Last week, on Radio 4, Adam Gopnik (who? – a lifelong fan of Bob Dylan-ah)
mused on Dylan’s
“utterly predictable lack of gratitude” towards his Nobel Prize.”
Saying
“The terrible and intriguing truth…(is that) people are tragically impressed by indifference…and pitifully contemptuous of the charming”.
The Dylans of this world, Gopnik says “impress us as the true egotists we secretly are”.”
Ok, so, it seems, in preparing his Point of View, Mr Gopnik failed to do his research with Dylan giving an interview to the Telegraph (it is “amazing, incredible. Whoever dreams about something like that?”), reports from the Nobel committee (“I appreciate the honour so much. The news about the Nobel prize left me speechless.”) Or even in the Guardian where Ronnie Wood (of The Rolling Stones) spoke of seeing Dylan the day it was announced
“…He had seemed happy, but sheepish about it…We said, ..Bob, … it’s really good about your Nobel prize.’ And he went, ‘You think so? It’s good, huh?’ And we said, ‘You deserve it.’ And he said, ‘That’s great – thanks.’
“He didn’t really know how to accept it, but he thought he had done something pretty good,” said Wood.”
Even the Vatican weighed in calling Dylan just a songwriter (I guess making King David just a guy who wrote pop hits God liked to tap his feet to)
Firstly, along with Lifelong Fan (great credential!), one of the Nobel committee (nameless) came out and called Dylan “impolite and arrogant”, personally I think that insulting a person in public is impolite (especially hiding behind anonymity) and assuming that what you say/your award matters is arrogant (the same award that (according to what I’ve read) overlooked Einstein for years for being liberal and Jewish, he was eventually awarded it for “his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect” – no idea either- they were then shocked when he didn’t bother to turn up)
But none of this is new. Critics have always tried to make a name for themselves (G.Marcus…) attacking Dylan. In a televised 1965 press conference Dylan was asked questions like
—
The University of California mimeographed all the lyrics from the last album and had a symposium discussing them. Do you welcome that?
Oh, sure. I’m just kinda sad I’m not around to be a part of it.
…
…your songs are supposed to have a subtle message.
Subtle message???
Well, they’re supposed to.
Where’d you hear that?
In a movie magazine
…
You seem almost embarrassed to admit that you’re popular.
Well, I’m not embarrassed, I mean, you know – Well, what do you want, exactly – for me to say. You want me to jump up and say “Hallelujah!” – and crash the cameras or do something weird? Tell me, tell me. I’ll go along with you, if I can’t go along with you, I’ll find somebody to go along with you
…
Have you ever played a dance?
No, it’s not that kind of music
It is
Well, what can I say? You must know more about the music than I do. How long have you been playing it?
—
One thing that annoys me about critics is how they always assume to know the work, and to be able to explain the work, better than the person who made it. Even when Dylan writes lyrics such as
Try to be pure at heart, they arrest you for robbery,
Mistake your shyness for aloofness, your silence for snobbery,
people still serve their own agendas, trying to hide the fact that they themselves could never create anything new so they have to explain or tear down what already is (every move made in music by Dylan is savagely panned and then when The Beatles/Stones/Young et al do watered-down versions they get praised)
Yes he won an award, good for him. It is fair to say he has changed mine and many other lives (still is) so let’s give him all the plaudits he deserves for his work but to give Dylan the last word
And tho I know you’re dissatisfied with your position and your place
Don’t you understand, its not my problem?
…
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You’d know what a drag it is to see you
‘till next time!
—
Not to hide behind anonymity I can be reached any time at
thegreaterfool2016 