Just a couple of e-mails to share, regarding the subject matter of the previous post. Thanks to Bob Wilson for these thoughts on the claiming of Bob Dylan by the political left in the 1960s:

I think Joan Baez (about as leftist as anyone I know of) dealt with this question in her song “Diamonds and Rust”:

“Give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague”

When Bob Dylan “burst on the scene” he was already a legend in some sense in some parts of the world (e.g.., NYC and Boston) and the Left (Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and the rest) latched onto him like an octopus. Before he knew it they were “using” him for every leftwing cause in the book. And I believe that “vagueness”, was natural, God-given and a blessing, if you will, which helped him survive this period (and throughout his career). Because of this wonderful “vagueness” and their inability to “pigeon-hole” him, the Left could and did say whatever the wanted to say regarding the “depth and power of his songs” and walk righteously on….their misconceptions intact. It’s an absolute miracle that Dylan survived this “bloodsucking” and remained who he was (and is).

“Oh a false clock tries to tick out my time
To disgrace, distract, and bother me
And the dirt of gossip blows into my face
And the dust of rumors covers me
But if the arrow is straight
And the point is slick
It can pierce through dust no matter how thick
So I’ll make my stand
And remain as I am
And bid farewell and not give a damn”

And Spinout Recording Artist Ray Wallacemakes these observations:

Bob Dylan is the artist universal, and would be in any time and in any place; so much so that he transcends labels and definitions which would confine him to the limitations of time and place. Much in the way Shakespeare endures because the strength of his art transcends the limitations of the artist’s own particular environment and cultural background. I read Shakespeare today, and am astounded because of the countless times his original words have said it better than I ever hoped to hear it articulated; and that with unprecedented precision and clarity which quite often seems to have attained it in the absolute superlative degree wherein there is no possibility of improvement. Yet, it is possible for someone here in the 21st century to appreciate this about Shakespeare’s works and at the same time remained unconcerned with Elizabethan England. Yet, Shakespeare’s are filled with connections and references to the pop culture of the time and place he was working in.

This sounds too flowery and abstract, I’m afraid; but the point is: if Bob Dylan were not a superlative artist in the the ultimate sense, you Right Wing Bob could not exist, and a hard rightist like Ray Wallace would not appreciate and admire Bob Dylan. It is possible to even hate rock and roll music and yet appreciate Bob Dylan.

A lot of the political connections in the songs are incidental: he just happened to be there, that’s all.

Besides Bob Dylan, what other artists does Ray Wallace admire? Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, Al Capp, Milton Caniff, Harold Gray, Walt Disney. I know I’m leaving out somebody.

No doubt. But thanks for the thoughtful input on this.

…

Addendum: And thanks to Sue who writes to say:

I have another theory to add to those of Jason et al on this subject.

Firstly the question of if Bob Dylan would still have the impact if he
wasn’t considered by some to be ‘political’ – well, yes I think he would
simply because of the quality of his work. The Rolling Stones could never
be called political, nor The Beatles to any great degree but both continue
to be popular, even with young people. True, I doubt that many of those
young people would be buying any new material by the Stones as they just
don’t really have it any more, and as for Paul McCartney….ahem. I’ll just
say that I always thought Lennon wrote the songs and McCartney wrote the
ditties…..

I think Dylan first became popular through his early songs by association
with the folk scene – as Bob Wilson said in his email – but soon turned his
talents to writing about ‘personal’ politics, if you will. The day-to-day
stuff that ordinary people worry about, not the usual middle-class lefty
elitism of the kind Baez would cater to. And this comes to my view that the
majority of people aren’t inherently political in the strict sense of the
word. However we know injustice when we see it, and don’t like it, and we
therefore don’t need to have it shoved down our throats and self-righteously
told what we should do or how we should feel. Bob has never done that to us
and I for one am grateful to listen to songs that have true value without
feeling like I’m being lectured to.

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