The wheel's still in spin

Man—you talk about an October surprise: the Nobel Prize committee announced yesterday that it has awarded the 2016 prize in Literature to Bob Dylan. You can debate if you want to about whether he’s a world-class poet; he’s sure as hell captured the zeitgeist of generations of people for the last five decades.

(And, look: if you're down with the prize going to Hemingway, you got no squawk with it going to Dylan.)

I’m more open to the question about Dylan as a performer: the one time I shelled out good money to go to one of his concerts, he came out on stage, played and sang with a zombie style and literally when he wasn’t doing either of those he turned his back to the audience. Evidently that was a phase he was going through, but it sucked.

Also—the guy definitely did not hit songwriting homers every time he came up to bat. Case in point would be "Don't Think Twice (It's All Right)". I expect it's intended to be the anthem of the free-wheelin' yout of the 60s, but all I've ever heard was irresponsible claptrap. And my reaction to the lines, "I wish there was something you could do or say/To try to make me change my mind and stay" is to tell him, "fuck you and the horse you're riding away on." Because who needs that kind of tsuris?

On the other hand, I’m one of those generations that have his lyrics woven throughout their lives. It would be impossible for me to pick my “favorite” Dylan, but here are some that I have embraced wholeheartedly.

Naturally, I first heard “My Back Pages” sung by The Byrds. And at that time in my life I didn’t understand what the refrain was about, it was just deep, you know? It was Dylan, man. Here’s a version a whole lotta legends got together to sing at Dylan’s 30^th Anniversary Concert more than 20 years ago:

And yes: that’s Eric Clapton screwing up the refrain.

Another song that’s been at times a lifeline is “Forever Young”. I first heard Joan Baez sing it at a concert in Illinois. But here’s a cover by Norah Jones that may have displaced Baez in my heart:

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard “I Shall Be Released” and felt, “Yeah—any day now…”? Here’s Chrissie Hynde knocking it out of Madison Square Garden at the 30^th Anniversary concert:

And one more from that concert: Tracy Chapman singing possibly the most iconic of Dylan’s works:

One way or another, the order is rapidly fadin', and the times they are indeed a-changin’.