Rockol Tracks: Bob Dylan – an affectionate character assassination

Rockol Tracks: Bob Dylan – an affectionate character assassination

Bob Dylan is a liar and plagiarist, unscrupulous and greedy, a singer with a lousy voice.

To die-hard fans, such harsh epithets mean nothing. Dylan is the American maverick considered by millions to be the “spokesman of a generation.” After being at the top for half a century, he is indisputably the most successful living singer-songwriter in the history of recorded rock music.

To the uninitiated, however, the indictments are brutal.

But the accuser is Ian Bell, an award-winning British journalist who was speaking a cold night on 18 August at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival in Scotland.

Described by London’s Financial Times newspaper as having written the “best Dylan biography yet,” Bell was discussing "Time Out of Mind: The Lives of Bob Dylan". It is the second volume of the biography published by Random House.

Bell was being interviewed in a sold-out venue at the festival by a moderator who said the only person he could compare the enigmatic and elusive rock star to was Hitler.

Although Bell dismissed the comparison as “futile,” the comment gave an idea of the character criticism to come.

Before we embark on Bell’s no-holds-barred analysis of Dylan, here are some indisputable facts. Rolling Stone magazine once ranked Dylan No. 2 among the greatest 100 artists of all time (after The Beatles).

TIME magazine included him among The Most Important People of the (20th) Century.

He has sold more than 100 million records, covering rock, pop, acoustic folk, blues, country and protest anthems.

Hit tracks such as "Like a Rolling Stone", "Mr. Tambourine Man", and "The Times They Are a-Changin’", plus albums like "Blonde on Blonde" and "Blood on the Tracks" have influenced generations of singer-songwriters that include Elvis Costello and Kris Kristofferson.

He has defied music-industry conventions. Despite being associated with US political movements in the 1960s, such as the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War protests, Dylan still moved on artistically.

He was booed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he played with an electric guitar (he had been famous for his acoustic performances). But he survived creatively and commercially.

He embarked on the “Never-Ending Tour” in the 1980s, a questionable move by any measure. But he continues to sell out shows, which is currently on its New Zealand and Australia leg. Now, the English language includes words such as “Dylanesque” and “Dylanologist.”

Additionally, the prolific Dylan has written several books, including Chronicles (the first part of a commissioned three-part autobiography); has released about 36 studio albums; starred, written and/or produced movies; and picked up 11 Grammy Awards; collected a Golden Globe and an Oscar for a movie soundtrack.

He has been honored with a Special Pulitzer Prize for his poetry, France’s Legion d’Honneur, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and, appropriately for the Scottish book festival, an honorary degree from Scotland’s University of St Andrews.

He is a renowned painter and sculptor, whose works have been exhibited at galleries worldwide, and has hosted his own radio show on the satellite-delivered XM Satellite Radio in the US.

Yet, Bell declared: “His (memoir) Chronicles is wonderful, but is dubious with the facts, with quotes ‘borrowed’ from other people.”

When asked whether his biographies used details from Dylan’s autobiography, Bell explained he did not get the permission required and had to paraphrase. “After all, an autobiography that’s not quite reliable can’t be quoted. I have read interviews; I have seen things that are flagrant lies. He even lies about his height.”

When discussing Dylan’s own inspirations, Bell submitted that “we know he was not always scrupulous (about using other people’s works). In recent years, he has been a rampant plagiarist, lifting quotations.”

Bell was equally baffled why the 73-year-old multi-millionaire still needed to be touring. “At his concerts, he charges people a lot of money and expects (fans) to take pot luck; he has some good nights, he has some not so good ones. What appears to be his greed is extraordinary.”

In case he gave the impression he had come to despise his subject after two biographical volumes, Bell emphasized that was not the case.

Speaking in a war-weary tone of voice during the festival at the end of what must have been a long day, Bell sounded like a younger brother trying to understand the cravings of the much loved older sibling.

He admires the way the ferociously ambitious young Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota officially changed his name to Bob Dylan in his hunger for fame in New York. 

Despite being adopted as a spokesman by various political movements, Dylan remained true to his art, Bell added. “He was not a leader or a spokesman, he was an artist. He would have been crushed by those who wanted to be led by him, and art tends to flee when the politicians arrive.”

And that voice; a mystified Bell wondered why the live concerts continues. “This time last year, I would have said it was time for Bob to stop. But I went to see him last winter, and he was very good. This ruin of a voice still works.”

[Juliana Koranteng]