Yesterday was Bob Dylan's 65th. What,if any, influence has he had on you as a writer? What's your opinion of him?: Greatest, most influential poet-songwriter of the past half-century? Overrated,self indulgent,non-singing carictature? Somewhere in between? Both? Happy b-day Bobby!

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bc

You either love him or you don't.
My sister doesn't....I do.
You don't have to have a beautiful voice to be a GREAT singer.
I celebrated pool-side yesterday with the headphones on listening to...
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Happy Birthday Bob !

Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

65 years old? No wonder he looks elderly in those recent photographs. I always thought of Dylan as timeless, rather than human.

He was and is one of my pantheon of heroes--all people who couldn't sing, and couldn't play guitar very well, but who could write, and succeeded in making a living in the music business when their words were basically all they had. I always figured if Dylan could make it, singing and playing like that, then I had a chance, too.

And he did become a better singer and musician over time, too, so I figured there was hope for me there, too, if I worked hard enough at it.

I appreciated that he was uncompromising, and still made it. (Most of the time, I don't feel much like compromising, either.) And Dylan was a master at the use of words as weapons; yes, other people have done it, too, but no one as consistently, or as prolifically. A lot of his stuff is still being played on mainstream-type radio, more than 30 years later.

Happy birthday, Bob. They're still playing your songs.

Joe
www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabek_music.htm

Didn't he once say not to trust anyone over 30? Maybe now he says not to trust anyone over 80.

Bob Dylan, often criticized as having a bad singing voice, may have been the most influential male singer of the past 40 years. Folks like Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, John Prine, Gerry Rafferty, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, and thousands more have developed vocal styles with Dylan's influence.

Happy Birthday Mr. Zimmerman.

Mike



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You have to practice improvisation. -Art Tatum

Mike Dunbar Music

Dylan has probably influenced me more than anyone else.

My tastes growing up were top 40. I'd heard of Dylan, of course, but really didn't know anything other than "Like a Rolling Stone".

Then I got some library books about rock music and started seeing this common thread of how influential he was. So I went to the record store and bought "Greatest Hits Volume II".

It just blew me away.

The richness of the lyrics and the way he delivered them was just way beyond anything I'd heard to that point. Once I noted here that he is my favorite singer. I really meant it. The number of different voices that he uses to get the point of a song across is, in my opinion, astounding. And almost all of them showed up on Volume II.

Everyone compromises somewhere but I get the feeling Dylan has done it far less than most. I admire him for that. There are times where he made what many would consider to be mis-steps - but I appreciate that he marches to his own beat.

One of my favorite albums of his is his most recent, "Love and Theft". He just keeps on tickin'.

Overrated? No way.

Self-indulgent? Certainly - more power to him.

non-singing caricature? Only when he wants to be.....

Scott

I think Bob is quite a good singer.

while I was Blowin in the Wind, tryin' not to be Tangled up in Blue, he gave me Shelter from the storm.

Last night, my band played six Dylan songs in a row. A girl was there from New York who recently saw him in concert. She said he never picked up a guitar, only played piano! With the band.

To me, he's genius.


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HIGH GAS PRICES: Don't laugh! Beating oil companies and paying for song demo's: click here , watch what FOX and NBC say!

Yeah, that's about the size of it. Of course, I grew up in those days, so I may be a bit more partial than some. His voice was never as bad as the caricatures made out (except a couple of years ago at the Grammys -- man, that was HORRIBLE!!)

But as a writer, and generally all-round creative person, there is no one better.

Oh, and Mike... I think Jerry Rubin said the "don't trust anyone over 30" line. Unless he stole it from Bob...

--- Ed



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http://www.edperrone.com
http://www.myspace.com/edperronemusic

I think the man has been genius far more often then not. I DO find it ironic that for a guy who supposedly "can't sing" he's influenced so many singers. I actually had a reviewer once describe my voice as "Bob Dylan if he could sing"{!} {Whatever the hell THAT means!!!} Of course that was a while ago, before a river of whiskey changed my tonality! Anyway, his catalog is well represented in my repitoire of covers: {Tangled up in Blue,Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Positively 4th Street, Subterainian Homesick Blues, It Ain't Me Babe, All along the Watchtower, You Ain't Goin Nowhere, Paint My Masterpiece, Don't Think Twice, It's Allright, If Not For You.} I wish I could say he's a major influence on my writing, but I tend to write straight forwardly, while his songs tend to be awash in metaphores and symbolism {Something I've always admired, and been jealous of!} All I know is that Im much richer musically having known him. Happy Birthday!

To my taste,a great writer but much less so a singer.Happy birthday.

Everett

Thanks for piqueing my curiosity, Ed. It turns out it was Jack Weinberg, a leader of Berkley's free speech movement in the 60's. More about it here:

http://www.bartleby.com/73/1828.html

Truman, I'm glad someone likes Dylan's voice. I remember Dylan's first album coming out, it took a while for his voice to grow on me, but I loved his harmonica and "Baby Let Me Follow You Down."

All the Best,
Mike

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You have to practice improvisation. -Art Tatum

Mike Dunbar Music

I like his voice. He clearly writes for himself, and it shows, Because everything is suited to him. Comes out naturally, as if her were sitting in your living room having a casual conversation.
If I have learned anything from him it has to be the ability to stay grounded, write and sing in my natural voice, keeping it honest. As well as sharing a piece of my own personal truth.

Z..........

Thanks for the link, Mike, now we both know. (Need those reference works to refresh memories from the '60s...)

--- Ed


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http://www.edperrone.com
http://www.myspace.com/edperronemusic

if it wearn't for bob dylan. i think folks would throw [naughty word removed] at me while i played. instead they can relate to my craggy voice, and my beginning harp skills, not to mention my beginner cowboy chord approach to the six-string.long live bob dylan. on a side note: i read that andy summers (police, etc..) is also 65!! happy birthday!! barn.

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