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More than any other performer associated with Rock and Roll, Bob Dylan created a body of work that could be — and has been — analyzed in literary terms. Often referred to as “a poet,” Dylan took popular music’s possibilities to new places. Nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature, honored by the Kennedy Center, Dylan has been called the “voice of a generation,” a tag he has rejected but never fully escaped, if only because he achieved a kind of influence that supported such a claim.
If as a teenager Dylan was in love with Rock and Roll, by the time he left his home state of Minneapolis for New York City, his interest was Folk music, and his inspiration was Woody Guthrie. Once in New York. ensconced in the Greenwich Village Folk world, Dylan quickly became an important figure on that scene and would remain so even as he followed interests that would lead him into new territories, including the poetry of the French Symbolists and that of the Beats. His most celebrated shift, “going electric,” has been isolated as among the most important moments in Rock and Roll’s history. It came around the time of the release of "Like a Rolling Stone," his highest charting single, and, at over six minutes, an anomaly on commercial radio. But by that time Dylan was an anomaly in more ways than one. Everyone, from the Beatles and Stones to Leonard Cohen and, later, Patti Smith, had their eyes on him.
The lessons in this chapter focus on Dylan's shapeshifting identity, on his songwriting as writing, on that perceived turn from Folk to Rock and Roll, and more. Looked at from several angles, the mystery of Dylan remains, however, along with one of the richest catalogues of song associated with any single artist.
lesson:
Folk Music, Rock and Roll Attitude
How did Bob Dylan’s early experiences with Folk and Rock and Roll music influence his songwriting?
lesson:
Dylan as Poet
How did Bob Dylan merge poetry with popular music?
lesson:
Debating Dylan’s Nobel Prize
What are the arguments for and against Bob Dylan receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Video
video:
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at the March on Washington
<p>More than any other performer associated with Rock and Roll, Bob Dylan created a body of work that could be — and has been — analyzed in literary terms. Often referred to as “a poet,” Dylan took popular music’s possibilities to new places. Nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature, honored by the Kennedy Center, Dylan has been called the “voice of a generation,” a tag he has rejected but never fully escaped, if only because he achieved a kind of influence that supported such a claim.</p> <p>If as a teenager Dylan was in love with Rock and Roll, by the time he left his home state of Minneapolis for New York City, his interest was Folk music, and his inspiration was Woody Guthrie. Once in New York. ensconced in the Greenwich Village Folk world, Dylan quickly became an important figure on that scene and would remain so even as he followed interests that would lead him into new territories, including the poetry of the French Symbolists and that of the Beats. His most celebrated shift, “going electric,” has been isolated as among the most important moments in Rock and Roll’s history. It came around the time of the release of "Like a Rolling Stone," his highest charting single, and, at over six minutes, an anomaly on commercial radio. But by that time Dylan was an anomaly in more ways than one. Everyone, from the Beatles and Stones to Leonard Cohen and, later, Patti Smith, had their eyes on him.</p> <p>The lessons in this chapter focus on Dylan's shapeshifting identity, on his songwriting as writing, on that perceived turn from Folk to Rock and Roll, and more. Looked at from several angles, the mystery of Dylan remains, however, along with one of the richest catalogues of song associated with any single artist.</p>
video:
Bob Dylan’s Early Years
<p>More than any other performer associated with Rock and Roll, Bob Dylan created a body of work that could be — and has been — analyzed in literary terms. Often referred to as “a poet,” Dylan took popular music’s possibilities to new places. Nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature, honored by the Kennedy Center, Dylan has been called the “voice of a generation,” a tag he has rejected but never fully escaped, if only because he achieved a kind of influence that supported such a claim.</p> <p>If as a teenager Dylan was in love with Rock and Roll, by the time he left his home state of Minneapolis for New York City, his interest was Folk music, and his inspiration was Woody Guthrie. Once in New York. ensconced in the Greenwich Village Folk world, Dylan quickly became an important figure on that scene and would remain so even as he followed interests that would lead him into new territories, including the poetry of the French Symbolists and that of the Beats. His most celebrated shift, “going electric,” has been isolated as among the most important moments in Rock and Roll’s history. It came around the time of the release of "Like a Rolling Stone," his highest charting single, and, at over six minutes, an anomaly on commercial radio. But by that time Dylan was an anomaly in more ways than one. Everyone, from the Beatles and Stones to Leonard Cohen and, later, Patti Smith, had their eyes on him.</p> <p>The lessons in this chapter focus on Dylan's shapeshifting identity, on his songwriting as writing, on that perceived turn from Folk to Rock and Roll, and more. Looked at from several angles, the mystery of Dylan remains, however, along with one of the richest catalogues of song associated with any single artist.</p>
video:
Bob Dylan’s Influence on Rock and Roll
<p>More than any other performer associated with Rock and Roll, Bob Dylan created a body of work that could be — and has been — analyzed in literary terms. Often referred to as “a poet,” Dylan took popular music’s possibilities to new places. Nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature, honored by the Kennedy Center, Dylan has been called the “voice of a generation,” a tag he has rejected but never fully escaped, if only because he achieved a kind of influence that supported such a claim.</p> <p>If as a teenager Dylan was in love with Rock and Roll, by the time he left his home state of Minneapolis for New York City, his interest was Folk music, and his inspiration was Woody Guthrie. Once in New York. ensconced in the Greenwich Village Folk world, Dylan quickly became an important figure on that scene and would remain so even as he followed interests that would lead him into new territories, including the poetry of the French Symbolists and that of the Beats. His most celebrated shift, “going electric,” has been isolated as among the most important moments in Rock and Roll’s history. It came around the time of the release of "Like a Rolling Stone," his highest charting single, and, at over six minutes, an anomaly on commercial radio. But by that time Dylan was an anomaly in more ways than one. Everyone, from the Beatles and Stones to Leonard Cohen and, later, Patti Smith, had their eyes on him.</p> <p>The lessons in this chapter focus on Dylan's shapeshifting identity, on his songwriting as writing, on that perceived turn from Folk to Rock and Roll, and more. Looked at from several angles, the mystery of Dylan remains, however, along with one of the richest catalogues of song associated with any single artist.</p>
video:
Blowin’ in the Wind
<p>More than any other performer associated with Rock and Roll, Bob Dylan created a body of work that could be — and has been — analyzed in literary terms. Often referred to as “a poet,” Dylan took popular music’s possibilities to new places. Nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature, honored by the Kennedy Center, Dylan has been called the “voice of a generation,” a tag he has rejected but never fully escaped, if only because he achieved a kind of influence that supported such a claim.</p> <p>If as a teenager Dylan was in love with Rock and Roll, by the time he left his home state of Minneapolis for New York City, his interest was Folk music, and his inspiration was Woody Guthrie. Once in New York. ensconced in the Greenwich Village Folk world, Dylan quickly became an important figure on that scene and would remain so even as he followed interests that would lead him into new territories, including the poetry of the French Symbolists and that of the Beats. His most celebrated shift, “going electric,” has been isolated as among the most important moments in Rock and Roll’s history. It came around the time of the release of "Like a Rolling Stone," his highest charting single, and, at over six minutes, an anomaly on commercial radio. But by that time Dylan was an anomaly in more ways than one. Everyone, from the Beatles and Stones to Leonard Cohen and, later, Patti Smith, had their eyes on him.</p> <p>The lessons in this chapter focus on Dylan's shapeshifting identity, on his songwriting as writing, on that perceived turn from Folk to Rock and Roll, and more. Looked at from several angles, the mystery of Dylan remains, however, along with one of the richest catalogues of song associated with any single artist.</p>
Print Journalism
article:
Bob Dylan: The First Interview
DYLAN: Well, let me say that I was born in Duluth, Minnesota – give that a little plug. That's where I was born and, uh, out in the midwest most of my life. Well, about three-quarters of my life around the midwest and one quarter around the southwest – New Mexico. But then I lived in Kansas – Marysville, Kansas, and, uh, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I bounced around a lot as a kid. Was that your choice? It was my choice partly. Partly it wasn't. I ran away a lot – stuff like that. I'd rather say just that. When was...
article:
Bob Dylan: Royal Albert Hall, London
With A Mixture Of Folk, Rock And Comedy, Dylan Shows He Can Take Every Insult But Not A Compliment "EQUALITY, I spoke the word, as if a wedding vow, ah but I was so much older than, I'm younger than that now..." Bob Dylan thus changed. It all began with a song called 'My Back Pages' recorded some three years ago on an LP and reached its probable culmination at the Royal Albert Hall the other week when he performed his last British concert. As always, Dylan is logical and compromising. A full half of his concert is given purely to his...