Dylan revisited_SIDE B. A Riddle Wrapped in a Musician

SIDE B.  Dylan: A Riddle Wrapped in a Musician

·         By S.  DONALDSON JAMES   Nov. 21, 2007  

 https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/AMA/story?id=3892626&page=1

a) At 66, Bob Dylan may still be the most influential musician of his time -- an enduring cultural icon and lyricist who provided the soundtrack for a generation of baby boomers and beyond.

b) His misunderstood and oft-maligned personality is back on the silver screen with the release of the avant-garde film "I'm Not There," a reference to Dylan's dark, 1967 bootleg recording. Todd Haynes' homage to Dylan premieres this week and is one of a spate of documentaries, interviews and books that have dissected the enigmatic singer in the last several years. 

c) Dylan has spent an entire career refusing to be pigeonholed. Enigmatic, contrary and, some say, masterful at marketing that persona -- he has always refused to deliver what his fans expected of him.  "I'm no poet," he once told Rolling Stone magazine, which named his classic "Like a Rolling Stone" the song of the century in 2004. "I'm a trapeze artist."

d) Man of Mystery. From a middle-class upbringing in Minnesota, Dylan effected a rural Oklahoma persona, mimicking his hero, Depression-era songwriter and singer Woody Guthrie. With surreal lyrics and a raspy voice, Dylan composed, recorded and performed country, gospel, reggae and blues, playing guitar, harmonica and piano.

e) Dylan made more than 40 albums and wrote hundreds of songs that were recorded by everyone from Marlene Dietrich ("Blowin' in the Wind") to Jimi Hendrix ("All Along the Watchtower"). The Beatles and the Rolling Stones acknowledged his influence and later rock 'n' roll musicians like Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and Mark Knopfler said they owed much to Dylan's singing, playing and writing.

f) "I never wanted to be a prophet or a savior," Dylan said in a rare interview with "60 Minutes" in 2004, when he had published his memoir "Chronicles, Vol. 1." "Elvis maybe. I could see myself becoming him. But prophet? No."g) Redefined Music. Dylan's popularity and status have endured, according to Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Bob Dylan is one of most important artists in Western culture. His music still resonates. Anyone who redefines the art form -- like Picasso or Miles Davis -- affects lives and generations. He was not the first person to inject social and political conscience into his songs, but no one was as articulate, and no one used mass communications like he did."