Don’t have much time today, so I’m grateful that people are writing material for me.

Thanks to reader Micah, for this e-mail:

… It’s amazing that your site is virtually the only place on the web that doesn’t create their own Bob. I’m sure some would argue, but you certainly back up your points better than most. I think people do the same thing with Bob that they do with God. They make their own version and don’t bother to actually find THE TRUTH. Anyways, I’m very much looking forward to your analysis of Modern Times, particularly the lyrics. I’m sure the strong presence of things of spiritual nature hasn’t gotten past you. Apparently it has gotten past every reviewer in the country. Of course, they may just creating their own Bob. To each their own I guess, but we’ll see who’s still with THEM when the deal goes down. Once again, thanks for helping to keep a few like minded fans sane. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.

I don’t regularly post e-mails that compliment me, but this is such high praise, that I had to. Joking aside, I sincerely appreciate it. The compliment that I don’t “create [my] own Bob” is the funny thing, because of-course that’s exactly what the less flattering e-mails I’ve received have often accused me of. I know that I do bring biases to listening to Dylan, but I magnanimously forgive myself because at least I’m open about them. It’s certainly vital to leave room — whenever analyzing Dylan — for all the different angles at which his songs remain valid. It’s his capacity to write songs that work on many levels and can be turned around and around that is a key part of his genius, after all.

I find myself personally not in any big hurry to review the album systematically. There’s so much to comment on, that it’ll come out in bits and pieces anyway. As Micah points out, the strong spiritual elements are certainly being missed by the usual reviewers. My review at this point is: I love it, and I’m certain that this will be a record I’ll listen to again and again for the rest of my life. It’s a real cracker. Can’t hope for better than that.

And thanks to Thomas for this note on the subject of reviews:

I’ve been enjoying reading the various “reviews” of Modern Times and watching folks picking phrases, more or less at random from the songs and building exotic interpretations. Of course, I like exotic storylines, too, but it seems to me that since Time Out of Mind at least, Dylan’s lyrics call for a certain maturity of Christian experience and also to consider dramatic prophecy as at least one of the ways to listen to the songs (e.g. Make You Feel My Love as coming from risen Lord, who was musing while you can hear the nails being hammered in on Til I Fell In Love With You…) and that any serious review should come from both an interpretation of the entire song and an ability to, more or less, sing it from memory oneself. For many reviewers, i’d like to ask “Have you ever tried to sing that song yourself?” Just as when one memorizes, say, scripture, getting it to stick in one’s memory forces one to develop coherent, or at least, connected interpretations. Many Dylan commentators don’t seem to do that, from Michael Gray to various current quick to critique journalists.

The whole reviewing/critiquing thing is fraught with danger, don’t you think? After all, if the “greatest living user of the English language” (to quote Ricks) can’t himself make what he wants to say “as simple as possible, but no simpler” (to quote Einstein), what is the mere commentator to say. Still, on the other hand, it is fun to talk and find out if others hear the same resonances and allusions.

Indeed.

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