Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Bob Dylan Where is he now?


He has easily been the most significant musician of the last sixty years, a world icon, a great writer, bandleader and performer.
And he did it from within the system. He lay down with dogs, thinking he could be true to himself and never catch fleas!
He succeeded, sort of!
He never lost the muse, even after he sold out. Perhaps he had to sell out, otherwise the narrow minded circles he moved in may have made it impossible for him to write away from the excellent political and social commentary he was producing. Yet there was so much more for him to explore, mystical themes, romance, religion, sagas, his own life and soul.
For most of these years he still commented on the world around him much better than most. Although by the time we got to Iraq and Greenhouse he seems to have burnt out , for he has neither sung out or stood up publicly to be counted on these issues.
And yes, Bob, we do remember you aren't a protest singer, you have told us often enough.
But Kris, Willie, Steve Earle and others still spoke out, at risk to their careers.
But now he is old, and despite his significance, and the mega millions they made off him, the record companies no longer seem very interested in investing in him. It has been years of silence.Although I do believe he is at last recording a new album, I also believe it is way overdue.
Yet they have heaps of projects where they are cashing in on his past. There seems to be more than enough money to be made that way.
But obviously not in spending big to market anything contemporary. The pity is that Bob has been a willing accomplice to this strategy.
The priority for big business is to make money, not to produce art. Any merit in "product" is usually co-incidental, as long as "product" is marketable.
It obviously is quicker and cheaper to work with recycled components where Bob is concerned.
He used to be Bob Dylan!

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