Eventually Bob'll figure out that what people really want to see is Bob Dylan in maturity, Bob Dylan at peace with Bob Zimmerman, at peace with us, relaxed enough to risk saying a few words, anything, rather than nothing, which is odd and unnecessary. Underkill.
I was 200 feet from the man and he radiated cold. He'll never pay me for telling him this, so there's nothing to lose in coughing up the following:
Bobby, come home, we miss you so much. You hate yourself because you think you're a fraud, and you are but you're not but you are. But you aren't. If you can't hit the notes, why kick the song? Write new ones you can sing, songs in your range. And get a music director, will you? Somebody who can drop a few pounds off your ego and make you listen? And will you lose mustasche? What are you, Bob Zorro? Be yourself now. You're not Brian Wilson. You're not manic or depressed--it's just a little guilt! You know you're a fake, we know you're a fake, we'd all be guilty if we were you, but you're the only one who is--so would you please find yourself innocent, get Zimmerman his meds, and go play Bob Dylan?
By the way, we were entertained. We enjoyed it. We loved it, whatever it was. "All Along the Watchtower" was hilarious: they made it a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, with his classic solo played on a steel pedal guitar. That was pretty funny.
Then he walked off the stage and it was over.
I bet he's hard to talk to on the phone. It was clear to me that Bob Zimmerman created this character Dylan as a mask that gave him the courage to stand in front of people and sing the way he did — but he lost control of the character the moment it entered people's minds. They always expected Dylan to be something he wasn't.
Dylan never knew how to explain this without appearing like a fraud, so he simply kept his mouth shut for 40 years. And nothing tells a legend like a shut mouth.
Neither Zimmerman nor Dylan ever mentioned their painful shyness until quite recently with the publishing of their autobiography, Chronicles, Volume I.
Article comments
1 - Antfreeze
Wow! Dude, Great review. I may have been sitting right next to you in DeKalb. I was in section 212, Dylans back to us, 200 ft. away. And if I could write, I would've written something very much like this review. Dylan has said he had an epiphany a while back that allowed him to continue touring and playing every night. I suspect it was re-arranging everything so he won't get bored with playing it, and the audience can still say they heard him do some of his classics. About halfway through a song, you'd finally recognize a word he's singing and look over at your buddy with a quizzical look and go, "That's Highway 61???!" The keyboard playing was crappy, that little off-beat hammer thing he does always seeming to leave the band lost for a minute. Although Bob seemed to be having a pretty good time, juking around a bit. Now please turn off the lights when you leave my head.
2 - Eric Olsen
excellent Curt, great job, very glad to see you back, thanks!
3 - wtanderson
well put and true.
dylan's been so sloppy
(songwriting the last 37,
playing, always) and
mean spirited for years,
(probably the fraud guilt)
i'm always surprised anyone rarely comments
upon it.
(believe me i went through my dylan phase,
on my 20 year songwriting journey.)
ask yourself,
why doesn't this guy ever smile?