It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

Today I was watching a video on youtube and I was struck by something very interesting about Bob Dylan that I had never noticed before.

Maybe it was the way the clips were orchestrated that made me feel a little differently. There were snippets of interviews from the 1960s; interviews with other great musicians citing Dylan as their inspiration; a newer interview from 2006 and early performance clips of Dylan on stage alone in the spotlight with only his guitar and his beautiful words. All of these I had seen before. There was just something about this video that made me stop and think...

I considered the apparent 'arrogance' of Dylan in early interviews. The way he challenges people, interviews the interviewer, turns the attention from the way he thinks and feels, refuses to fit into a box and pushes people into impossible corners from which they cannot escape. To be honest, when I first saw Don't Look Back and No Direction Home I felt that Bob Dylan was a bit of a prat when he was younger! He comes across as cocky; intelligent and creative, but dismissive of those who can't contribute or keep up. Those who 'stand in the doorways' or 'block up the halls'. Young Bobby Zimmerman never did suffer fools gladly!

I now question though - was it arrogance or was it a case of attack being the best form of defence?

I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that Dylan was upset by what was happening. He was writing songs and performing - suddenly everyone wants him to be their spokesperson. They are looking for answers he doesn't have; wanting him to lead them on whatever causes they may champion; calling him 'messiah' then calling him a traitor when he doesn't accept the role. People are always searching for that guidance and he had been 'chosen' as prophet (actually, he was visionary - consider the truth of Hard Rain today... chilling in its accuracy).

People were camping outside Dylan's house; breaking in when his wife and children were there. The Dylan family were constantly moving - striving for a little normality and peace. It must have been horrendous.

Yes, Bob Dylan is cagey and 'enigmatic' - and that appears to me to be a big part of the self-preservation. To keep going and maintain sanity through all that madness takes a lot of strength (many great creative people have fallen by the wayside). It could also be said that whilst the songs Dylan writes, records and performs are perceived as public property, his personal life and opinions are nobody's business. Many interviewers ask inane or personal questions that can be seen as trite or 'out of order'.

There is also the probability that Dylan did not like the fact that people could not separate the man from the songs. To some people, the music is more important than the human who created them - a human with a need for privacy and personal space. People live with the songs - feel them and inhabit them, believing they are speaking to them personally. Feelings of the artist are not considered.

I see the media and 'fans' still today, talking about pop stars and celebrities as though they were devoid of humanity. Ridiculing, insulting - deifying with one hand and condemning with the other.

I was interested to see that Bob Dylan in 2006 seems a lot less sure of himself than when he was younger. His attitude expresses the realization that fame can be a double-edged sword. You can be popular this week and in the gutter the next. His songs might be a 'legacy' but how people judge them and regard them in the future is uncertain and nothing to get egotistical about.

To be honest, there appears to be very little egotism in Bob Dylan these days. I feel he now appears more comfortable in his own skin. Wiser and more knowing about the joys and pitfalls of life. More mature, quieter, self-effacing almost. Cool...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghH0yFEIcNo