"Dylan, more than any other contemporary songwriter, blurs the distinction between song and poetry. Sometimes, the words are relegated in the service of the melody, and their immediate impact emphasised over subtlety and depth, without fine textures (as in “Lay Lady Lay” or “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”). Dylan uses broad strokes very well - he realises that song is an oral medium, and in his folk incarnation particularly he reminds us of an ancient bard, who had to continually maintain the audience’s interest. For such a poet reciting a work aloud, too many complex metaphors would have been redundant, even if the poet had had them in his vocabulary - the narrative poems of Old English, like the verse of Homer, rely on easily-identifiable similes, similes that compound everyday, shared experience. On the one hand, Dylan belongs in this oral tradition. When he says, “come gather round people” he is making a call to attention, common in medieval verse; he is not inviting a critical, analytical approach. Even in the oblique, surreal and ambiguous lyrics of “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Desolation Row” such devices, derived from early folk songs and oral storytelling, are still operational. When Dylan cries “How does it feel?” he is going as much for the marrowbone as for the head."
- from LIke a Rebel Wild: A Study of Bob Dylan's Art
Now well into his fifth decade of music, Bob Dylan remains a major creative force and a cultural figure whose contribution to art stands alongside that of James Joyce or Picasso. Dylan's latest album is Modern Times, universally acclaimed and his third major work in a row. Dylan has never stood still; he has constantly reinvented himself, confounding expectations and leaving his unique mark on just about every area of popular music.
In the last decade, Dylan has given his approval to a number of high profile legacy releases such as the ongoing Bootleg Series and the forthcoming Dylan box set. Recent releases include the first volume of his autobiography (Chronicles), a Bob Dylan scrapbook, and the movie Masked and Anonymous, which Dylan co-wrote and starred in. He has come, then, to accept his past and seems aware of his matchless legacy, something that wasn't true in previous decades. This is what he said in 1989:
"The worst time of my life came when I tried to find something in the past. Like when I went back to New York for the second time. I didn't know what to do. Everything had changed."
His attidue towards nostalgia appears to be more favourable now. Though he has started to "Look Back," as the documentary No Direction Home attests, he remains ever a restless spirit, a rebel wild.
About Me:
I am a veteran of Dylan fan sites. My fascination with Dylan began just prior to the release of Oh Mercy, and over the years I have spent an enormous amount of time and energy listening to and thinking about Bob Dylan's songs. Dylan has inspired and moved me, he has disappointed me (as well as exceeding my expectations), and more than any other artist he has made me see the world and myself through different eyes.
By profession I am a teacher of English. My past credits include a number of short documentaries (one of which was featured on the BBC). I was awarded the University of Wales Butler Scholarship in 1997 and graduated in 1998. Apart from Dylan, my other interests include: Andrei Tarkovsky, Dante, Akira Kurosawa, Sandy Denny, J.R.R. Tolkien, W.B. Yeats, John Ford, C.S. Lewis, Paul Simon, James Joyce, Richard Wagner, Van Morrison, Nikos Kazantzakis, Richard Thompson and William Blake.
About Like a Rebel Wild:
Like a Rebel Wild is a concise, readable study of more than four decades of Dylan songs and albums. It was written almost ten years ago in a bid to express some of my thoughts and feelings about the meaning of Dylan's music. I have prepared a new edition that takes the story up to Modern Times, and this new edition can now be purchased at a special low price through Lulu.com. At present, the book exists only in paperback but a revised hardback edition is planned for early next year.
The chapters are as follows:
1. THE WOODY GUTHRIE JUKEBOX
2. FINGER-POINTING SONGS
3. IF MY THOUGHT-DREAMS COULD BE SEEN
4. OTHER FORMS OF PSYCHIC EXPLOSION
5. DRIFTER'S ESCAPE
6. WHAT THE BROKEN GLASS REFLECTS
7. HANGING ON TO A SOLID ROCK
8. SURVIVING IN THE RUTHLESS WORLD
9. DIGNITY
10. MY HEART IS NOT WEARY
11. DO NOT GO GENTLY...
All Dylan's studio albums are discussed at length, and key songs from each album are subjected to extended analysis. Important unreleased songs are also featured, and the work is put into context with the inclusion of biographical and cultural background detail.
If you have any questions, or have problems ordering the book, please email me at the address below.
Photographs used on these pages have been drawn from numerous sources on the web; if any copyright infringement has occurred, I will be pleased to rectify the situation at the earliest opportunity.
