very early 60s, With Joan Baez. I liked her, great voice; I didn't like Dylan, terrible voice. I think I was 12 or 13, my sister and her boyfriend took me.

Listened to Dylan in late 60s, college, liked a lot, got the albums. Since then, don't have all albums but a good many.

Seen him only once live since then, in 1980s I think. Hope to see him again live, but not a huge priority, have passed by several opportunities.

Love his music even more now. Bothers me now and then that he would have gone off on that silly christian phase and sold his music to commercials, an itching sensation that pulls me up short just to realize that even old people can think like adolescents-i've never been one for ideological purity, you see.

I like his music. I don't know him, nor do I pretend to.

Like springsteen (he's no van morrison or bob dylan, but he's done some good stuff), blues, classical, old jazz, some post parker. Cds gave access to a lot of rhythm and blues, very nice.

In short, I'm far from a dylan freak. I know them-they are harmless. Its just a hobby. Their hobby. who cares?

I liked your posts on norwegian whaling, but your opinion on dylan is silly.

and don't forget, you are known by the company you keep.

This review is so overwrought, so hyperbolic, so wordy, so absolutely free of criticism, and entirely too fraught with modifiers while deliciously insinuating its way past actual nouns and hopeful-faced verbs -- and at the same time manages odd sentence construction.

Dylan was good. The movie may or may not be. The review stinks.

It means "Who are you, Mr. Bob Dylan?" Fortunately one doesn't run into French phrases in books--without translations--so often anymore, but when I do it drives me nuts--French isn't THE international language anymore and my own is weak.

Qui êtes-vous, Monsieur Bob Dylan?

If this is such an “essential” question then why not offer a translation for all of us English speaking readers?

Kind of presumptuous to assume all your readers would understand French.

That spider/fly thing! It's brilliant! I've got just one word to tell you --Plastics!--I mean, Starbucks, my boy! Starbuck's.

"There must be some way up out of here, said the junky to the thief.

. . .in that arrangement of words, proof positive of Dylan's brilliance. Those words, all by themselves, have natural rhythm and melody, something incredibly difficult to achieve in either poetry or song."

Hmmm...

"Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly."

I remember the early, heady days when Dylan was a guilty pleasure, known only to the, yes, cognoscenti. Then he went and did a bad thing: he produced a series of brilliant albums that guaranteed him immortality. No matter what he did before or has done since, there remains the uncomfortable fact of these masterworks. Now every Tom, Dick, and Bozo thinks he has a right to stick his oar in and say foolish things about Bob Dylan. The fact remains, not even the man himself can deny his genius. It's as palpable as the album cover for Blonde on Blonde or Highway 61 Revisited (obviously a source of inspiration for Haynes' film). It's as plain as the air we breathe.

You are obviously a Dylanologist. Just like a Scientologist, except you worship The Great Boob--I mean, Bob--instead of L. Ron Hubbard. And dear Chris, there is nothing more BORING than a zealot, particularly one who can't choose a pair of socks without consulting "Dylanetics"("Oh Bob! Joker socks or Thief socks?")

Grow up? Since when does disliking arrogant HYPOCRITES a sign of not growing up? So hawking panties and banks is a sly, satirical COMMENT! Humbug; rich guy just wanted to get richer.

I think most artists sell out. We've all heard Muzak versions of songs by some artist or band we like. All's I'm saying is that there will always be a warm place in my little black heart for those who DON'T opt for being musical versions of Harold Robbins or Thomas Kincaid.

Brightstar and Captcrisis, hear, hear!

We who grew up with Bob Dylan are given a feast here. I just saw the film and will see it again, it's simply gorgeous and coherent in a way that few reveiwers report.

Stephanie: I lost you long ago when you recommended the horrid "Masked and Anonymous." But you NAILED this masterpiece. I don't know who at Salon is online the night before Thanksgiving (or this whole day) but these posts are really blighted.

The film is everything that we who know Dylan from the inside, from living when he lived, should be simply agog at how very great this film is. To "get" it one would have to have seen "No Direction Home" and "Don't Look Back" and many other films as well as loving the great music he created and creates. Go see it. Do not listen to all these whiners in the majority here. Have respect for both Haynes and Dylan and have a ball.

Thanks Taliesan.

I don't care whether people like or dislike this movie, poetry in general or Dylan's work. If they dislike Dylan, it doesn't matter if it's because being condescending makes them feel Swell, because they're too lazy to check him out, because they're just not interested, or a dozen other reasons. But Dylan haters like "bright"star & Sally..Wolf are excruciatingly boring.

For the open-minded, consider that Blowing in the Wind (lyrics below) was written when Dylan was 22. In 1987, I was at a concert that he closed with this song. Dylan didn't sing; rather, three backup singers sang it A CAPELLA ... very moving. Everyone in the audience knew that the lyrics were (at that time) sung on behalf of South Africa. In 500 years, BITW will still be treasured. If some can't appreciate this song, and the other rich gifts that Dylan has created, too bad for them.

Renascent

% % %

----------Blowing in the Wind----------

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

% % %

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

% % %

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.