Bob Dylan will perform at NSU on Oct. 6th. However, this man is not just another musician.
This is Dylan. Legend. Poet. Lyricist. Master. Social Critic. Simply put, Bob Dylan is one of the greatest artists of all time. Now, the NSU community will get to see why, in a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Ever since he put words to page and then colored those words with the strum of a guitar, Dylan changed everything that we knew about music. Perhaps, in a time before Dylan, there was music and there was poetry. There was art and social criticism. There was genius and beauty. Through Bob Dylan, all of these elements became one. He was the voice of a generation — the voice of a movement.
The early 60s were turbulent times, to say the least. On the surface, there was fear, conformity, structure, violence, and aggression. Beneath the surface, however, was a whisper, uttered only among a few individuals who saw life differently. These individuals questioned the status quo. They longed for change and failed to comprehend the madness around them. In Dylan, these lone-thinkers found a voice.
Dylan was first attracted to folk music because, well, it wasn’t as glam as rock ‘n’ roll. Rock was happy and sounded great, but it didn’t allow Dylan to explore society, people, or himself, as he wanted to. His motive was not only to make good music, but to send out a message, to provoke thought, and to inspire change. You could say that Dylan paved his own way.
When addressing, in his autobiography, his name change (birthname: Robert Allen Zim-merman), Dylan said, “You’re born, you know the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.” That’s who Dylan was, and still is, and it’s what a confused America needed to hear at the time. Freedom, must be complete freedom, not tinged with conformity, censorship, and uniformity.
He was anything but ordinary. He sported long, frizzy hair, often covered by vintage hats. He was never particularly attractive and was never known for having an angelic voice. In fact, his raspy, and often incomprehensible voice, just added to his whole mystique. All of this, and his intellectual genius, made him a figure larger-than-life, whowe still stand in awe of.
Completely original, unique, eclectic, iconic, legendary, and timeless; his songs remain inscribed in our hearts and rehashed ever-so-often by new artists, who have been touched by it, and who wish to pay their tribute to the man. One of the most famous is Jimmi Hendrix’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower”, but the incredible list of artists who have covered Dylan songs includes The Byrds, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Norah Jones, Bob Marley, the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Adele, and on, and on.
Bob Dylan is just as important as he was then. It makes sense really. Although his music does not discriminate against any race, age, or sex, it probably makes most sense to the young adults who are facing head-on, the harsh realities of life, society, and culture. And where are we, as a people, today?
Although some incredible obstacles have been overcome, our generation finds itself staring down the face of some very similar circumstances as the ones experienced in the early 60s. War lurks in our minds. Racism is still an issue, as is freedom of speech, gender, and sexuality. Governments and politicians abuse our trust and materialism has taken over.
Then, like a hero in the night, comes Dylan once again, guitar in hand, to sing a song that will undoubtedly make us look at ourselves, question our decisions, and guide us toward enlightenment.
Will he sing “Blowin’ in the Wind”? Or maybe he will dust off “The Times They Are a-Changin’”? Might he grace us with “Forever Young”? Whatever songs he performs, they will be amazing. It will be a night you will never forget. And if we’re lucky, if we listen, perhaps it will be the night we decide to make a change, and to do as Dylan said, “All I can do is be me, whoever that is.”
