The Quietus - A new rock music and pop culture website

Baker's Dozen

Foundations Of Rock: Buzzcock Steve Diggle's Baker's Dozen
Stephanie Phillips , January 20th, 2021 10:40

Steve Diggle guides Stephanie Phillips through the records that shaped him, from the girl across the road who introduced him to The Beatles and Bob Dylan to the sensual allure of late era Supremes

Bob_dylan_-__dear_landlord___1611078461_resize_460x400

Bob Dylan - 'Dear Landlord'
When that girl across the road had the first Dylan and Beatles albums, I went on a Dylan journey. This is off an album called John Wesley Harding, which is when all the hippies were doing Woodstock and the flower people, he came out with this album, which was kind of a back to the roots, spiritual thing. Having written 'Rolling Stone' and 'Mr. Tambourine', all this kind of stuff, he changed folk music.

Dylan inspired everybody. We'd all have all the albums, and then he went away for a while and came back with this album, John Wesley Harding in the middle of the flower power [movement]. People couldn't understand it, but it was Dylan's way of saying I'm not going to be a spokesman for a generation. You couldn't nail him down to any mast. The thing I like in 'Dear Landlord' is he's obviously showing a god up there and I like the lines 'if you don't underestimate me, I won't underestimate you, and now he's still with me'. I thought if you say that to god that's pretty cool. Those two lines stuck with me.

It's an exchange in beliefs. I'll believe in you if you believe in me kind of thing. I think you can adapt that to regular life as well with people. Don't underestimate me and I won't underestimate you, it's a fair exchange. It's a very down and dour song. It's a miserable song to most people but it's lovely when you get a miserable song and you want to be on your own.