American Men (Part I): Dylan

This was the rebel rebelling against the rebellion.
- Robbie Robertson, Rolling Stone "100 Greatest Artists of All Time

He has been called a great poet, an inspiration, a musical messiah, a jester, a Judas, a rebel, a revolutionary, the voice of a generation. To me, Bob Dylan is the embodiment of the American spirit of individualism.

In the early 1960’s, the young songwriter gained popularity as a “protest” singer, speaking out against the Man’s attacks on freedom and equality. However, he soon lost interest in the activist movement, and started playing rock and roll. This was not a popular decision, and many of his former fans felt betrayed by the change. But Dylan didn’t care. In the summer of 1965, he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, brazenly wielding an electric guitar. He was booed during the entire performance, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to record and tour as a rock musician.

We’ve been playing this music ever since we were ten years old. Folk music was just an interruption, which was very useful. If you don’t like it, that’s fine. This is not English music you are listening to. You really haven’t heard American music before… You can take it or leave it. If there’s something you disagree with that’s great. I’m sick of people asking, “What does it mean?” It means nothing.
- Dylan to an angry audience in England during his 1966 world tour

A few years later, he changed direction again, this time delving into an older tradition:

Many of the songs had a mysterious, musty, olde-world flavour, drawing together strands of folk, country, blues and gospel music that was totally out of step with the spirit of the times. In its way, it was as revolutionary as Dylan’s electric heresy. “Psychedelic rock was taking over the universe and we were singing these homespun ballads,” as Dylan himself later observed.
- Nigel Williamson, The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan (2006)

He challenged people’s minds and opinions throughout the 60’s and 70’s, sometimes because he had a message to share, and other times simply because he did things the way he wanted. He fell in and out of favor with the public, and went through a period of reclusion, but by the late 70’s, he was generally well liked. Well liked, that is, until he committed celebrity suicide by becoming a born-again Christian. As with his former passions, Dylan was totally sold out to his new faith. He started writing gospel rock songs, and abandoned his old material completely for a while. Of course, he was again attacked by critics and former fans who were not impressed with his change of direction. And again, he boldly stood by his decision.

The spirit of the Anti-Christ is loose right now. There’s only two kinds of people. There’s saved people and there’s lost people. Remember that I told you that. You may never see me again. You may not see me, but sometime down the line you remember you heard it here, that Jesus is the Lord. Every knee shall bow.
- Dylan to a heckling crowd in Tempe, Arizona during his evangelistic tour

During the early 80’s, Dylan was a zealot. He was perceived as being judgmental, and many of his lyrics featured fire and brimstone, apocalyptic images. After a few years, he cooled down. He started performing his old material again, and his new stuff became less blatantly religious. He still made use of Biblical themes, but they were presented in a more symbolic, traditionally Dylanesque manner.

In 1988, Dylan embarked on what has come to be known as the Never Ending Tour, giving most of his attention to live performances. In the 90’s, he recorded two albums of traditional folk and blues songs, which were not popular. However, this reconnection with the roots of American music led to the release of new music written in the same style in the latter half of the decade and on into the 2000’s. Dylan’s recent work has been received very well, as has his XM Satellite Radio show, Theme Time Radio Hour, which explored nightly themes like “Weather” and “Coffee” through music of various times, places, and genres. The songs he played and his commentary on them opened his listeners up to new worlds of music: worlds that Dylan himself has lived in.

The first time I heard Bob Dylan I thought of him as something of a civil war type, a kind of 19th-century troubadour, a maverick American spirit. The reediness of his voice and the spareness of his words go straight to the heart of America.
- Gregory Peck, 1997

Old folk tunes, blues, country, rockabilly, swing, jazz, rock and roll. The music of America is in Bob Dylan’s blood. Her music is in his blood, and her spirit is in his soul. America is about freedom, and Bob Dylan understands that. When he saw something wrong with the world, he said so. When he wanted to play a new kind of music, he did. When he accepted Jesus Christ, he refused to hide it. When he reached his 60's, and his voice began to show the strain of constant singing and smoking, he continued doing what he loves. He can write poetry, but he’s no Shakespeare. He can play the guitar, but he’s no Jimmy Page. He can carry a tune, but he’s certainly no Frank Sinatra. And he’s never tried to be. He has always been who he wants to be, regardless of popular opinion, and that is why I am a Bob Dylan fan.

The heart of America’s beauty lies not in her spacious skies or amber waves of grain, but in the freedom that she gives. That does not mean we live in anarchy, nor does it mean we should use our freedom to hurt others.

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
- 1 Peter 2:16

However, we are free to make our own decisions. There are those who would like to make our decisions for us. They “know better” how we should eat, what we should drive, how much electricity we should use, where our money should go, how our kids should be educated, and how much influence our religious beliefs should have on our everyday lives. They do not understand individual freedom the way you and I and Bob Dylan do. They want us to shut up and play the music they like. But don’t do it. Play rock and roll. Play country-blues-swing-folk-gospel. Play what you are convicted to play. Don’t use your freedom to sin, but don’t let the Man define sin (that's God's job). Be like Bob. Be an American.