January 3, 2006

Dylan Out Loud

Bob Dylan = Absolute Genius. That was first and primary reaction after watching No Direction Home, Martin Scorcese’s film biography of the man who defies labels and has transcended generations. I’ve been a big Dylan fan for years (got hooked on Blood on the Tracks my sophomore year in college) but I didn’t really know a lot about his life until recently.

In addition to the movie I’ve also been listening to Chronicles Volume One, a sort of rambling autobiography which is poetic and cryptic and engaging at the same time. Read by Sean Penn, this audio book is a must-listen for Dylan fans old and young.

What so impressed me about Dylan was his incredible focus for his craft. No Direction Home spends a lot of time covering the period in Dylan’s life when he went “electric” which caused an incredible amount of consternation among the fans of his folk music. They even went so far as to boo him on stage and walk out of his concerts. Dylan’s response? To keep on doing what he wanted to and not compromise his integrity to appease what other people wanted out of him.

No Direction Home was an amazing look at Dylan’s life and I sat there spellbound through a good chunk of it. Not only is it a wonderful journey through musical history but it’s also a compelling look at a man who has done so much and experienced an incredible array of highs and lows throughout his life. I think Bono expressed it best in a recent interview:

I mean, Bob Dylan is much more interesting with age, not less interesting. Some pretty boy face on the cover of a style magazine, or him! I want to stare at Dylan’s face and I want to hear what he has to say because he has travelled a long road and he’s got something worth hearing.

Indeed.

(And if you’re interested in learning even a bit more about Dylan you may want to check out Bob Dylan: A Tribute or Bound for Glory, a book not about Dylan but about his biggest influence Woody Guthrie.)