, but also those 29 evenings where I've heard him play and sing live--and it's truly those moments when he absolutely nails a song live that are amongst the best of my life.
From him I learned the importance of language and simplicity.
He and his songs have accompanied me through thick and thin and many many changes, they are a constant in my life. Something I can always trust and refer to. He has a knack of expressing feelings that are probably common to almost everyone but which can be very hard to express. Some of his words paint pictures for me. (Desolation Row, Angelina, etc.)
My first album was John Wesley Hardin. The spiritual themes in the songs really attracted me to Dylan. I kept hearing these Biblical references and imagery on other albums. When I first heard Street Legal I knew who he meant by the good shepherd. Slow Train did not surprise me.
i bought my first Dylan album when I was 14 - Greatest Hits and then John Wesley Harding. I don't know why I got them - I think I heard some stuff onthe radio. Anyway before Bob I was listening to the Monkeys and Sonny and Cher and such. He was a revelation. He also led me to Woddy Guthrie,old blues the Band and all kinds of other music somehow connected in my mind with Bob. That and the times I was living in brought me to progressive/radical politics and a passion for justice. Bob denies it but he really was a political influence on a generation - Hollis Brown, Hattie Carrol, Blowing in the Wind, The Times they are a Changing and any number of other songs pointed us the way. It led me at 20 to move from New York to Northern New Mexico - rub elbows with hippies and draft resisters while going to college and eventually (very eventually) to Law School and a career in Legal Aid - which I viewed as a daily battle against the forces of darkness, evil and greed. somehow it was all related to my early exposure to Bob.
Dylan has influenced me in as far as I admire his artistic courage, his desire and ability to communicate what he is feeling or thinking through music. I love his constant touring, even if some shos may not be considered "good" or "memorable." I first saw him in Jackson, Mississippi in 1978, and I last saw him in New Orleans in July, 2011. I've seen him in Memphis and I've seen him in Tupelo, Mississippi, and it's always been evocative, even if it was an "off" night.
unlike any other artists i have enjoyed over the years, bob cats have a community identity which can grow to an extraordinary level and encompass a range of social activities, events, quite unlike any other experience i have had (although naturally i cannot comment on fandom perse).
Personally, Bob represents the triumph of independence and individuality of the person, as reflected through his music and his long-term adherence to a "my way" ethic. Sure, his music borrows/lifts directly from other sources, but it his WAY that is so original and persistently/stubbornly independent and original. This applies more than ever to his recordings, touring and presentation of live performances and even to other things like his wardrobe. Is it all that rebellious to be singing some folk rock classics night after night to paying fans - sometimes often wealthy boomers? Not at first glance. Not in the conventional sense that we might view acts like the MC5 or the Sex Pistols that lasted no more than a few years. But his WAY of doing things his independent way - for 50 years - that is the epitome of rebellion and independence, even with its apparent low points (Empire Burlesque, arguably some of the Christian material) - that to me is as if his one act of going electric at Newport, or recording a four minute-long sloppy masterpiece that changed rock music forever (Like a Rolling Stone) are ongoing acts of transformation and rebellion. Even with Bob's vocal condition these days, he could soup up the show with backup singers, arena-style presentation and tightly scripted deliveries. But he continues to do it his way, playing up to three different arrangements of the same song over the course of a brief tour. This separates him, as an ongoing artistic and cultural phenomenon, from pure rock stars who, while their performances remain extremely powerful, impressive and entertaining (and more skilled musically from a conventional sense), are no longer involved in such revolutionary transformations (Stones, McCartney, come to mind). While I don't really think about it, I believe that following, watching and appreciating Bob over the years (something like 30 concerts), has helped shape my quest to stay fiercely independent and individualistic, regardless of the pressures of career, society etc.
Variety, a range of mainly "traditionally" based styles of music. Literate lyrics from a wide range of influences, often funny if you really listen. He presents a complex view of the world reflecting his age and background.
Firstly, the historocity of what the man has done to popular music (the demise of Tin Pan Alley, breaking the mold of the three minute single, creating folk rock, country rock, Christian rock, inspiring all singer/songwriters, etc.) cannot be overstated. Secondly, no other music touches me both in the intellect and the emotion, simulataeously as Bob Dylan's music. Finally, the sheer body of work, the development of the artist throughout the decades is nothing short of amazing. Has great as his early work is, I like a lot of the new music as much or better!
That when the rest of the world seems to be so shallow and amoral, Bob's music shows that there are a few of us out there that have character, values, and a sense that this life here is not the end.
Bob Dylan is like a cool uncle to me.
Dylan's lyrics/music are a reflection of the way he lives his life. True to himself and inspiring.
Bob is the greatest songwriter in my lifetime. When it comes to songlyrics he is #1. He is a very interesting performing artist as well.
two things, first, Bob is a musician, a performing artist, i hear him squarely in the midst of twentieth century music, not just American music, although he is both the product of American music & a channel of American music, second, Bob as a person seems to have a rigorous dedication to truth & honesty, however elusive & evasive those elements may be.
He opened up a space where we all could be ourselves quite distinct from the stifling conformity of the late 1950s/early 1960s. He sang from a place that I could recognise well - it was where I was too. Since then he has gone through all sorts of changes - as have we all. His spiritual journey is one i recognise & empathise with.
Bob has a way of helping me to see the world from a different perspective.
As Tom Petty once said "Bob Dylan influenced everything." I agree completely with this in and of the fact that it wasn't just his music that people are/were into - it was him, the person. His personality, the way he dressed, the way he talked, smoked a cigarette, etc. He is/was such an individual. It's almost as though "the rules" have never really applied to the guy. Rules like what it means to be a songwriter (what you are supposed to write about, etc), what it means to be a singer (how you are supposed to sound, etc) and how you are supposed to treat your "fans" and media, etc. It wasn't just that he broke these "rules" it was that he never seemed to acknowledge that they were even there at all to begin with! I'm sure you've read that the recently passed Steve Jobs said that the highlight of his life was meeting Bob Dylan. Jobs said that he tried to take Dylan's approach to music (and life in general) and apply to his work with changing the face of personal computing world. Inspirational? I'd say!
The philosophy of "It's Alright Ma...." rules of the road have been lodged, it's only people's games you've got to dodge.... advertising signs that con...." The imagery of songs like Tomorrow is a Long Time, Memphis Blues Again, or Visions of Johanna.
love his music and lyrics. all have different things in them, and reflect on many things in life.
An inspiration offering direction (& sympathy) by "personalising" his songs/experience to my own lifestyle/choice. Made me investigate a lot more music and influence than any other living person never mind artist.Plus reading ALL/any Dylan book takes up 100% of my reading time - and any "stray" literature will probably have some Dylan connection (biographies/Stephen King - personally don't like "fiction" but as my wife claimed that there were many "bob references" I forced myself to read through her suggestions!!!
my father died 9 years ago and bob in many ways has taken his place. he always tours and stops in cali so i see most every show in my state. he's a very intriguing mysterious artist with so many sides and so many songs. it has been a joy to study and discover his method and artistry. always looking to have the ultimate live experience at his shows, which means hearing songs he only pulls out once in a while. i guess the live experience is most important to me and all the good bootlegs. oh, and for some reason i like older, after tom bob the best.
He's the last of the free men, said "Fuck reality" before it was cool, reinvented himself and still does, constantly.
Bob, in my opinion, is the most talented singer songwriter in history. No one else really comes close. The fact that he can change styles so many times (often while remarkably successful) and continue to make great art of a different kind is almost unique. There are so many facets of Dylan's work that he remains endlessly intriquing. All that being said - I enjoy his art. I don't put any particular store in what he means to me or society. His work is entertainment, the same way that anyone can entertain.
Dylan opened up a world of possibility in the art of songwriting, incorporating many musical modes and traditional forms, and allowing every subject possible, every treatment possible. he's written love songs, political songs, religious songs, stories, jokes, etc. He's written in traditional folk modes, tin-pan alley pop songs. he showed how to be a great singer w/o a beautiful voice. i am a songwriter, not a poet, because of the possibilities he showed. he also demonstrates how to remain an artist as one's life, self, and times change; continually finding new ways to create, allowing audience to keep up or not.
He represents freedom to me, artistic freedom, freedom of mind, freedom of speech, he seems to be above everything.. unique, surprising, not afraid, he's an enigma wrapped in a riddle packed in a mistery:-) he always keeps your mind and senses alert.
Bob Dylan was the first English-speaking artist whose music I cared about. This is partly because I listened to him and was able to follow the lyrics and partly because his mix of religion, rebellion and wisdom (the LP included the earlier songs) appealed to me. I hadn't heard anything like that in German, and I guess I still haven't. Later I realized the blues and folk roots in his music and have developed an interest in these styles. If you like, Bob Dylan has opened a major part of American culture to me, and he continues to do so. Also, I admire the artistic freedom he takes with his songs. To me it shows his love for and joy in music, which have rubbed off on me. Because of him, I take music more seriously than any of my friends do, and consequently I feel I get more enjoyment from it as well.
he could say what I could not say when I was 15 years old
Here's a story I wrote about it. It's under my pen name, Will Brennan, which I use on my web magazine, Muddy Water. http://www.muddywatermagazine.com/In-Praise-of-Bob-Dylan.html
He has gone through many things, like me, so he has a Christ-eperience - which is a central thing if you have it. He is a spiritual phanomenon of our time. A personality with huge meaning for the present and the future. He seems connected with the master Skythianos to say it in esoteric terms. Its this biography with so different experiences of his life in our times which makes his voice and work so uncomparable deep.
I use Dylan's words and music as sort of a doctrine. I don't wake up and recite songs and pray to the man each day. Bt often when a decision needs to be made, I can scroll Dylan's words in my mind for a reference. For an easy example, I might wonder if i should pursue a love interest, I might say to myself, "She aint a-gonna make a move, I guess it must be up to me." That's a very crude example, but I constantly look for references that I can use and get inspiration from. I mkae life decisions based on Dylan's lyrics often. I'd be happy to reply in more detail if you wish, I understand that might be a little vague.
Dylan is the centre of the circle when it comes to music. All that has influnced him and all that he has influced constantly revolves around him.
I believe Bob Dylan is the most amazing song writer/poet and a phenomenon live performer. His live performances and bootlegs are just unbelievable He is unique, a one off, irreplaceable, someone to be cherished, the likes of whom we will never see again.
I believe Dylan is the greatest and most important artist of the 20th and 21st century. His music is timeless and he almost single handedly has kept alive authentic american music.
To me Bob Dylan is musically and lyrically the most insightful artist. He has the perfect mix of humour, anger and feelings in his songs. It makes me very happy to listen to someone that "gets it" as he does. My life would be so much more lonesome without him in it. I feel so lucky to live while he is around!
"for you to wrote" ???
What fascinates me about Bob Dylan is his commitment to his muse, which really has not changed from the start. He doesn't allow anyone or anything else (even himself!) to interfere with his creative process, regardless of public opinion. That is probably the main influence on my life, not any particular action or work but his commitment to his muse. Do I think everything he has ever done is great? Absolutely not, but I want to hear it to make up my own mind about it. Even if I don't care for it, I usually can appreciate where it is coming from. Over time my appreciation of individual songs and albums may change but as a body of work I believe it is unrivaled. At some point when you paint a masterpiece you have to fill in the corners.
I found Bob's music through the Concert for Bangladesh album. All his music has been a staple ever since.
I find him very interesting and different. There are so many facets to his life and music
For me Bob Dylan is like my Holy book. He guides me through life. He was there when I was sad, he has lifted me up when I was lying in the ditch he took me down when I flew too high, he made me laugh more when I already laughed, he got me thinking when everyone had the same thought and he took my hand when I got lost.
thinks way I do best lyrics whatever genre he chooses opens stretches mind voice a fanatastic subtle instrument, still! fashion icon, still! doesn't give a shit , in a nice way
Every song means something different. Outside of his work as a musician, he means nothing to me.
I'm not particularly sure what Bob 'means' to anyone, as his great strength over the years and the reason he's been so successful is because he constantly redefines himself and his music. Every album sounds different to the last one, and every gig sounds different to the one before, which means that he covers such a vast range of emotions, styles and most importantly, personas. As a result, different parts of his career mean different things to me. The first album of his I had was Highway 61 Revisited, and it was one of the few albums I understood straight away. Other albums - such as Time Out Of Mind represent something completely different to me, showing a certain grace and demeanour in getting old. I suppose various sections of his lyrics are certainly applicable in life too (as long as he's not describing his ex-girlfriend's sister as a "parasite"). Notably, "Not Dark Yet" speaks to me, mostly about the same things as the whole album. Various lyrics, such as those of "Forever Young" or the phrase, "He not busy being born is busy dying" certainly are pretty decent maxims to apply to life for me, representing decent morals and Dylan's and (inherited from him), my, need to make an impact on people, rather than want to change anything for better or worse, through what I do. I would also reasonably say, as a musician, that his varying styles are a big impact on the music I play. (I try to emulate his lyrics, but...) But certainly his way of turning the same three chords into a hundred different songs represented something so simple yet striking - the chords or the music to a Bob Dylan song become something completely different every time it's played.
Acoustic alchemy - magic from his voice and guitar
Bobs been part of my life, got into him as a teenager and he has often reflected how I feel in his music. I often see him as a sort of soundtrack to my life. I admire the fact that he has always remained true to himself
He's the most real performer ever.
Bob has provided a soundtrack for my life. I listen to many artists but Bob is always there. He has also encouraged his audience to listen to a diverse group of artists.
It has seemed that, as I grow and evolve in my life and beliefs, I find that Bob's words and poetry are always there to validate or urge me on in my personal path.
As religion has never entered my life in any way (too many unanswered questions) aside from my close family and friends the only person I have allowed to have any personal influence on my life is Mr Dylan. Outside the above mentioned cohort Dylan's music and words have been an essential part of my good times, bad times, indifferent times and downright heartbreaking times. Although I have an appreciation of a wide range of music at the key moments it is always Dylan that helps me think, react, interact and generally work out where to go next. I don't ask others to follow but so far this possibly senseless (to some) meaning of life has worked for me so I intend to just keep on keeping on and heading to another joint, wherever that may be.
It is hard to say. It is like loving someone and you don't know exactly why. I can easily see that he can sing awful sometimes, but it is Bob, you known. I will be a fan until the end of my days. I have no need (anymore)to meet him, but it has to do with him as a person too. A little clumsy, but charming, a bit autistic too. The way he moves. He is a red ribbon in my life. Everything changes, but Bob is always there and coming around every now and then. Sometimes it is if he is not a real person, but a character on stage. I can be ashamed about being a Dylan fan, won't tell it to everybodý. I don't listen to his music so very often. All those songs are deep inside of me, will never forget them . Read a lot about him too, have read enough.
he opened up the whole world
Bob represents everything that is special about late 20th century culture, and I believe is the most important and influential artist since Shakespeare. He has a unique voice, and has enriched my life incalculably.
Dylan represents artistic sensitivity, thoughtfulness and honesty. He is a poetic lyricist and a soulful man. He is a dedicated music-maker who has created a body of work that places him in esteemed company with the most accomplished artists of the past century.
pleasure
Bob is a truly unique American poet in the spirit of Ginsberg, Whitman and Twain.
I bought my first Dylan LP in 1974, for my "hippy" older sister thinking she would like it. I played it (Before The Flood)and loved it so much i bought another. I bought every one since ( and before ) i 've seen Bob least once every uk tour 78 to 2011. and actually sat next to him in the audience in 87 at wembley arena..:) my son's named after him.
Dylan helps me express myself, as a 17 year old singer songwriter, existential poem writer and wannabe recluse, dylan helps me experience myself, tapping into my own subconscious via his lyrics. my mood often changes due to whatever dylan song comes on, or if i watch a dylan clip or film, or hear an interview, even see a picture. bob means that i can be myself in front of others, by basing my behavious on his characteristics from certain time periods, and i have down to a very close tee his different mannerisms from certain time periods, if i want to hide myself away from others, its the 1966 interview dylan, if i want to be the centre of attention, its the 1986 stage dylan, not to say i try and be like him, i dont want to be him, but he helps me express myself, my voice, and my opinions; in short, bob, to me, means the ability to be myself, as and when i need to
Dylan's an outstanding artist. My father brought home 'Briing it all Back Home' and Farewell Angelina by Baez from a Simpson-Sears store here about 66. My brother, 8 years older than me, was the one who mainly brought in the contemporary music. I think my dad did it in an attempt to be hip, and improve relations with my brother (they had a terribly fractious relationship). I learned the words to 'Subterranean Homesick' early. My brother and I were big on singing in the car on long drives, Beatles, stones songs...I recall singing the words to 'The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest' for my mom on the way downtown soon after it came out. I recall Great White Wonder coming in to the house...it was lunch time when I first saw it...still have it. I spent hours listening, listening to Blonde on Blonde, Highway 61. My first pay job, cleaning a friend of my mothers' house on a Saturday morning, doing the laundry in her apartment sized washer, includniig the baby's diapers...and then, with my $5. goin to buy, for $4.67, Another Side, Times, and Freewheelin'. It was much later that I got the 1st album. I spent Saturday nights necking and playing these Dylan songs with my Gr. 10 high school sweetheart. Side 4 of Greatest hits Volume 2. . . Saw the Band show here in Toronto in 74 on a friend's offered ticket. The Bass on Most Likely You'll Go Your Way still echoes. GREAT r & r. Saw the Rolling Thunder, caught Renaldo and Clara at a York U. Screening about 78/79. Blown away by the breadth and scope of the canon up to that time. Hitchiking and singing one to many mornings. Drunken letter to a friend way out of town listening to Infidels the first time. The absolute revelation of my first hearing of Blind Willie McTell at 3 a.m. going through the Bootleg 1-3 on vinyl which I'd happened upon rather than new was coming. Revelation. Going to buy LOove and Theft on Sept. 11, 2001,a week or sointo my first 'teaching kids special education job'. (I taught adult ESL for a long time, and used his songs- She belongs to me, Don't think twice' as discussion and grammar fodder...) I've looked at him from many sides, Tarantula in the first Ballantine edition for Christmans, giving away copies of Chronicles to friends...talking, talking, talking. Trying to figure out why so few mention Shenanendoah, or the other closer of Down in the Groove. But he probably 'means' most recognizably in the code, 'to live outside the law you must be honest.' Its simple. I've been a freak, a Dylan and multiple other kinds of freak for almost my whole life. And I've got nothing to hide, except for me and my monkey. Bob made that okay.
A great deal of his music simply gives me immense listening pleasure, and also much of it makes me think with care about his lyrics. I have stayed with his music since first being interested in "popular" music (of all kinds) - there is a constancy to the strength of what he produces, over a wide range of styles that I find very appealing, as well as thought-provoking.
Bob has helped me get through every difficult period of my life and yet managed to steer me towards the good people. He reminds me to look for that good in others. During the happiest period of my life I found I did partially put Bob aside as i did not want to impose him on my children. however, my wife and i still celebrated our good fortune and remember the ill fortune of others by playing dylan
Intelligence, musical ability, lyrical skills, insightful comment, cultural depth, integrity, melody, musical and instrumental harmony, consistency, longevity, peer group respect, anticipation, expectation. Confusion, contemplation and occasionally being confounded. The need to have (some sort of) faith.
I have no time now. I will talk to you again later.
Bob's music opened my head to new ideas, new ways of thinking. It opened me to what is possible in a song lyric. They made me re-think personal relationships- the good and the bad side. They also made me realize that "we are not alone" in feeling certain ways about certain things. Through Bob, I found a new way of expression.
enabled me to look at things differently; I was 15 when "like a Rolling Stone"came out and I felt put on notice,to watch myself, to not be as foolish as it was easy for a pretty girl to be. I continue to relate to the feelings that his lyrics bring out; personal and historical. He doesn't avoid the tragedy of life and for those who've experienced it, it makes one feel less alone...that what we experience is a common human condition.
He taught me that, "It is not he or she or them or it that you belong to."
I found in Bob that a person can be is own self and to hell with the world. I have used Dylan in my high school English classes to show them what being an individual means/
Bob Dylan is a unique musical stylist, who, I think, follows his own heart in terms of the style of music he writes and performs, regardless of others' reactions, good or bad. He illustrates a good example to "be yourself," have confidence in yourself, and follow your own path. In this way, he is an independent individualist and a self-made man. These are all good traits.
I believe Bob is a modern-day prophet--not inspired in the same sense as an Isaiah or a Jeremiah, but a profound spokesperson for the truth, seeing deeply into the reality of things and laying them bare. I credit Bob Dylan for saving my life. With his Grammy speech in 1991. When he stated that God will always believe in your ability to mend your ways. I did just that approximately 20 months later I quit doing drugs, I stopped smoking and stopped drinking alcohol. I totally cleaned up my life. If I hadn't heard Dylan's speech that night. I most likely would of died before I was 50. I will be 63 this coming April and I live everyday to its fullest. That night Dylan had a tremendous impact on how I was living my life. I mended my ways and his words totally changed my life and I am a much better person because of what Dylan said that night: Charles Owen 25 Virginia St., Welland ON Canada L3C 7A5 Phone 905-735-1850 Thank you
There are too many facets to condense here...let's just say he is the one of the most important artists ever....he's up there with Shakespeare, Picasso, Joyce etc....
I think your question begs a lot of pseudo-soul searching - i'd just say that relative to songs in general, his songs have a way of feeding you forward - they don't 'take you back' or live in your brain in amber, they always seem pretty fresh, as you can chew them over as you listen. As he once said (when obstensively describing Willie Nelson)He gets to the heart of it in a quick way, gets it out, and it's over. And just leaves the listener to ...
I totally admire his genius as a musician and a lyricist. To me he is the greatest artist of any genre of our age. His music transcends time in the same way asthe works of Beethoven or Bach or Hemingway or Tolstoy. We are privileged to occupy the world at the same time as he does.
i can see,listen ,feel, taste,walk because of him.He is like a measurment instrument for my conciousness ,he helps me to find the right way and this way is homeward bound. he is like Babylon to me.
I'm going to need more space. He knows that he drove a spike in history as an artist unparalleled in depth and influence and reach. He's suffered for all of us and brings out wisdom through suffering. He's quite obviously well read and alludes to visions of our mythic forgotten past and archetypes. He is distinctively American though. In this way he's rather like Mark Twain (who he was mistaken for upon visiting the homestead of the author). James Joyce created a puzzle with Finnegans Wake that will lead to countless PhD candidates struggling over "who is the dreamer?" and "the feminine power" etc., likewisw Dylan offers countless thesis yet to be written. My guess is that his song will be sung forever (young) and that was the hope of the Anglo Saxons and all written Saints and Sages. He embodies the perennial philosophy, and like Joyce and Tolkien (another artist disregarded by "serious" academia). Contact me. I have much more testimony and transformation stories. He's a chameleon shedding off one more layer of skin to keep one step ahead of the persecutor within, and I have similar experiences. His masterpiece is touring, the code of the road is sacrifice, and he's sacrificed fir us all. I wrote this on an iPhone so forgive the misspellings, etc.. Good luck! Feel free to contact me.
reminds me of Bob ́s intro to "Last thoughts on Woody Guthrie" :). Hard to answer though, actually. There is this line i made my own saying "he not busy being born is busy dieing" and it has become essential to me. Tu put it briefly: Bob ́s songbook offers assistance at every single question that comes to me through life. It ́s a kind of religion to me, in a pure way, not dogmatic or telling rules. Just dealing with the good and bad things that occur in life - in a way, honest and open, that makes me feel familiar with this person, even more familiar than anybody else related to me.
He ́ s the only singer and songwriter that fascinates me. He may not be a perfect singer or instrumental player, but his
words and his songs are fantastic. I love his voice and the way, he sings. He somehow touches my heart like no other singer
or someone I don ́t know personally. It ́s like he ́s always in my mind, someone that's with me when I ́m sad and he tells me that everthing ́s passing and many things more. It ́s like he would be my friend and Iḿ looking forward every year to go to one concert. Thats one of the best things in the year for me. I count down the calender when I have the concertdate. Don ́t know why exactly, I just love him!!!!
read/listen to "last thoughts on woody guthrie" and change woody guthrie for bob dylan and you'll get an idea
Bob means whatever you need him to.
Do not be afraid to asks questions that you do not known the answer to or that have answers other might not like. Do not follow learder and watch the parking meters.
Bob's work ethic, his single-mindedness, his ability to rise above criticism, and his commitment to seeking the truth are all attributes in short supply these days. He also has a sense of humor. I love the way he pays homage to his cultural and intellectual roots.
Bob Dylan is like the Father I never had, he taught me so much and still is ..................
he taught me, as a young teen,. . .that it was ok to be true to yourself and create your own identity. also that music could be as thought provoking and inspiring as a book. . .not just singsongy babble or bubblegum music. it's a deeper relationship. as an artist myself,(non musical) i find creative inspiration when i play his music while i work.
How can I answer that if you have the nerve to ask me?
I think that Bob Dylan is probably the greatest song writer of the past 50+ years. He is a genius when it comes to writing and playing his songs, never playing a song the same way twice. Every song tells a story, some are symbolic and enigmatic, some are blatant and obvious. His voice while not *pretty*, is natural and pure.
I like his _music_ a sort of fusion blend of rooted traditional genres.
http://foreveryoungnews.com/posts/781-young-bobcats-howl-for-legend-bob-dylan
I was first exposed to Dylan when I was 15 by an older acquaintence. What appealed to me immediately were the lyrics that came fast and furious in that first exposure (Another Side Of Bob Dylan album). And, really, nothing has changed over the last 35 years...it is still the lyrics that are most impressive. Over the years, I have also grown my appreciation for what a great songwriter Dylan has been over the span of his career...appreciating the melodys. Finally, the sort of independent manner he poses...seemingly not caring what others think and doing his own thing are attractive to this fan (though I imagine this is as much a pose as a reality). I believe I already had certain values and that Dylan's lyrics and lifestyle likely only reinforced my values rather than actually changed my way of thinking.
His music influences and shapes much of who I am. Not consciously but through time I realise it has. The relationship I'm in was a result of his music. The clothes I wear, the attitude I hold, the way I talk, the way I think. I realise that I phrase things as he might, I read and listen and watch people who I can relate to him. It sounds obsessive but to me it's all perfectly normal. If I saw him in the street though in awe, I would not bother him, so my fandom is not quite there but he's certainly my religion.
i appreciate the development of dylan as an artist. his ability, in his youth, to morph from a folk/blues performer of classical material into a composer of songs that ignited a mass consciousness. how he produced an epic amount of material in the amount of time it took the beatles to produce sgt pepper's. the fact that dylan, through out his career, seemed to be a step ahead of the crowd.
Bob Dylan means to me the power of words expressed by somebody. The skill to recollect a powerful felling and being able to expressed it to other people to understand it and be move by it. it means poetry to me: pleasure and catharsis.
I first tried to listen to The Other Side of Bob Dylan when I was 12-13 and I didn't get it. In the summer of 1969,Lay Lady Lay was on the radio and this 15 or 16 year old boy got it!! New Morning to me was a very interesting album which led me to look back at earlier albums. The Greatest Hits - Vol II also increased my interest in Mr. Dylan. Planet Waves was just so-so. Blood On the Tracks and Desire reaffirmed my belief in Bob. There were lots of changes in the 1980's in my life so at that time I listened to Bob off and on. I remember that the albums were variable - some were ok and some were poor. Slow Train Coming was a GREAT album - so much emotion more than the religious aspect. Some of the songs that stick out to me include: Jokerman, Sweetheart Like You, Dark Star, Tight Connection to My Heart. Of course the Travelling Wilburies albums were fun and entertaining. His two cover albums were very good also. I've Got Blood in My Eyes For You was an EXCELLENT song. I know the title is not correct, but this is off the top of my head. Time Out of Mind and his last couple of albums seem to have grown up along with me. The Bootleg Series is always fun to reminisce to. I've seen Bob a dozen or more times in the Midwest and there have been more hits than misses seeing him live. I enjoy wearing my Robert Allen Zimmerman Fan Club - Local Bobcat Affiliation #12 & 35 which is my own creation!! You might say I'm crazy, but I'm just havin' fun. Today I was listening to A Nod To Bob - Part II and the way that Jokerman was sung allowed me to hear the lyrics that I don't always here when Bob sings. It's just a tremendous set of lyrics. My wife who is my typist says that I should go back over the survey and change my answers to complete fanatic!! I'm just a Bobcat through and through.
Dylan was there at every transition in life for me. I can recount the important stages of my life by using the yardstick of which Dylan album had been released that year. I am an entirely "indiscriminate" Dylan fan. I love it all, the good and the bad, maybe especially the bad! I collect all the official music (several times over) as well as bootlegs. I have dreams of finding rare bootlegs in record bins.
His songs are poetic but based on a great American folk tradition. I believe he really loves music and wants to continue that tradition. Somehow his observations and implied view of things coincides with mine - I dont know how.
He is THE Artist. There is always a song for how I'm feeling.
I was one of the few who bought Dylan's first album when it was released due to a recommendation by a London folk club friend. I've bought every album in the LP (while they were available to around 1980)and the CD format of albums since and before, plus a library of videos on DVDs some copied from VHS (including a collection of his music videos). And yes . . . some bootlegs too! I saw his first UK concert at The Festival Hall, London in '64 and The Albert Hall in 1966. I emigrated to Australia in 1971 and have been to every concert here up to this year's Australian tour. So in London and Sydney I've not missed one concert, ever! I've read numerous biographies and have a huge collection of music magazines feature articles on Bob. I've bought the first edition/first printing of Tarantula, the original Writings & Drawings and of course likewise Chronicles 1 I also have a couple of treasured genuine autographs. So what does Bob Dylan mean to me? Well, work it out for yourself
he means lots; first time i heard 'Like a rolling stone' changed my perspective: woke up to Beats and Black Mountain Poets, poetry, creativity, etc
I'll send you an extra mail!
Bob lyrics are for me a like poetry, as if I opened a book of poems or of short stories.
Lyrics from Dylan songs are in my brain. Different life events or experiences will frequently pull specific lyrics to my consciousness which have everything to do with the moment at hand. The lyrics usually clarify on a deeper level what I'm experiencing but had not been able to put into words.
listening to dylan is touching me emotionally as well as intellectually - sort of unique
Are Dylan fans any different than other music fans?--In what ways?...
Lately I'm reading that his music, turned up real loud, is great to clean to! Think I may try it. Maybe my house will be a lot cleaner!
A fan is a fan is a fan, however the sheer longevity of Bob's career is exceptional. But no, and I agree with Elizabeth Taylor, the only thing wrong with Bob Dylan is his fans. In our group we try not to be sycophants, and to be respectful!
I generally find Dylan fans to be more discerning and knowledgeable about the traditions of music and the history. They tend to have varied tastes and interests beyond one genre of music, and value the qualities of spontaneity and transformation. There is an interest to explore the influences that affected Dylan and that opens up a whole range of experiences - musical, literary and artistic. Because of the content and character of Dylan's music and creativity, people drawn to his music seem to be more interested in 'deeper' ideas and active participation in the listening process - they are drawn to music with longevity rather than shallow, transient 'passive' pop/rock music. I like the feeling of community with some of the Dylan fans - it is a little like a family with all the associated ups and downs! Sadly, there are some fans who are delusional, ignorant and aggressive - but we meet them in every walk of life, no matter who the artist in question is.
I think that most Bob Dylan fans come from a good background, have studied and are intellectuals. I know big fans who are doctors, lawyers, writers, philosophers etc.
I love that I'm of the same generation, only seven years younger than him. I was hanging out in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s. He was there in the early 1960s. I was a recording engineer at WBAI-fm, the listener-sponsored non-commercial radio station where all the Village musicians and poets came to be on the air. I was part of the same scene. That makes his music even more special to me. We were part of the same group of people back in the day, so it's like listening to the music of a friend.
Dylan fans may be different in all ways...whatever road they have been down and whatever path they are takin in life, and what they take and learn from Bob Dylan , is all so different..but we all seem to share somethin' about him. Fans just 'keep on, keepin' on like a bird that flew, tangled up in blue".
I believe that being a Dylan fan is something really special, it can be frustrating a solitary but now I am fortunate to have many 'Dylan Friends' on line, who feel the same way about this man and his work. I often say, you either Get Dylan or you don't and if you do your life will be richer for it.
I love the camaraderie with other Dylan fans who I hardly know. Dylan fans will always have more fun than other fans trying to remember all the lyrics and debating what they mean, but apart from that I don't suppose we're any different and certainly not more special.
affection for poetry, words, reading between lines, the love of not-understanding, mystery, searching, trying, the on-the-road value, and the friendship. The description above could go for deadheads as well. I got thousands of vinyls, cds, tapes, and I just love anything musical, but Dylan (and The Dead) is a totally other ballgame.
dylan fans are bobcats that look out for each other and have a great camaraderie in bob
True hardcore fans are sort of "totalitarian". Not that they don ́t appreciate anyone else, but this passion seems so be quite overwhelming. You don ́t just listen to Bob or collect some bootlegs, you "study" about him, you get involved in heated discussions, you sometimes ground a new religion! We "girls" also find him very attractive, even though he is not the perfect handsome a lá ...who knows, Goeroge Clooney, Paul Newman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charles Shaughnessy? He is not even the role model for an husband and father..but nevertheless...we fancy him!
Special: you have to explain yourself so often to ignorant people.
Dylan fans are the "sand and Glue!" a breed apart !
bd60
I'm not sure Dylan fans are 'different or special' than fans of other music, but it is a good way to meet some very interesting people. It does seem many fans tend to be thinkers (as opposed to fans of say 'New Country' or 'X Factor' type of music... However, since the Internet has come along, it is disappointing to see how many people get too obsessed with Bob Dylan, and a small core of fans are obnoxious, aggressive and delusional. Of course, that probably applies to some fans of all music or musicians.
I don't think so ....
There are all kinds of Dylan fans. I've met the silliest groupie and the most distinguished intellectual. You cannot categorize Dylan fans like you cannot categorize Dylan.
Dylan's fans are family.
Dylan seems to have been the false god of folk rock, according to Reader’s Digest in 1970. Now he is old but still strong and vital singer and songwriter and poet who keeps on travelling throughout the world since 1960, more than five decades. ”Never Ending Tour” since 1988. He is the only one among rock stars who can win the Nobel Price for Literature some day! Elvis, Beatles, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, Cohen, Jackson and Madonna cannot.
I don't know if Dylan fans are different from other fans, but I suspect that we are all very much bitten with Bob's unique and particlar bug! We feel and hear the songs in similar ways, I think. When you are with a fellow Dylan fan, communication flows. We understand each other.
Dylan fans dont allways walk the easy way. I think that most of the Dylan fans are people who allways "think twice" about the most important things in life.
I feel being a Dylan fan IS really Great,Different and Special, first because I do think Bob is a Great,Different and Special artist, and also because being a Dylan fan makes you feel sensitive as well as sensible and profound in a level of communication with his songs and music that doesn't and can't exist with other artists Besides and consequently as Joan Baez once said "Not everyone gets Bob Dylan ...But, for those who do, he goes way deep." ~ so paradoxically there are thousands of fans but lots and lots of non fans too ! and this makes it a special thing !we feel like a chosen kind of people .
They like to talk about how they found Dylan, and what Dylan's music means to them. But that isn't true about all fans I've met...
We Get It All
i loved dylan in 1964 and i love him in 2011...i never went through a stage where...he used to be good but now hew washed out bob is like wine the older he gets the better..his music changes like his moods changes hes not static hes not a record..hes alive...theres nothing like grateful dead concert and this applies to bob theres nothing like a bob dylan concert .he wont bore you hell always find a way to surprise you but he can be subtle...so u got to be alert and aware at all times to see how different he can be from every concert
Um.. It's certainly unique! Being a young un into Dylan was odd.. You tend to be ridiculed through primary and high school then everyone starts to venerate him when you hit college-ish age. I remember having boyfriends who would finally 'get' the music and then start imitating and SLAUGHTERING songs that were very sacred to me when I hit 20ish which was annoying! There is a huge sense of the 'sacred' in genuine Dylan fans. I do notice a big divide between the people who 'just like' his sixties stuff and the 'other' fans. It seems to me that the people into just the sixties period tend to be more cognition driven peeps and the people into the latter parts of his career more spiritual. But.. of course there's all sorts..
Yes, we are different. We are dedicated to his music and many abilities. We are deep thinkers. We have a different slant on life. We learn from his words. Fans of other musicians come & go, but Dylan Fans stay with him. He has becaome a big part of at least 4 generations. Not many others can say that. He is loyal to his fans in return. We all watch our parking meters.
I've been in contact with many generous Bobheads who share or exchange recordings of concerts.
we take abuse but not as much as bob did. we are all stronger for it though.
Seeing him live over the past ten or so years has been a great adventure. The avid Dylan fan no longer looks for a consistently excellent concert but, rather, soaring moments within the overall set; one or two of those is enough to hang your hat on for a week.
I think being a Dylan fan gives you special insight into the history and American music, a more profound sense of justice and a spirirtual path you can walk. Also if you are interested in poetry or songwriting as an art there is no better artist you can be interested in to learn about these things.
Bobs fans are no different to other artists fans, my favourite atists have always been Bob and The Beatles and I feel I have grown up with their music always being the soundtrack of my life
They have a lot to put up with, but he can repay in spadeloads. The world will be a lesser place without him to share it.
I think Dylan Fans are special, but I cant explain why. Its interesting to hear their stories and their thoughts about Bob.
My experience is don't stereotype Bob fans - we come in all ages and from all backgrounds. Very few music fans can have endless debates about changing lyrics say on Tangled Up in Blue or whether the Blood on the Tracks version of Shelter from the Storm is better than during Rolling Thunder. How many great versions of Hard rain can you compare - original / Nara / Zaragosa. The discussions about favourite periods, best live band.
No, they are no different. But surely many of them think they are. What is great? His concerts especially from 2000s, there so big variatey of arrangements, melody changes, moods, reconceptions that can keep you amused for long time, and there are still so many stuff to discover. I like this approach serious, truly whole hearted artist, very conscious of his art and performence. He sounds like a guy who is doing it not because it sells good but because feel has urge to do it.
Being a BD fan makes me wonder why people dont like him. I have been in the situation where I have been ridiculed and mocked for liking him but it simply does not matter to me. I dont know about other people to me this is a very personal thing if they like him fine I am interested if not thats fine too - we all have choices. I dont go to many other concerts etc so I am not able to compare. I just feel so lucky to get the opportunity of being in the same room and listening to the show.
Dylan is a great artist. Many does not like him at all or like his later works. I don't mind that. I think everyone has the right to hate/love certain musicians. I don't think Dylan is way better than other great musicians like Louise Armstrong or Neil Young. I just like Dylan more than others. Maybe someone else prefers Armstrong, not Dylan and I respect that. Thanks
We have an active Dylan group in Newcastle meeting once a month since 1986. I couldn't imagine any other songwriter being able to inspire and sustain such a phenomenon.
Sometimes it is difficult to convince other people but if you succeed they get addicted to Bob
Literate music, with complex imagery is not popular or profitable anymore, Dylan and his lyrics allow me to show others that graet music can be great writing too. Plus it's great to have Dylan aphorisms for every occasion!!
As a broad generalisation I often find Dylan fans to be somewhat sumg and superior - from those that believe it gives them some sort of intellectual edge to the anoraks who can quote complete dates/set lists and other minutia. Probably the thing that makes them different from other music fans is how obsessional they can be. On the positive side one of the happy aspects of being a Dylan fan is that you don't have to wait 5 years for the next tour and there is always a useful quote to fall back on in any life situation. I'd see him in anything!
I don't think i'm very different. I would like sometimes that poeple look at Dylan the way I do.
His longevity, creativity, diversity, long web of influences and influencees
The only difference is that we are fans of the best there is.
Being a Dylan fan requires a great deal more fortitude. So many people don't get him or his music and they enjoy ridiculing those of us who do. The derision and misunderstanding comes from all quarters. Dylan himself also challenges his fans like no other artist. He does not cater to expectation and is not afraid of angering his fans or others, but this is one of the things I respect about him.
I don't know many other Dylan fans.
Since I do not know many fans from other artists, I cannot tell the differences. But the Dylanologists I met all around the world in front of the venues have become dear friends of mine. Connected via world-wide-web, we meet in places like "Expecting Rain", "The Neverending Pool", "Bob Links", "Facebook" and of course "Bob Dylan.com" Meeting means always discussions, sharing emotions and much more!
Most other artists continue to do the same thing repeatedly. Bob changes things up and rearranges his music at his will. The people that this appeals to are usually pretty smart and interesting.
I'm not sure being a Dylan fan is any different than being a fan of any other band, but it's always inspiring and exciting to find someone who you can relate to in all things "Bob". You know, the people that understand what you mean when you start talking about "Eat the Document" or "The Genuine Basement Tapes" or the only live performance of "Abandoned Love". I'm sure most artists have moments or songs that their fans cherish and can discuss in a similar vein to the above mentioned Dylan things, but I suppose that Dylan just has MORE of those kinds of things based on his longevity and his tendency to record more songs than he releases (I only mentioned three, but I could go on and on with similar obscurities that nearly every Dylan fan is familiar with).
playful word freaks
I don't know. It's nice to talk to Dylan fans. Sort of outsiders because mainstream people don't like his voice. Interesting how much is going on on different levels. Dylan's Birthday parties every May, University lectures, concerts bands and musicians play Dylan covers. He has something for everybody. Nice Christmas album, great book he wrote, like the paintings, like his albums - he keeps you busy all year long since decates :)
Every Dylan fan is different. My Bob is not your Bob.
That we have Dylan :-) I don't know that we're any more or less special than any other group of fans that get together at concerts and festivals and online to celebrate music and share friendship.
It's been great listening a some very well written songs.
Dylan fans were the first group of people who shared a common like that brought entirely differing individuals together collectively. Also the concert going experience found lots of resonance in the shared thoughts of nick hornby's football fan.
I don't know if there is any difference in being a Dylan fan as opposed to being a fan of others. I love Elvis Presley, U2, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Grateful Dead, Genesis, and none of these seems to take away from the others. Dylan seems more mysterious and confident than a lot of musicians, and that is probably an attractive trait. That and his decided influence on other musicians expains my interest in him and his music.
When I first started listening to Bob he was not touring. Later - late 70's I saw him in Denver with a band and backup singers and was disappointed. A couple of years later I saw him in Albuquerque during his Jesus phase and was again disappointed. Then the neverending tour started and I saw him lots - sometimes multiple times in a year and have continued to do so. Sometimes the shows are great, sometimes they are terrible and most are somewhere in between - but it doesn't matter - I am in the presence of The Bob and that is enough. When he was around 10 my son started to go with me. He is now 16 and it is one of my great pleasures in life to see how into Dylan he is. He finds obscur vidios on U-Tube and shows them to me and "discovers" songs thet he wants to talk about. His i-pod is stuffed with Dylan and the Band. The torch has been passed to a new generation.
The differnce is probably that Dylan is his own man, rarely being influenced by current music and fashions(he probably did attempt to follow fashion in the eighties with poor results).
Bob Dylan, through all his different phases, as so much to offer; much more than any other musician I know of. And he writes so well. I think Dylan fans tend to be a fairly literate bunch, so having the connection of being a Dylan offers up a wealth of possibilities in coversation. For myself, Dylan has also introduced me a wealth of other musicians, such as Willie McTell, John Hurt, Charley Patton, Roosevelt Sykes, and a host of others. He is tapped into the psyche of the music of Americana and relays that to his fans. Being a Bob Dylan fan opens up a world of music, literature, and culture!
To be frank, some Dylan fans are a bit crazy. I observe this from attending dozens of shows. Many still see him for something he isn't: a prince of protest ("he didn't say anthing about the war!") or a Mick Jagger-type heartthrob/rocker. But on the other hand, there is no one way to describe Dylan fans - just like there is no way to describe Bob himself. You have your die-hards, then your fans by way of Dead and other "hippy" related scenes, young kids, aging boomers, straight up aging rock concert groupie types. But, the fan experience, how they relate to a concert for example, reminds me of a religious congregation. Not that they worship Bob as an idol or deity - though some surely do - but that they experience the music in the same way, for example, that an Orthodox Jewish congregation might participate or listen to prayers. As an observant Jew, this analogy rings true for me. The community gathers weekly, or on other occasions, to attend to rituals most of them - but not all - are familiar with. They are lead by an individual (sometimes a trained cantor/vocalist, but often not) and the focus - to the devoted - is not on the performance of the leader himself, but instead on the canon and liturgy that he is reciting. To that end, from personal experience, the most moving of such rituals often occur when the leader is a very old person, upwards of 80, speaking/singing/chanting with an accent from Eastern Europe, an accent so strong that you cannot understand some of the words, but you don't complain to your neighbor "I don't know what he's saying" because you know the words already and/or the act of delivery carries over the meaning more than the actual words can. Further, you can hear from this man's voice and accent an authenticity that you don't hear anymore, it might mean that he has sang these same tune during times of oppression by the Nazis or Stalin, or while living in times of disease and poverty (like an aging but authentic blues singer - another analogy that may apply to a side of Bob). So in this regard you are thankful to be able to hear a voice such as this, gracing such timeless material that means so much to the devoted listeners. To me this is part of the Dylan fan experience, though I am sure most others wouldn't use, or be familiar with, this analogy.
We listen to his music to become enlightened and inspired. Not to bend a girl over in a club and simulated humping. Crude, vulgar. Bob is steak and lobster. Most music today is disposable and pablum.
Dylan fans are great because we cover the whole spectrum from tree hugging peaceniks to the far Christian right. I think you'll find from your survey that Bob's fans range in age from young teens to pensioners.
We can all agree on Bob's greatness but the lyrics are channelled through our own personal experiences to give different meanings all of which are valid.
He has constantly made interesting records, concerts and lot of other stuff as long as I have been a fan and 10 years before that as well. There is a lot of interesting people among his fans, many who has become good friends of mine.
dont have to tell you there are Dylan fans & then there are Dylan fans, the few other Dylan fans i associate with happen to be friends first & Dylan fans later, Dylan is more of a touchstone than a topic of discussion, like our crumbling university degrees or the Sunday schools we went to when we were six.
We're all a bit obsessive - but when your dealing with the Shakespeare of your era, maybe it's no0t surprising!
Dylan fans seem much more interested in the words to songs than in the musical vehicle they are expressed in.
I think that being a Dylan fan is great because there is always so much more there to find. Be it live bootleg recordings, outtakes, photographs, books, cover verisons of his songs - there is always more to delve into. What I love is being able to discuss his myriad of influences with other Dylan fans who have had their worlds expanded by getting into Bob. Of course he's turned a lot of us onto artists in the genres of blues, country and gospel that we wouldn't have otherwise known but music is really just the start of it! I first became interested in Rimbaud because of Tangled Up in Blue. The first time I really delved into Picasso was because Dylan said that he was his favorite painter at some point. La Dolce Vita? I watched that because of Motorpsycho Nightmare in my mid-teens. It goes on an on. I think that Dylan fans are special - not because of who we are - but because of the dimensions of opportunity that have been opened up to us by this guy, this Bob Dylan.
Dylan sometimes "Bombs" but so do I. If he always sounded exactly like you anticipated he wouldn't be Dylan. People complain that they can't hear what he says. I had a pretty bad speech defect as a kid, so I can relate to people not being able to understand you.
A particular type of music over different periods of time.
From assisting with the first Dylan Convention in the Uk - Dylan Revisited '79 in the Portland Hotel;Manchester (where I worked as "Banqueting & Conference Manager) I can honestly say I have not come across a single "dull/boring nor untrustworthy character!!! On the whole I would say we are very generous character type and have constantly been over whelmed by folks generosity AND I in turn offload copies of all Bob-related music to any interested parties.
i only have 3 other people in my life who love bob. most people i know including my family don't care for his music.
Not being such a hard core Dylan fan as some, I can only say that there's nothing really special about being a Dylan fan and if there was, there would be an inherent contradiction.
I think that Dylan fans have a vast body of work that appeals to us. Since Bob Dylan cultivates an attitude of mystique we can believe that Bob is somehow speaking directly to us and has a relationship with us. We can pick a small aspect of his art or something he said and personally think that he is like us. Stoners (Rainy Day Women) and Fundamentalist Christians (Gotta Serve Somebody)and everyone in between can convince themselves that Bob belongs to them. This is reflected by the vast number of Dylan books that are published, most of them in some way attempting to interpret what Bob is saying in his songs.
There are many ways to be a Dylan fan as there are to be anything else. The only different thing about Dylan fans is that most of the others i've talked to are more willing to listen for themselves and attempt to hear and understand from their own point of view vs. picking up their opinions from the opinion-shops being operated by various advertising media (including all media supported by advertising). i've found it especially interesting to hear dylan fans of other ages (most younger than me, obviously) talk about how they made their own personal discovery - what age, what song or CD hit them especially. You might ask dylan fans what their 'gateway' or song or album was.
They are obviously much more intelligent than other music fans:) Being a hardcore Dylan fan is yes it's a cliché i know a
way of living, a way of thinking, it made me travel, not only physically but also mentally.
He music and words are a part of my life
I honestly don't really think think Dylan's work is any more special than most other popular artists. I know his work touched me specially, but I can dig fanatics of other artists just the same. Dylan fans are another matter. They're freaks!
I don like the word "fan". So its clear its special great to be it for dylan because it is such a serious thing!
I don't really know, exactly. I think that Dylan fans tend to be fans of the music, but also are very engaged in the lyrics, and so Dylan fans often discuss lyrics at length. Plus, he's been playing live for so long and constantly changing, there's always something new to that, whereas The Stones or McCartney pretty much come out to play the hits the way they sounded on the record. I think for many of Dylan's older fans, it's been a lifelong journey with him, and in many different times and circumstances and periods of life he's had an impact on them, a changing impact. In that sense, being a Dylan fan is a bit like being in a long relationship - it keeps changing for better or worse, but the core thing that keeps it alive and going is always there.
Dylan seems to be someone who is mostly either liked or hated. His musical styles and enigmatic personality make that inevitable, I guess. There are, however, a whole lot of people who are just indifferent, at least in Germany. They are the ones who like music that can be played in discos and clubs. I think both Dylan fans and haters have one thing in common: They care a lot about music. This may set them apart from fans of many other musicians, I don't know.
The main differance is the differance. dylan is a teacher as wll as a singer/songwriter/song & dance man.following dylan gets me serching for other music/artists that have influnced him or have been influnced by him.
I believe that being a Dylan fan is just great. All Dylan fans want to "share" with each other, they are so, so generous and so happy to share their knowledge and live stuff with each other, it's like one big happy family.
It's great being a Dylan fan because there is so much material to appreciate, he is ever changing, always interesting and an artistic giant.
Listening to music is like peering over a highway overpass at the traffic streaking by. I feel like being a Dylan fan is like walking down to the street and hopping into a car. The journey becomes as long, good, and satisfying as you are willing to take it.
I don't know but I think it requires a higher intelligence to appreciate what Bob Dylan does. But I am happy that Dylan fans seem to be very many different things.
different for each person
In my opinion, you have a much larger body of work and cultural influence to draw from than any other artist. I try to separate myself from Dylan fanatics and don't really force his music on other people or argue about his place in history, so I keep it pretty much to myself. But approach me and ask me about Bob or his music, well, then you will probably get more than you bargained for. I don't believe that Dylan fans are any more special than any other fan, but I do feel that usually they are more musically well rounded and listen to a greater variety of music than people that follow other artists. Probably because Bob has evolved and exposed us to more genres than other artists. In the liner notes to A Vision Shared, the Folkways Woody Guthrie/Leadbelly tribute record, Bob described how Woody Guthrie was like a link in a chain to other artists and genres for him. Well Bob is the same for me (and I'm sure many others)and because of him I listen to influences like Lonnie Johnson, Woody Guthrie, Memphis Jug Band, Mississippi John Hurt, Tampa Red, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller. Compadres like Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez and The Band and contemporaries like Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, John Prine. So in my mind it's not just being a Dylan Fan, but Bob is a touchstone to so many other artists. Mike
Like joan Baez said in the Martin Scorsese film. If he affects you it goes deep, to some they can take it or leave it. I just really enjoy the whole thing.
Maybe Dylan fans are more interested in the poetry and sound of his music
Well, what a question someways no diff, yet some, well there's dickheads everwhere and same goes for bosom buddies and saints
Dylan fans are different in the way they act to other music fans. For hardcore Dylan fans, everyone that does not understand the greatness of Bob are "idiots" I always says: Those who do not understand Dylan, or rather those who do not understand that they should try to understand him, they understand nothing. They miss an integral part of life. They live in the dark.
Long-term artists are rare in the popular arts, and the fans who stick with them through the life journey are rarer still.
While Bob may not attract the most fans of any artist, I would certainly say that he attracts a pretty devoted following. Falling in and chatting with another Dylan obsessive is something quite beautiful, and you can chat for hours over one particular line, which is something you may not be able to do as much with other musicians. I think the reason he attracts such a following is his enigmatic nature - he never lets you in, lets you know what he's feeling and, most importantly, never explicitly tells you what he's written a song about. Only once have I ever seen Bob Dylan speak sincerely, and that was upon accepting an Oscar in 2001 for 'Things Have Changed'. This, rather than distracting from his ephemeral nature, just heightened it...
The range of music across various genres and throughout the decades - timeless music
Probbaly noty so different, tho I have made many friends this way. I currently co-run The Cambridge Bob Dylan Society
Despite being one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time, his fans seem to have to come to his defense against his detractors.
It is a more personal connection with his audience. I think Bob fans are more accepting of other types of music. Bob also understands the depth and breadth of american music like no other. His musical influences are so interesting. We got to sample that through his Sirius radio show.
Absolutely nothing special... Except to find an artist who reflects so well my idea of creativity and awareness.
What other artist has such a wide range of followers that include superstars, politicians, royalty,gypsies, tramps, thieves, scientists, academics, the young and old, the afflicted and infirm, the sane and the mad, the rich and the poor, vagabonds and slaves, oh and me. Different no just individual and interestin whatever earthly body they may possess.
Since the internet I met other Dylan fans (before that I thought I was the only one). I made friends. And lost one a few month ago. Realizing that his music and words are so etharnal. I cried half of the concert over my lost and the fact that my friend will miss all this. My friend was defenitely hard-core and had there was to collect. He had trouble sometimes with fans. Me too, you know sending something for free and the person selling it on the internet. Not the real fan I think. I think it is terrible if you are in the frontlinies on a concert. People pushing, they want to be close to Dylan. I don't like that about other fans. There are a lot of nice people too. Just like in the real world. A lot collectors and a lot of men. Funny after filming a concert a became 'one of the guys', in no time the collectors found my mailbox (that was the time that quality depended on how far you were from the source). I can go on for hours. Have to sleep now. Succes!!
they just don't get it, and we do
Dylan fans, in my experience, are: thoughtful, liberal, considerate, well-read, educated, smart and interesting. They are generally more open-minded than the average person.
All phases of one's life can be enriched by honest songs that speak to the heart. The 100+ concerts have added a social enrichment and immediate dynamic that I treasure.
perseverance
Knowing that i am among those that get it and so many people don't.
dylan fans seem to be everywhere, from every walk of life, no body can be defined to the label of dylan fan unless they are anything short of a human, i know many a music fan who loves dylan, and none of them are the same. so maybe this is a feature of supporting dylan / individuality, of the mind, of the alternative. it seems that those obsessed with beiber, gaga, queen or the beatles dont have the same level of individuality that runs in the veins of the dylan audience
Connections, possibilty for dialogue with others. No, his fans are not all that different. The few I've met who are 'really' or as much 'into him' as I am...maybe that's different. But I'm not all that sure of it. I'm more wide ranging in my musical interests and pursuits than many I've met. It makes a difference if they have a literary bent. The literary bent Dylan fans, who also deeply know music(s) are an interesting set to talk to.
Yes there is a difference amongst many of them, but the camaraderie that we have experienced, say at concert shows, may be a camaraderie that exists between fans of other artists. I guess it is to do with shared interests, and also for those who go back a long way with Bob, many may have espoused (and still do espouse) the protest/peace/anti-war movements that were so strong at the time of his emergence on to the music scene. It is also enthralling to see which way he will go next - as at shows where there is never any 100% certainty what he will play, nor quite how he and the band will play it. And finally, it is great to dream that (1) one day I will meet him, be completely stuck for words and gasping for breath, but be so grateful for all the joy he has given me, and (2) that one day he will play a secret little acoustic gig in the pub just down the road from where I live, and I'll have ticket! Hey, and thanks for giving us the chance to fill this in!
Yes! There is a certain arrogance about being a dylan fan. You feel his work will last as long as the English literature greats as you can see and hear now. A kind of mutual immortality I guess.
Because you appreciate all the comments made in the box above, a Dylan fan will feel part of a select group. Which sometimes requires effort and work to maintain being a part of such a group. Yes, because of the above and the appreciative, understanding nature of Dylan fans, different and special.
I think being a serious (as opposed to casual) fan of Bob exposes you to the awareness of American creativity heard from the old blues artists, songwriters of the 20'-50's. Bob's work seems to touch base with musical history even as he (re)creates in real-time in a new way. Bob's music is a synthesis of old and new.
we can look at the hard stuff easier; yet it's presented in such a way that it's not sentimentally sad. some of his very nice songs are awful for me to listen to when they are sung too prettily.we need his voice for the contrast.
So many facets, so many faces. He has never been afraid to fall on his ass. He is a creator and will never just sit back and be satisfied with his accomplishments.
I am not a "fan." I am an admirer of his work. He deserves the Nobel Prize. His influence on the English language rivals Shakespeare's.
I think some fans become obsessed with Dylan. For some reason, he draws these types of people, who may have obsessive/compulsive personalities. There are other media personalities who also appeal to these types of people. So I don't think Dylan is unique in this regard.
Being a Dylan-fan means I'm instantly part of a community-- this becomes especially obvious at all of the concerts I've been at. But also I'm amazed at the diversity of people I've met or heard or read who are Dylan-heads like me. Being a Dylan-fan has cemented a number of my friendships for the long term!
I think there are many different types of fans. Many like the 60s Dylan, but I like all the different types of songs he's created and admire his creativity and diligence, using his God-given abilities and sensitivities to create unique art, both lyrics (which I love)and music. I only wish he would care for his vocal cords so he can continue longer and we can still understand his lyrics in the audience.
I have been to 56 Dylan concerts and have met some great people.
Our breadth of knowledge and insight...
Hardcore types have a nicely quirky American take on art and Beatniks. Getting to enjoy charismatic writers like Christopher Ricks and Greil Marcus as they get their jaws into him. The likelihood of lost gems - bootlegger's delight as the odd fleck of gold continues to be discovered
i found they are genuine people.Fair.Some of them are a little intense but it's better to feel love ,root and hold into something than take it for granted ,patronize and expect something at all times . i think they are sexy ,sexy people
Fans fall into different categories. Baez put it well when she said some people aren't interested, but if you are...he goes way, way deep. There are some who like different Dylans and hate his Christian work (which I love), but I need more time to stratify and quantify this properly.
I don ́t think so. You choose something that keeps you going. That might be a saint or a singer or a football team no
difference to me.
Some people are telling that Bob Dylan can ́t sing (anymore) and doesn ́t play the keyboards and harmonica well. You
always have to defend his way.
having a interest in bob dylan is a spring board for having an interest in everything else. a starting point. and a also a place to return if you get lost.
Dylan himself is very different from other songwriters, but I don't know if his fans are different from any other group. There does seem to be a lot of diversity with Dylan fans, though. Some only like his early folk albums (Maybe Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong as well) and some only listen to Bringing it All Back Home-Blonde on Blonde, while others listen to his Gospel albums. That's to be expected with someone who's tried so many different types of music over so many years.
Dylan enters your ears and lives in your heart and brain. Why I do not know why and I can not explain why but he taught me more in a six minute record than I ever learned in school.
Dylan fans get the big idea. Bob is not a singer-songwriter. He's a phenomenon like Mark Twain, like Walt Whitman, like Emily Dickinson.
Oh they have to have a lot of patience and hope to catch a very special Dylan concert other than a-going-through-the- motions-concert which he is famous for where many other followers of other 'stars' would have given up a long time ago and certainly would never have accepted Dylan's almost total indifference to his fans, particularly on stage and irrespective on whether or not Dylan can see without his glasses there's no reason not to say a small 'Thank you' now & then to those who help maintain his many homes around the world and who keep him in the style to which he is accustomed!
we seem to appreciate his talents, contributions and philosophy more than the average general music listener. i don't feel he will be fully appreciated, sadly, until years after his death.
I don't know what other music fans are like really. Dylanfreaks seem to me to be the only ones who have a sense of humour. Tell a Beatles fan that they were rubbish live and they'll cut your head off. Tell a Dylan fan and they'll reminisce about the worst Dylan shows they've been it. Mine, for reference, was Hammersmith 12/2/1991- he was appalingly drunk.
I think Dylan fans are deep thinking as well as people that love and appreciate music. There's always common ground and conversation is easy when meeting other Dylan fans. I've made some very strong friendships that started with being a Dylan fan as what we have in common.
I have been to 63 of Bob's concerts now and have met many great people along the way. I have gained to travel partners and constantly find myself looking for familiar faces in the crowd. They are great people and I have no doubt many of us will stay in contact after Bob's touring days are over.
As a Dylan fan one has to accept (at least since about 1980) that the voice is shot, particularly in live performance. A Dylan fan has to accept that a live show often is not great...or even good. Dylan is uneven and sometimes disinterested as a live performer these days. Regardless, on record, he is still an incredible songwriter and lyricist...maintaining a quality that is unique among his peers. Sure, he has written some clunkers, but often his outtakes and throwaways are better than virtually anyone else is releasing today. So, yes, I think Dylan fans are rather special...there are not that many of us (compared to other old acts like The Stones or Springsteen for instance)...we tend to be rather rabid about Dylan, and we are happy to enjoy Dylan's art even though the voice and live performance often are difficult to enjoy.
I find in the most part Dylan fans to be the people I would be drawn to most naturally in life. Not just for the Dylan connection but for the same qualities that they seem to share which is perhaps what makes them Bobcats. I'm proud of my interest in Bob. Unlike other artists who I have the upmost respect and love for also, they tend to be a phase for me or something I need to feel the urge or mood for. There is always the mood for Bob. He's a constant. He's engrained in me. His everything is fascinating and compelling and always will be. It's life long.
i don't think dylan fans are different or better than fans of other artists. i believe that dylan fans tend to be more philosophical and socially attentive than fans of other artists and that, as a group or community, tend to look for deeper meaning in the lyrics.
Dylan fans are different from others mainly because Dylan is unique. I cannot think of anybody who is deeper and accessible as Dylan. His references demand for an audience who is at least willing to know more about what he is talking. that is waht makes Dylan's Fans different from others.
Dylan is an acquired taste -- so Dylan fans have this bond of having overcome a certain amount of mild ridicule. That makes us tend to be a little "exclusive" -- but it creates incredible bonds.
The last time we went to Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI we saw people of all ages dancing to lyrics that they could not understand, but somehow the meaning was portrayed through the music. His poetical lyrics and the way he projects his art is what reaches the fans. When he is on, his delivery is superb. Good luck with your paper. Email me back any time.
There is some dedication somehow you would defend Dylan whereas with other musicians you dont really care if people criticise them. I can't explain it and I dont know why. He's made so much music it alone can constitute a hobby.
We don't want to hear the songs the same way they were on the albums.
See Above . . .
good when a writer/singer 'reaches you'; not sure i'm any different from fans, say, of Radiohead...
I'll send you an extra mail!
I don't know very well other music fans.
I don't pay much attention to other music fans. Real Dylan fans have a cosmic connection and no words are needed to explain the bond.
the atmosphere at dylan concerts is very peaceful and joyful and there is no barrier between young and older fans, very communicative
A fan is a fan is a fan, however the sheer longevity of Bob's career is exceptional. But no, and I agree with Elizabeth Taylor, the only thing wrong with Bob Dylan is his fans. In our group we try not to be sycophants, and to be respectful!
I generally find Dylan fans to be more discerning and knowledgeable about the traditions of music and the history. They tend to have varied tastes and interests beyond one genre of music, and value the qualities of spontaneity and transformation. There is an interest to explore the influences that affected Dylan and that opens up a whole range of experiences - musical, literary and artistic. Because of the content and character of Dylan's music and creativity, people drawn to his music seem to be more interested in 'deeper' ideas and active participation in the listening process - they are drawn to music with longevity rather than shallow, transient 'passive' pop/rock music. I like the feeling of community with some of the Dylan fans - it is a little like a family with all the associated ups and downs! Sadly, there are some fans who are delusional, ignorant and aggressive - but we meet them in every walk of life, no matter who the artist in question is.
I think that most Bob Dylan fans come from a good background, have studied and are intellectuals. I know big fans who are doctors, lawyers, writers, philosophers etc.
I love that I'm of the same generation, only seven years younger than him. I was hanging out in Greenwich Village in the late 1960s. He was there in the early 1960s. I was a recording engineer at WBAI-fm, the listener-sponsored non-commercial radio station where all the Village musicians and poets came to be on the air. I was part of the same scene. That makes his music even more special to me. We were part of the same group of people back in the day, so it's like listening to the music of a friend.
Dylan fans may be different in all ways...whatever road they have been down and whatever path they are takin in life, and what they take and learn from Bob Dylan , is all so different..but we all seem to share somethin' about him. Fans just 'keep on, keepin' on like a bird that flew, tangled up in blue".
I believe that being a Dylan fan is something really special, it can be frustrating a solitary but now I am fortunate to have many 'Dylan Friends' on line, who feel the same way about this man and his work. I often say, you either Get Dylan or you don't and if you do your life will be richer for it.
I love the camaraderie with other Dylan fans who I hardly know. Dylan fans will always have more fun than other fans trying to remember all the lyrics and debating what they mean, but apart from that I don't suppose we're any different and certainly not more special.
affection for poetry, words, reading between lines, the love of not-understanding, mystery, searching, trying, the on-the-road value, and the friendship. The description above could go for deadheads as well. I got thousands of vinyls, cds, tapes, and I just love anything musical, but Dylan (and The Dead) is a totally other ballgame.
dylan fans are bobcats that look out for each other and have a great camaraderie in bob
True hardcore fans are sort of "totalitarian". Not that they don ́t appreciate anyone else, but this passion seems so be quite overwhelming. You don ́t just listen to Bob or collect some bootlegs, you "study" about him, you get involved in heated discussions, you sometimes ground a new religion! We "girls" also find him very attractive, even though he is not the perfect handsome a lá ...who knows, Goeroge Clooney, Paul Newman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charles Shaughnessy? He is not even the role model for an husband and father..but nevertheless...we fancy him!
Special: you have to explain yourself so often to ignorant people.
Dylan fans are the "sand and Glue!" a breed apart !
bd60
I'm not sure Dylan fans are 'different or special' than fans of other music, but it is a good way to meet some very interesting people. It does seem many fans tend to be thinkers (as opposed to fans of say 'New Country' or 'X Factor' type of music... However, since the Internet has come along, it is disappointing to see how many people get too obsessed with Bob Dylan, and a small core of fans are obnoxious, aggressive and delusional. Of course, that probably applies to some fans of all music or musicians.
I don't think so ....
There are all kinds of Dylan fans. I've met the silliest groupie and the most distinguished intellectual. You cannot categorize Dylan fans like you cannot categorize Dylan.
Dylan's fans are family.
Dylan seems to have been the false god of folk rock, according to Reader’s Digest in 1970. Now he is old but still strong and vital singer and songwriter and poet who keeps on travelling throughout the world since 1960, more than five decades. ”Never Ending Tour” since 1988. He is the only one among rock stars who can win the Nobel Price for Literature some day! Elvis, Beatles, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, Cohen, Jackson and Madonna cannot.
I don't know if Dylan fans are different from other fans, but I suspect that we are all very much bitten with Bob's unique and particlar bug! We feel and hear the songs in similar ways, I think. When you are with a fellow Dylan fan, communication flows. We understand each other.
Dylan fans dont allways walk the easy way. I think that most of the Dylan fans are people who allways "think twice" about the most important things in life.
I feel being a Dylan fan IS really Great,Different and Special, first because I do think Bob is a Great,Different and Special artist, and also because being a Dylan fan makes you feel sensitive as well as sensible and profound in a level of communication with his songs and music that doesn't and can't exist with other artists Besides and consequently as Joan Baez once said "Not everyone gets Bob Dylan ...But, for those who do, he goes way deep." ~ so paradoxically there are thousands of fans but lots and lots of non fans too ! and this makes it a special thing !we feel like a chosen kind of people .
They like to talk about how they found Dylan, and what Dylan's music means to them. But that isn't true about all fans I've met...
We Get It All
i loved dylan in 1964 and i love him in 2011...i never went through a stage where...he used to be good but now hew washed out bob is like wine the older he gets the better..his music changes like his moods changes hes not static hes not a record..hes alive...theres nothing like grateful dead concert and this applies to bob theres nothing like a bob dylan concert .he wont bore you hell always find a way to surprise you but he can be subtle...so u got to be alert and aware at all times to see how different he can be from every concert
Um.. It's certainly unique! Being a young un into Dylan was odd.. You tend to be ridiculed through primary and high school then everyone starts to venerate him when you hit college-ish age. I remember having boyfriends who would finally 'get' the music and then start imitating and SLAUGHTERING songs that were very sacred to me when I hit 20ish which was annoying! There is a huge sense of the 'sacred' in genuine Dylan fans. I do notice a big divide between the people who 'just like' his sixties stuff and the 'other' fans. It seems to me that the people into just the sixties period tend to be more cognition driven peeps and the people into the latter parts of his career more spiritual. But.. of course there's all sorts..
Yes, we are different. We are dedicated to his music and many abilities. We are deep thinkers. We have a different slant on life. We learn from his words. Fans of other musicians come & go, but Dylan Fans stay with him. He has becaome a big part of at least 4 generations. Not many others can say that. He is loyal to his fans in return. We all watch our parking meters.
I've been in contact with many generous Bobheads who share or exchange recordings of concerts.
we take abuse but not as much as bob did. we are all stronger for it though.
Seeing him live over the past ten or so years has been a great adventure. The avid Dylan fan no longer looks for a consistently excellent concert but, rather, soaring moments within the overall set; one or two of those is enough to hang your hat on for a week.
I think being a Dylan fan gives you special insight into the history and American music, a more profound sense of justice and a spirirtual path you can walk. Also if you are interested in poetry or songwriting as an art there is no better artist you can be interested in to learn about these things.
Bobs fans are no different to other artists fans, my favourite atists have always been Bob and The Beatles and I feel I have grown up with their music always being the soundtrack of my life
They have a lot to put up with, but he can repay in spadeloads. The world will be a lesser place without him to share it.
I think Dylan Fans are special, but I cant explain why. Its interesting to hear their stories and their thoughts about Bob.
My experience is don't stereotype Bob fans - we come in all ages and from all backgrounds. Very few music fans can have endless debates about changing lyrics say on Tangled Up in Blue or whether the Blood on the Tracks version of Shelter from the Storm is better than during Rolling Thunder. How many great versions of Hard rain can you compare - original / Nara / Zaragosa. The discussions about favourite periods, best live band.
No, they are no different. But surely many of them think they are. What is great? His concerts especially from 2000s, there so big variatey of arrangements, melody changes, moods, reconceptions that can keep you amused for long time, and there are still so many stuff to discover. I like this approach serious, truly whole hearted artist, very conscious of his art and performence. He sounds like a guy who is doing it not because it sells good but because feel has urge to do it.
Being a BD fan makes me wonder why people dont like him. I have been in the situation where I have been ridiculed and mocked for liking him but it simply does not matter to me. I dont know about other people to me this is a very personal thing if they like him fine I am interested if not thats fine too - we all have choices. I dont go to many other concerts etc so I am not able to compare. I just feel so lucky to get the opportunity of being in the same room and listening to the show.
Dylan is a great artist. Many does not like him at all or like his later works. I don't mind that. I think everyone has the right to hate/love certain musicians. I don't think Dylan is way better than other great musicians like Louise Armstrong or Neil Young. I just like Dylan more than others. Maybe someone else prefers Armstrong, not Dylan and I respect that. Thanks
We have an active Dylan group in Newcastle meeting once a month since 1986. I couldn't imagine any other songwriter being able to inspire and sustain such a phenomenon.
Sometimes it is difficult to convince other people but if you succeed they get addicted to Bob
Literate music, with complex imagery is not popular or profitable anymore, Dylan and his lyrics allow me to show others that graet music can be great writing too. Plus it's great to have Dylan aphorisms for every occasion!!
As a broad generalisation I often find Dylan fans to be somewhat sumg and superior - from those that believe it gives them some sort of intellectual edge to the anoraks who can quote complete dates/set lists and other minutia. Probably the thing that makes them different from other music fans is how obsessional they can be. On the positive side one of the happy aspects of being a Dylan fan is that you don't have to wait 5 years for the next tour and there is always a useful quote to fall back on in any life situation. I'd see him in anything!
I don't think i'm very different. I would like sometimes that poeple look at Dylan the way I do.
His longevity, creativity, diversity, long web of influences and influencees
The only difference is that we are fans of the best there is.
Being a Dylan fan requires a great deal more fortitude. So many people don't get him or his music and they enjoy ridiculing those of us who do. The derision and misunderstanding comes from all quarters. Dylan himself also challenges his fans like no other artist. He does not cater to expectation and is not afraid of angering his fans or others, but this is one of the things I respect about him.
I don't know many other Dylan fans.
Since I do not know many fans from other artists, I cannot tell the differences. But the Dylanologists I met all around the world in front of the venues have become dear friends of mine. Connected via world-wide-web, we meet in places like "Expecting Rain", "The Neverending Pool", "Bob Links", "Facebook" and of course "Bob Dylan.com" Meeting means always discussions, sharing emotions and much more!
Most other artists continue to do the same thing repeatedly. Bob changes things up and rearranges his music at his will. The people that this appeals to are usually pretty smart and interesting.
I'm not sure being a Dylan fan is any different than being a fan of any other band, but it's always inspiring and exciting to find someone who you can relate to in all things "Bob". You know, the people that understand what you mean when you start talking about "Eat the Document" or "The Genuine Basement Tapes" or the only live performance of "Abandoned Love". I'm sure most artists have moments or songs that their fans cherish and can discuss in a similar vein to the above mentioned Dylan things, but I suppose that Dylan just has MORE of those kinds of things based on his longevity and his tendency to record more songs than he releases (I only mentioned three, but I could go on and on with similar obscurities that nearly every Dylan fan is familiar with).
playful word freaks
I don't know. It's nice to talk to Dylan fans. Sort of outsiders because mainstream people don't like his voice. Interesting how much is going on on different levels. Dylan's Birthday parties every May, University lectures, concerts bands and musicians play Dylan covers. He has something for everybody. Nice Christmas album, great book he wrote, like the paintings, like his albums - he keeps you busy all year long since decates :)
Every Dylan fan is different. My Bob is not your Bob.
That we have Dylan :-) I don't know that we're any more or less special than any other group of fans that get together at concerts and festivals and online to celebrate music and share friendship.
It's been great listening a some very well written songs.
Dylan fans were the first group of people who shared a common like that brought entirely differing individuals together collectively. Also the concert going experience found lots of resonance in the shared thoughts of nick hornby's football fan.
I don't know if there is any difference in being a Dylan fan as opposed to being a fan of others. I love Elvis Presley, U2, Prince, Tupac Shakur, Grateful Dead, Genesis, and none of these seems to take away from the others. Dylan seems more mysterious and confident than a lot of musicians, and that is probably an attractive trait. That and his decided influence on other musicians expains my interest in him and his music.
When I first started listening to Bob he was not touring. Later - late 70's I saw him in Denver with a band and backup singers and was disappointed. A couple of years later I saw him in Albuquerque during his Jesus phase and was again disappointed. Then the neverending tour started and I saw him lots - sometimes multiple times in a year and have continued to do so. Sometimes the shows are great, sometimes they are terrible and most are somewhere in between - but it doesn't matter - I am in the presence of The Bob and that is enough. When he was around 10 my son started to go with me. He is now 16 and it is one of my great pleasures in life to see how into Dylan he is. He finds obscur vidios on U-Tube and shows them to me and "discovers" songs thet he wants to talk about. His i-pod is stuffed with Dylan and the Band. The torch has been passed to a new generation.
The differnce is probably that Dylan is his own man, rarely being influenced by current music and fashions(he probably did attempt to follow fashion in the eighties with poor results).
Bob Dylan, through all his different phases, as so much to offer; much more than any other musician I know of. And he writes so well. I think Dylan fans tend to be a fairly literate bunch, so having the connection of being a Dylan offers up a wealth of possibilities in coversation. For myself, Dylan has also introduced me a wealth of other musicians, such as Willie McTell, John Hurt, Charley Patton, Roosevelt Sykes, and a host of others. He is tapped into the psyche of the music of Americana and relays that to his fans. Being a Bob Dylan fan opens up a world of music, literature, and culture!
To be frank, some Dylan fans are a bit crazy. I observe this from attending dozens of shows. Many still see him for something he isn't: a prince of protest ("he didn't say anthing about the war!") or a Mick Jagger-type heartthrob/rocker. But on the other hand, there is no one way to describe Dylan fans - just like there is no way to describe Bob himself. You have your die-hards, then your fans by way of Dead and other "hippy" related scenes, young kids, aging boomers, straight up aging rock concert groupie types. But, the fan experience, how they relate to a concert for example, reminds me of a religious congregation. Not that they worship Bob as an idol or deity - though some surely do - but that they experience the music in the same way, for example, that an Orthodox Jewish congregation might participate or listen to prayers. As an observant Jew, this analogy rings true for me. The community gathers weekly, or on other occasions, to attend to rituals most of them - but not all - are familiar with. They are lead by an individual (sometimes a trained cantor/vocalist, but often not) and the focus - to the devoted - is not on the performance of the leader himself, but instead on the canon and liturgy that he is reciting. To that end, from personal experience, the most moving of such rituals often occur when the leader is a very old person, upwards of 80, speaking/singing/chanting with an accent from Eastern Europe, an accent so strong that you cannot understand some of the words, but you don't complain to your neighbor "I don't know what he's saying" because you know the words already and/or the act of delivery carries over the meaning more than the actual words can. Further, you can hear from this man's voice and accent an authenticity that you don't hear anymore, it might mean that he has sang these same tune during times of oppression by the Nazis or Stalin, or while living in times of disease and poverty (like an aging but authentic blues singer - another analogy that may apply to a side of Bob). So in this regard you are thankful to be able to hear a voice such as this, gracing such timeless material that means so much to the devoted listeners. To me this is part of the Dylan fan experience, though I am sure most others wouldn't use, or be familiar with, this analogy.
We listen to his music to become enlightened and inspired. Not to bend a girl over in a club and simulated humping. Crude, vulgar. Bob is steak and lobster. Most music today is disposable and pablum.
Dylan fans are great because we cover the whole spectrum from tree hugging peaceniks to the far Christian right. I think you'll find from your survey that Bob's fans range in age from young teens to pensioners.
We can all agree on Bob's greatness but the lyrics are channelled through our own personal experiences to give different meanings all of which are valid.
He has constantly made interesting records, concerts and lot of other stuff as long as I have been a fan and 10 years before that as well. There is a lot of interesting people among his fans, many who has become good friends of mine.
dont have to tell you there are Dylan fans & then there are Dylan fans, the few other Dylan fans i associate with happen to be friends first & Dylan fans later, Dylan is more of a touchstone than a topic of discussion, like our crumbling university degrees or the Sunday schools we went to when we were six.
We're all a bit obsessive - but when your dealing with the Shakespeare of your era, maybe it's no0t surprising!
Dylan fans seem much more interested in the words to songs than in the musical vehicle they are expressed in.
I think that being a Dylan fan is great because there is always so much more there to find. Be it live bootleg recordings, outtakes, photographs, books, cover verisons of his songs - there is always more to delve into. What I love is being able to discuss his myriad of influences with other Dylan fans who have had their worlds expanded by getting into Bob. Of course he's turned a lot of us onto artists in the genres of blues, country and gospel that we wouldn't have otherwise known but music is really just the start of it! I first became interested in Rimbaud because of Tangled Up in Blue. The first time I really delved into Picasso was because Dylan said that he was his favorite painter at some point. La Dolce Vita? I watched that because of Motorpsycho Nightmare in my mid-teens. It goes on an on. I think that Dylan fans are special - not because of who we are - but because of the dimensions of opportunity that have been opened up to us by this guy, this Bob Dylan.
Dylan sometimes "Bombs" but so do I. If he always sounded exactly like you anticipated he wouldn't be Dylan. People complain that they can't hear what he says. I had a pretty bad speech defect as a kid, so I can relate to people not being able to understand you.
A particular type of music over different periods of time.
From assisting with the first Dylan Convention in the Uk - Dylan Revisited '79 in the Portland Hotel;Manchester (where I worked as "Banqueting & Conference Manager) I can honestly say I have not come across a single "dull/boring nor untrustworthy character!!! On the whole I would say we are very generous character type and have constantly been over whelmed by folks generosity AND I in turn offload copies of all Bob-related music to any interested parties.
i only have 3 other people in my life who love bob. most people i know including my family don't care for his music.
Not being such a hard core Dylan fan as some, I can only say that there's nothing really special about being a Dylan fan and if there was, there would be an inherent contradiction.
I think that Dylan fans have a vast body of work that appeals to us. Since Bob Dylan cultivates an attitude of mystique we can believe that Bob is somehow speaking directly to us and has a relationship with us. We can pick a small aspect of his art or something he said and personally think that he is like us. Stoners (Rainy Day Women) and Fundamentalist Christians (Gotta Serve Somebody)and everyone in between can convince themselves that Bob belongs to them. This is reflected by the vast number of Dylan books that are published, most of them in some way attempting to interpret what Bob is saying in his songs.
There are many ways to be a Dylan fan as there are to be anything else. The only different thing about Dylan fans is that most of the others i've talked to are more willing to listen for themselves and attempt to hear and understand from their own point of view vs. picking up their opinions from the opinion-shops being operated by various advertising media (including all media supported by advertising). i've found it especially interesting to hear dylan fans of other ages (most younger than me, obviously) talk about how they made their own personal discovery - what age, what song or CD hit them especially. You might ask dylan fans what their 'gateway' or song or album was.
They are obviously much more intelligent than other music fans:) Being a hardcore Dylan fan is yes it's a cliché i know a
way of living, a way of thinking, it made me travel, not only physically but also mentally.
He music and words are a part of my life
I honestly don't really think think Dylan's work is any more special than most other popular artists. I know his work touched me specially, but I can dig fanatics of other artists just the same. Dylan fans are another matter. They're freaks!
I don like the word "fan". So its clear its special great to be it for dylan because it is such a serious thing!
I don't really know, exactly. I think that Dylan fans tend to be fans of the music, but also are very engaged in the lyrics, and so Dylan fans often discuss lyrics at length. Plus, he's been playing live for so long and constantly changing, there's always something new to that, whereas The Stones or McCartney pretty much come out to play the hits the way they sounded on the record. I think for many of Dylan's older fans, it's been a lifelong journey with him, and in many different times and circumstances and periods of life he's had an impact on them, a changing impact. In that sense, being a Dylan fan is a bit like being in a long relationship - it keeps changing for better or worse, but the core thing that keeps it alive and going is always there.
Dylan seems to be someone who is mostly either liked or hated. His musical styles and enigmatic personality make that inevitable, I guess. There are, however, a whole lot of people who are just indifferent, at least in Germany. They are the ones who like music that can be played in discos and clubs. I think both Dylan fans and haters have one thing in common: They care a lot about music. This may set them apart from fans of many other musicians, I don't know.
The main differance is the differance. dylan is a teacher as wll as a singer/songwriter/song & dance man.following dylan gets me serching for other music/artists that have influnced him or have been influnced by him.
I believe that being a Dylan fan is just great. All Dylan fans want to "share" with each other, they are so, so generous and so happy to share their knowledge and live stuff with each other, it's like one big happy family.
It's great being a Dylan fan because there is so much material to appreciate, he is ever changing, always interesting and an artistic giant.
Listening to music is like peering over a highway overpass at the traffic streaking by. I feel like being a Dylan fan is like walking down to the street and hopping into a car. The journey becomes as long, good, and satisfying as you are willing to take it.
I don't know but I think it requires a higher intelligence to appreciate what Bob Dylan does. But I am happy that Dylan fans seem to be very many different things.
different for each person
In my opinion, you have a much larger body of work and cultural influence to draw from than any other artist. I try to separate myself from Dylan fanatics and don't really force his music on other people or argue about his place in history, so I keep it pretty much to myself. But approach me and ask me about Bob or his music, well, then you will probably get more than you bargained for. I don't believe that Dylan fans are any more special than any other fan, but I do feel that usually they are more musically well rounded and listen to a greater variety of music than people that follow other artists. Probably because Bob has evolved and exposed us to more genres than other artists. In the liner notes to A Vision Shared, the Folkways Woody Guthrie/Leadbelly tribute record, Bob described how Woody Guthrie was like a link in a chain to other artists and genres for him. Well Bob is the same for me (and I'm sure many others)and because of him I listen to influences like Lonnie Johnson, Woody Guthrie, Memphis Jug Band, Mississippi John Hurt, Tampa Red, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller. Compadres like Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez and The Band and contemporaries like Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, John Prine. So in my mind it's not just being a Dylan Fan, but Bob is a touchstone to so many other artists. Mike
Like joan Baez said in the Martin Scorsese film. If he affects you it goes deep, to some they can take it or leave it. I just really enjoy the whole thing.
Maybe Dylan fans are more interested in the poetry and sound of his music
Well, what a question someways no diff, yet some, well there's dickheads everwhere and same goes for bosom buddies and saints
Dylan fans are different in the way they act to other music fans. For hardcore Dylan fans, everyone that does not understand the greatness of Bob are "idiots" I always says: Those who do not understand Dylan, or rather those who do not understand that they should try to understand him, they understand nothing. They miss an integral part of life. They live in the dark.
Long-term artists are rare in the popular arts, and the fans who stick with them through the life journey are rarer still.
While Bob may not attract the most fans of any artist, I would certainly say that he attracts a pretty devoted following. Falling in and chatting with another Dylan obsessive is something quite beautiful, and you can chat for hours over one particular line, which is something you may not be able to do as much with other musicians. I think the reason he attracts such a following is his enigmatic nature - he never lets you in, lets you know what he's feeling and, most importantly, never explicitly tells you what he's written a song about. Only once have I ever seen Bob Dylan speak sincerely, and that was upon accepting an Oscar in 2001 for 'Things Have Changed'. This, rather than distracting from his ephemeral nature, just heightened it...
The range of music across various genres and throughout the decades - timeless music
Probbaly noty so different, tho I have made many friends this way. I currently co-run The Cambridge Bob Dylan Society
Despite being one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time, his fans seem to have to come to his defense against his detractors.
It is a more personal connection with his audience. I think Bob fans are more accepting of other types of music. Bob also understands the depth and breadth of american music like no other. His musical influences are so interesting. We got to sample that through his Sirius radio show.
Absolutely nothing special... Except to find an artist who reflects so well my idea of creativity and awareness.
What other artist has such a wide range of followers that include superstars, politicians, royalty,gypsies, tramps, thieves, scientists, academics, the young and old, the afflicted and infirm, the sane and the mad, the rich and the poor, vagabonds and slaves, oh and me. Different no just individual and interestin whatever earthly body they may possess.
Since the internet I met other Dylan fans (before that I thought I was the only one). I made friends. And lost one a few month ago. Realizing that his music and words are so etharnal. I cried half of the concert over my lost and the fact that my friend will miss all this. My friend was defenitely hard-core and had there was to collect. He had trouble sometimes with fans. Me too, you know sending something for free and the person selling it on the internet. Not the real fan I think. I think it is terrible if you are in the frontlinies on a concert. People pushing, they want to be close to Dylan. I don't like that about other fans. There are a lot of nice people too. Just like in the real world. A lot collectors and a lot of men. Funny after filming a concert a became 'one of the guys', in no time the collectors found my mailbox (that was the time that quality depended on how far you were from the source). I can go on for hours. Have to sleep now. Succes!!
they just don't get it, and we do
Dylan fans, in my experience, are: thoughtful, liberal, considerate, well-read, educated, smart and interesting. They are generally more open-minded than the average person.
All phases of one's life can be enriched by honest songs that speak to the heart. The 100+ concerts have added a social enrichment and immediate dynamic that I treasure.
perseverance
Knowing that i am among those that get it and so many people don't.
dylan fans seem to be everywhere, from every walk of life, no body can be defined to the label of dylan fan unless they are anything short of a human, i know many a music fan who loves dylan, and none of them are the same. so maybe this is a feature of supporting dylan / individuality, of the mind, of the alternative. it seems that those obsessed with beiber, gaga, queen or the beatles dont have the same level of individuality that runs in the veins of the dylan audience
Connections, possibilty for dialogue with others. No, his fans are not all that different. The few I've met who are 'really' or as much 'into him' as I am...maybe that's different. But I'm not all that sure of it. I'm more wide ranging in my musical interests and pursuits than many I've met. It makes a difference if they have a literary bent. The literary bent Dylan fans, who also deeply know music(s) are an interesting set to talk to.
Yes there is a difference amongst many of them, but the camaraderie that we have experienced, say at concert shows, may be a camaraderie that exists between fans of other artists. I guess it is to do with shared interests, and also for those who go back a long way with Bob, many may have espoused (and still do espouse) the protest/peace/anti-war movements that were so strong at the time of his emergence on to the music scene. It is also enthralling to see which way he will go next - as at shows where there is never any 100% certainty what he will play, nor quite how he and the band will play it. And finally, it is great to dream that (1) one day I will meet him, be completely stuck for words and gasping for breath, but be so grateful for all the joy he has given me, and (2) that one day he will play a secret little acoustic gig in the pub just down the road from where I live, and I'll have ticket! Hey, and thanks for giving us the chance to fill this in!
Yes! There is a certain arrogance about being a dylan fan. You feel his work will last as long as the English literature greats as you can see and hear now. A kind of mutual immortality I guess.
Because you appreciate all the comments made in the box above, a Dylan fan will feel part of a select group. Which sometimes requires effort and work to maintain being a part of such a group. Yes, because of the above and the appreciative, understanding nature of Dylan fans, different and special.
I think being a serious (as opposed to casual) fan of Bob exposes you to the awareness of American creativity heard from the old blues artists, songwriters of the 20'-50's. Bob's work seems to touch base with musical history even as he (re)creates in real-time in a new way. Bob's music is a synthesis of old and new.
we can look at the hard stuff easier; yet it's presented in such a way that it's not sentimentally sad. some of his very nice songs are awful for me to listen to when they are sung too prettily.we need his voice for the contrast.
So many facets, so many faces. He has never been afraid to fall on his ass. He is a creator and will never just sit back and be satisfied with his accomplishments.
I am not a "fan." I am an admirer of his work. He deserves the Nobel Prize. His influence on the English language rivals Shakespeare's.
I think some fans become obsessed with Dylan. For some reason, he draws these types of people, who may have obsessive/compulsive personalities. There are other media personalities who also appeal to these types of people. So I don't think Dylan is unique in this regard.
Being a Dylan-fan means I'm instantly part of a community-- this becomes especially obvious at all of the concerts I've been at. But also I'm amazed at the diversity of people I've met or heard or read who are Dylan-heads like me. Being a Dylan-fan has cemented a number of my friendships for the long term!
I think there are many different types of fans. Many like the 60s Dylan, but I like all the different types of songs he's created and admire his creativity and diligence, using his God-given abilities and sensitivities to create unique art, both lyrics (which I love)and music. I only wish he would care for his vocal cords so he can continue longer and we can still understand his lyrics in the audience.
I have been to 56 Dylan concerts and have met some great people.
Our breadth of knowledge and insight...
Hardcore types have a nicely quirky American take on art and Beatniks. Getting to enjoy charismatic writers like Christopher Ricks and Greil Marcus as they get their jaws into him. The likelihood of lost gems - bootlegger's delight as the odd fleck of gold continues to be discovered
i found they are genuine people.Fair.Some of them are a little intense but it's better to feel love ,root and hold into something than take it for granted ,patronize and expect something at all times . i think they are sexy ,sexy people
Fans fall into different categories. Baez put it well when she said some people aren't interested, but if you are...he goes way, way deep. There are some who like different Dylans and hate his Christian work (which I love), but I need more time to stratify and quantify this properly.
I don ́t think so. You choose something that keeps you going. That might be a saint or a singer or a football team no
difference to me.
Some people are telling that Bob Dylan can ́t sing (anymore) and doesn ́t play the keyboards and harmonica well. You
always have to defend his way.
having a interest in bob dylan is a spring board for having an interest in everything else. a starting point. and a also a place to return if you get lost.
Dylan himself is very different from other songwriters, but I don't know if his fans are different from any other group. There does seem to be a lot of diversity with Dylan fans, though. Some only like his early folk albums (Maybe Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong as well) and some only listen to Bringing it All Back Home-Blonde on Blonde, while others listen to his Gospel albums. That's to be expected with someone who's tried so many different types of music over so many years.
Dylan enters your ears and lives in your heart and brain. Why I do not know why and I can not explain why but he taught me more in a six minute record than I ever learned in school.
Dylan fans get the big idea. Bob is not a singer-songwriter. He's a phenomenon like Mark Twain, like Walt Whitman, like Emily Dickinson.
Oh they have to have a lot of patience and hope to catch a very special Dylan concert other than a-going-through-the- motions-concert which he is famous for where many other followers of other 'stars' would have given up a long time ago and certainly would never have accepted Dylan's almost total indifference to his fans, particularly on stage and irrespective on whether or not Dylan can see without his glasses there's no reason not to say a small 'Thank you' now & then to those who help maintain his many homes around the world and who keep him in the style to which he is accustomed!
we seem to appreciate his talents, contributions and philosophy more than the average general music listener. i don't feel he will be fully appreciated, sadly, until years after his death.
I don't know what other music fans are like really. Dylanfreaks seem to me to be the only ones who have a sense of humour. Tell a Beatles fan that they were rubbish live and they'll cut your head off. Tell a Dylan fan and they'll reminisce about the worst Dylan shows they've been it. Mine, for reference, was Hammersmith 12/2/1991- he was appalingly drunk.
I think Dylan fans are deep thinking as well as people that love and appreciate music. There's always common ground and conversation is easy when meeting other Dylan fans. I've made some very strong friendships that started with being a Dylan fan as what we have in common.
I have been to 63 of Bob's concerts now and have met many great people along the way. I have gained to travel partners and constantly find myself looking for familiar faces in the crowd. They are great people and I have no doubt many of us will stay in contact after Bob's touring days are over.
As a Dylan fan one has to accept (at least since about 1980) that the voice is shot, particularly in live performance. A Dylan fan has to accept that a live show often is not great...or even good. Dylan is uneven and sometimes disinterested as a live performer these days. Regardless, on record, he is still an incredible songwriter and lyricist...maintaining a quality that is unique among his peers. Sure, he has written some clunkers, but often his outtakes and throwaways are better than virtually anyone else is releasing today. So, yes, I think Dylan fans are rather special...there are not that many of us (compared to other old acts like The Stones or Springsteen for instance)...we tend to be rather rabid about Dylan, and we are happy to enjoy Dylan's art even though the voice and live performance often are difficult to enjoy.
I find in the most part Dylan fans to be the people I would be drawn to most naturally in life. Not just for the Dylan connection but for the same qualities that they seem to share which is perhaps what makes them Bobcats. I'm proud of my interest in Bob. Unlike other artists who I have the upmost respect and love for also, they tend to be a phase for me or something I need to feel the urge or mood for. There is always the mood for Bob. He's a constant. He's engrained in me. His everything is fascinating and compelling and always will be. It's life long.
i don't think dylan fans are different or better than fans of other artists. i believe that dylan fans tend to be more philosophical and socially attentive than fans of other artists and that, as a group or community, tend to look for deeper meaning in the lyrics.
Dylan fans are different from others mainly because Dylan is unique. I cannot think of anybody who is deeper and accessible as Dylan. His references demand for an audience who is at least willing to know more about what he is talking. that is waht makes Dylan's Fans different from others.
Dylan is an acquired taste -- so Dylan fans have this bond of having overcome a certain amount of mild ridicule. That makes us tend to be a little "exclusive" -- but it creates incredible bonds.
The last time we went to Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI we saw people of all ages dancing to lyrics that they could not understand, but somehow the meaning was portrayed through the music. His poetical lyrics and the way he projects his art is what reaches the fans. When he is on, his delivery is superb. Good luck with your paper. Email me back any time.
There is some dedication somehow you would defend Dylan whereas with other musicians you dont really care if people criticise them. I can't explain it and I dont know why. He's made so much music it alone can constitute a hobby.
We don't want to hear the songs the same way they were on the albums.
See Above . . .
good when a writer/singer 'reaches you'; not sure i'm any different from fans, say, of Radiohead...
I'll send you an extra mail!
I don't know very well other music fans.
I don't pay much attention to other music fans. Real Dylan fans have a cosmic connection and no words are needed to explain the bond.
the atmosphere at dylan concerts is very peaceful and joyful and there is no barrier between young and older fans, very communicative