Expecting Rain

Dylan's a polarizing singer and always was so he'll be minority taste anywhere. Plus most people don't want to be bothered about anything. Try to engage somebody in a conversation; it's surprisingly difficult. After a certain age the mind gets packed away for good. And the young want to hear singers sharing some of their experience if at all possible. Dylan probably couldn't make it now; there's no obvious audience for him.

Because he is polarizing he went decades without radio play in the U.S. Most people here don't seem to venture beyond what the TV recommends; it's an overpowering influence along with the just amazingly massive and unavoidable advertising. I think originally he kind of represented a rebellion against Ad World for me.

That's good. I agree. And it begs another valid point. The people who claim that his protest era was simply marketing - a ticket to the big time. No co-incidence - these are the same people who weren't even around then. Supporting civil rights and being anti-war was not mainstream then and no band or individual artist used that to get get to mainstream success - it was a minority movement, and a lot of it went right against the grain of mainstream American thinking.

No way protest era was simply marketing, although I tend to think it may have been caused by religious education as much as anything. I don't know any other way to explain the hope and naivete of that era, especially after all that had preceded it in the 20th century. Such innocence may be no longer available. Civil rights was going nowhere without scores of volunteer martyrs to be.

The 1965 period is weirder. The big commercial success required a wonderful radio song, a couple interesting precursors, civil rights fatigue and the escalation of the war. The change of taste has to be considered something of a fluke.

Of course Europeans Appreciate Bob Dylan more than Americans. Duh.

Things to consider.

Jerry Lewis is revered in France.

Even worse David Hasselhoff is a demi-god in Germany.

Maybe being revered by the Euros doesn't necessarily mean you're that good.

I've always had the impression that Bob Dylan appreciates Americans more than Europeans. Don't know if that helps.

Then again, Americans elected George W. Bush not once, but twice.....

In my experience Europeans appreciate Bob Dylan more than they do most Americans.

well.....only once legitimately.

No,... Chrome so sorry, but..isn't a silly question?

And that would be the SECOND time. God have mercy on our souls. We may never recover from him.

God bless USA and Europe, Asia, Australia, All América and The Antarctica, too....

I am listening to the Freewheelin' and maybe because these days I am returning to songs in Spanish I am reviving why I started to like him so much. With this I mean that although I am not American I can "get it" through other culture. He started as a folk singer, you can find folk music everywhere and they share something.

And Spain, too! (Don't know why I never think of Spain as Europe)

"Europe ends at the Pyrenees" And at Western Bug, by other hand

yes, you're right, i'm african, fu*ck yourself Europe

So i'm Asian

The second part you mentioned above immediately made me think of It's Alright Ma. Flesh colored Christs, advertising signs that con etc.
I was recently out of work(back now thank goodness) so in my mind numbing boardom I watched more daytime telly than I otherwise would have and it drove me absolutely nuts!!
Then I had a temporary problem with cable connection and was thankful. Act of God? Not my way.. but thankful anyway. Was in no hurry to get it fixed!
As far as Bob being a rebel against the ad world I think THAT would come over REALLY good today

Well, things have changed. Today, Bob is IN the ads and probably gettin' paid pretty good - Caddies and Victoria's Secret.
And this is why what I call the "Dylan Model" is so awesome. You're doin' great things, playing historic rock with great musicians, living like a king, women on every continent droollin' over you. Sickening. There's no better path, is there?

Not for Bob there isn't. At least not right now in his opinion.

About all these supposed degrees/masters/PhDs you can do on Dylan... I've got a little under a year left of uni and, God be willing, shall hopefully graduate with an MA in Modern History from St Andrews... and I have literally no clue what I'm going to do afterwards. Can you really do a postgrad degree in his Bobness?

There is one in Norway at the University of Oslo. But you'd have to learn Norwegian first

you can write a sh*tload about him in an art history program.

Why would you want to? Academics don't understand anything about art.

The 1962 debut album reached 13 in the UK album charts, not registering at all in the USA. So we dug him first.