7. Bob DylanIsis
Dylan’s done the same as Marvin but in a way he sings about absolutely nothing and he goes on and on about it. With the songs from this period, and several of the ones that I really love, there are so many words in these songs but I just enjoy it, and there are points of reference that lead to books and things.
I could have chosen dozens of Dylan songs that I’m really crazy about but I find myself DJing this one all the time. I really like the drum track and it’s a good way to kill a couple of minutes. I DJ really odd; I’ll DJ at concerts or whatever and I like to DJ first, even if they put me headlining. I’ll do it right when the doors open and be gone before anybody gets there. Why? Because I couldn’t care less!
Some of his stuff is hidden messages. In ‘It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)’ he’s saying shit like, "The rules of the road have been lodged" and he’s talking about Masonic lodges; he tosses these things in and then it’s like, ‘Don’t trip! It’s alright, ma; if I can’t please everyone then that’s alright.’ And with ‘Gates Of Eden’ it’s based more on literary points of reference and classical literature, I think, and poetry. I think ‘Isis’ is more fun and it’s a weird tongue-twister that only he seems to be able to pull off. And in ‘Hurricane’, which comes before on the record, is this true story and he just nails that one.
But a lot of his protest stuff is very vague. I find people like Bobby Jameson, when they’re being aggressive, to be more to the point about the system or something in folk music. I just find that Dylan, at times, was being super-vague. But you know who’s even crazier without saying anything? Beck. It’s like, we don’t know anything about that guy! He’s been around for like, 20 years, and nobody knows jack shit about him. It’s amazing! I know his brother and I’ve met Beck a few times and I really like him.
