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Read other letters about this article
"into the Dylanesque self-invention of Springsteen's onstage self-mythologizing (all those stories about taking "the Big Man" out to the end of a desert road to find God, etc.), the Dylanesque rejection of pop godhood that Nebraska represents, the blatantly Dylanesque move of The Seeger Sessions, the Dylanesque literariness . . ."
This is the kind of asinine worship I'm talking about.
"The Big Man" out to the desert: no, that's inspired by Jesus being tempted by the Devil, and any number of cops and robbers folk songs.
"The Dylanist rejection of pop godhood". . . no, that's Woody Guthrie-ist, if anything. Or the many, many cases where a pop star decides to go folk (true of the Beatles, though NOT of Dylan).
"The blatantly Dylanesque move of The Seeger Sessions" . . . no, that's, um, Pete Seeger!! When exactly did Dylan do anything "Dylanist" like this??
NONE of these things owe anything to Dylan. And I don't think any of his songs will survive the generation that idolizes him.
Now, though we're supposed to be closing at three the day before Thanksgiving, I'm working past five, because there's work to do. I'm a rebel but I'm pissing off the rebels by making the Man think I'm on his side. How Dylanist!
My parents want me to get some soda for tomorrow's big family get together. I'll get soda but some wine too. How Dylanist!
My initial comment had a mistake in it (I meant to say, "the sun rises in the WEST") but I didn't immediately correct it because you KNOW what I meant. . . How Dylanist!
Yours in Dylan,
captcrisis
