The Complexity of Genius

My husband and my friend were recently having an email debate covering a wide range of topics. One email began with the assumption by my friend that my husband was 'missing out' on something by not reading Jane Austen... and then leaping to the conclusion that people who do not read 'the classics' are somehow inferior intellectually to those who do.

However, this can be a matter of taste, not intellect. Whilst reading material that stretches a person intellectually is definitely beneficial to mental well-being, I have read several 'classics' that do not inspire or stir me. Some worlds are not remotely related to mine. Some attitudes do not strike a chord with me. There is no visceral connection. My emotions remain unmoved.

I feel that we can accept that in music, art and literature someone is creatively innovative and recognise their achievements without particularly feeling drawn to them. We can objectively realize that there are standards of intellect and achievement that qualify as 'great' without personally reacting to them on a subjective level.

We can also accept that some things - especially in music, movies, books and entertainment - are simply there to provide enjoyment on a desultory level. Pop music, paperback romances, action movies with big explosions and miniscule dialogue... people might 'enjoy' them, but they say nothing. They have little to no relevance. They are escapism. They are fine for the 'here and now' moment of amusement or release, but the problem arises when these 'frothy coffee' versions of creativity becomes the staple diet for the intellects of the masses.

Some people have forgotten how to think and analyse. Everything is instant - food, money, sex, credit, entertainment. The brain is like a muscle. If we do not exercise it enough it atrophies and dies.

This could be an essay in itself, and was not particularly what I began this posting to talk about!

The next question my friend posed to my husband concerned Bob Dylan, and that is where my interest was piqued and where it becomes relevant to this blog.

She asserted that a minority of people thought that Dylan was 'overrated' (whatever that means) and she questioned whether he was of the creative calibre to be labelled a 'genius'. She allowed that she liked to read some of his lyrics as poetry, but found the music 'unmelodic' and could not understand what he was saying a lot of the time.

These have been common accusations made by people who are not particularly Dylan fans (one 'critic' in a newspaper this morning, in advance of Dylan's tour of the UK which begins this week, described his voice as a 'rusty hoover'!) and I would roundly dispute them.

Firstly, I have to say that Bob Dylan has very clear diction on most of his recordings. I have never had any more or less difficulty understanding him than I do with any other artist... although being British, the American accent sometimes catches me out with many singers! He has an idiosyncratic vocal style that fits the songs and expresses the emotion of a piece of music quite beautifully. His voice brings depth and meaning that few others can achieve. It is a big leap from the sanitized pop that people's ears are accustomed to... maybe that is the difficulty. I know that the friend in question tends to veer towards 'safe' music in her own tastes. Music that reflects her own 'mainstream' views of life and does not seek to question or challenge. Music that does not encourage thought or debate. Music that is 'bland' in its predictability and lack of ability to either inspire or offend.

Secondly, I believe that although you can read Dylan's lyrics as poetry (I believe there are academic courses and weighty tomes that do this very thing!), there is something lost when the 'voice' and musical cadence is absent. For example, in 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' we can read the lyrics:

I'm a-thinkin' and a-wond'rin' as I'm walkin' down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I'm told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don't think twice, it's all right.

But what does Dylan mean? There are some recordings where you can hear resentment in his voice as he sings - I gave her all I could, but she wanted more... she wanted the impossible. It obviously is not 'all right' and there is a bitterness to the song. However, on some recordings (especially live ones) Dylan's voice is tinged with regret - I am so sorry I couldn't give her what she needed, but everything will be all right.

Now it might be interesting to debate these in an academic context, but in the end only Bob Dylan knows what he means. Emotions change over time - what begins as bitterness can turn into regret and forgiveness with hindsight (which is always 20:20). Dylan has also experimented with musical structure and given new life to old songs through altering the emphasis of the off beat and so forth (I am not musically trained, so I can't provide the technical explanation!). Still, this all can change the 'feel' of a song. When we consider how the production methods of Daniel Lanois gave some of Dylan's songs an ethereal quality that drifts through the senses like a mist, and clings to the heart and memory... that cannot be captured on paper and contributes and enhances the lyrics and melodies. It all goes together and I do not think that separating the process works. That is why so few cover versions actually hit home (maybe apart from the Hendrix version of 'All Along The Watchtower').

There is another aspect to this debate - Dylan often will alter and add new lyrics to his songs that can completely change what he is saying. I might infer that he often feels his songs are not 'finished' or explaining the point he wants to get across in quite the way he first intended. If we do not look at the excluded, added or altered lyrics as well, are we missing something? Dylan's songs are not concrete entities; they are organic and evolutionary.

Is Dylan a genius? he certainly has intellect, creativity, originality and talent in abundance. He has inspired others and been innovative in the field of music. He is 'out of the ordinary' and beyond the mainstream 'norm'. He confounds people, never works within expected boundaries, defies categorization, refuses to be boxed and packeged neatly... to me, this pretty much fits the definition of 'genius'.

I do not agree with everything Dylan says. I do not think everything he has ever done is that great. If I ever talked to Bob Dylan (as soon as I had picked myself off the floor!) I am sure that we would disagree and debate many ideas without seeing eye to eye - as well as having much in common and, I suspect, sharing a similar sense of humour. But I am not a blind 'worshipper'. Bob Dylan is a man - a human. I respect his talent and he has provided much enjoyment and richness to my life, for which I thank him.

I hope that I can recognize when somebody is exceptional at what they do. The fact that Bob Dylan is still touring and selling out venues after 5 decades; reinventing himself (maybe consciously, maybe as a natural development of character and maturity), metamorphosing, evolving... the secret of longevity is flexibilty and adaptation. But above all, it is remaining true to oneself. Frauds will soon be rousted out and exposed.

Bob Dylan is still here. Still relevant. Still creative. Still pushing boundaries.

Questions answered.