[lbo-talk] Dylan

[Louis Kontos]

Without taking anything away from Hendrix (whom Dylan once acknowledged as
doing the only cover version of any of his songs, any of the hundreds that
have been covered, that he cared to listened to), I have to ask, what's the
point of this comparison? (Also to Joanna: what's the point of comparing
Dylan to Johnson? You like Johnson better --- so what?) It seems, on this
list anyway, that Dylan is a source of aggravation, who can only be redeemed
(as some contributors feel that he must) by way of referencing his influence
on less controversial figures, or by some other means. Give it a break
already. Dylan has written one masterpiece after another. He's been a source
(among the most important) of a countercultural movement. None of this can
be denied. Yet, people still feel the need to denigrate Dylan for whatever
(in their eyes) he failed to do. Their standards of judgments apparently do
not apply to anybody else, and not to themselves -- I'd love to see someone
hold up their own life to the kind of scrutiny and judgment they hold up
Dylan's. 
Regarding the relationship between popular music and social and political
movements, I don't hear anybody saying anything about the numerous 'poseurs'
we all know and have learned not to say a word about.
I would bet anything that if someone said that Meminem is a bunch of crap,
or that P.Diddy (who only steals other people's music and changes a few
words around, always for the worse), is a bunch of crap, I'd bet 10 (no less
than ten) of the poseurs on this list would say something seemingly profound
in their defense.
If anybody on this list wants to talk about Dylan's music in a serious way,
I'll respond. Otherwise, this is the last time I'm taking the bait. Everyone
can listen to whatever they want -- there's no need for this idiotic
commentary.

 
> 
> joanna
> 
> Louis Kontos wrote:
> 
>> I sent the message before finishing by mistake. Sorry.
>> 
>> I was going to ask Joanna how she can make the claim that Dylan has not
> 
>> matured as an artist without referencing any of his recent music as a
>> basis of comparison. Also, I'd like to ask whether the comment
>> (Joanna's) about Dylan being a 'poseur' still stands after the comment
>> (Joanna's) that Dylan produced good 'early' music?
>> 
> I would say that in the early period, his music is so entwined with the
> zeitgeist that it's impossible to say whether he was a poseur or not.
> And yet, it would never occur to me to accuse Janis Joplin of simulating
> anything even though her music is largely based on Big Mama Thorton.
> 
> I'll say this for Dylan: Hendrix loved his music and was inspired by
> it.
> 
> ___________________________________
> 
> Jimi did Bob much better than Bob did Bob.  The Great Might Have Been
> Recording of the 1970s was Jimi doing an entire album of Dylan tunes.
> That, and Jimi's planned collaboration with Gil Evans.
> 
> 
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