Time Keeping
According to a 2007 study by law professor Alex Long at the University of Tennessee, judges handing down verdicts in courts of law quote Bob Dylan more often than any other musician. "The Times They Are A' Changing", for example, is a favorite. Which seems appropriate, for Dylan helped overturn the decisive lock that the saccharine and the formulaic had on popular music.
He did this using the words to his songs, the music itself, the social movements he championed, his persona's factual ambiguity, and his abandonment of his assigned role of hero.
* Words: By the time we hear that "The pump don't work 'cuz the vandals stole the handles." in Subterranean Homesick Blues, there's a near uncontrollable urge to return to that first note and parse those words once again.
* Music: It's been a while since I last heard Dylan D.J.ing his radio show, but what fun pulling chestnuts out of the oven and wise-cracking them open.
* The Social Movements: Righteousness can be captivating in moderate doses and Dylan's involvement with the 60's big changes makes that case.
* Trickster Persona: The lesson here for those in the public eye is that there is majesty in mystery.
* Abandonment: Here is the core; to make a dramatic entrance, one has to have left the stage. This is especially true for someone who suddenly finds himself with tremendous power; we Americans love our Washington.
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Each band or performer is graded on four things:
1. Innovation
2. Influence in my life--as a typical American
3. Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
4. Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music
10/6/7/8 = 31 out of a perfect 40
1. Innovation
2. Influence in my life--as a typical American
3. Integrity: the band's approach to music (just making a buck or honing a craft?)
4. Immortality--am I, a typical American--still eager to hear their music
10/6/7/8 = 31 out of a perfect 40
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Tip: You know you're good when your albums debut at #1 nearly 40 years after your first claim to fame.
Glad to see Dylan on the list; my favorite song of his is always "When the Ship Comes In". I love your list and your rankings, but how does Dylan only earn a 7 in Integrity?- Alex Voltaire
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's occurred to readers that I'm tacking on my grades after having decided on my list's order--maybe I am, which would explain some weird opinions.
Unfortunately, I've promised myself to remain positive, as much as I can. So, I won't get into how I feel Dylan could have scored higher in the Integrity category except to say that many artists have used cigarettes to give themselves a 'rush' (I recently saw a photo of John Lennon smoking backstage in the mid-60s). This strike against one's record is perhaps more forgivable in the years before the hidden ingredients in processed tobacco were widely known.