"I like Dylan, but not his lyrics"...WTF?

[darkstar]

Not me who said it. And you'd have to be stupid to think that, right?

I give you Prime Minister John Howard:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/11/17/1194767017308.html

True, John Howard likes the revolutionary Bob Dylan but — here's the thing — not his lyrics. Few things sum up our Prime Minister better than that. To like Dylan but not his lyrics is akin to liking Don Bradman but not his batting. Nevertheless, it hints at traits that have made Howard such a successful conservative leader: restraint, moderation, and a refusal to bow to received wisdom or fashionable opinion.

[Elidor]

1. He must be a fan of Dylan's dulcet tones

I sure wish I could sing as fine as Bob Dylan.

[darkstar]

2. I mean, you wouldn't want to be a slave to

"fashionable opinion" would you?

:hi:

[old mark]

3. Didn't care for his guitar playing either,

but he dressed well and kept himself clean.

mark

[Cant trust em]

4. I think I'm going to go listen to Blonde on Blonde now.

Isn't John Howard the former PM?

[Forkboy]

5. I'm just the opposite.

Love his lyrics, can live without the voice (yet I can listen to black metal with no trouble...go figure).

[kentauros]

7. I'm exactly the same way

as far as the voice goes. Can't say I listen to black metal (ever watched Metalocalypse on Adult Swim? :P) but do have a CD of Sepultura that's pretty cool as well as several discs of Caspar Brotzmann :)

[Forkboy]

10. Sepultura's Beneath The Remains is in my top 5 thrash albums of all time.

I know a lot of people like their later stuff, but that thing was planted on my stereo all through 1988. Even to this day, whenever it's hot outside I bark out "Everything swamped and hot!" in Max's accent.

I have seen Metalocalypse once (no cable). It was pretty funny, but in it's own way true to the death metal spirit, and not just mocking it. I read an article about it in Terrorizer magazine and the dudes involved take the music seriously, so that's cool.

Black metal is raspier and more hateful. Here's a taste, from one of my fave CDs of the year so far. Not for everyone, that's for sure, so be warned...you may hate it, and if you do I understand. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqMZ9QwlKGs&feature=related

[Throd]

6. His lyrics are fine, his music sucks hog balls.

[Robeson]

8. That's like saying, "I like Paul Simon, but not his lyrics"...

...the lyrics are what define those artists.

[mitchum]

17. I prefer Paul Simon's guitar playing to his lyrics...

he is vastly underrated as a guitarplayer.
His lyrics? They are "Upper West Side poetry"

[RoyGBiv]

9. That doesn't even make sense ...

Dylan is kind of a prick, can't sing (at all), and isn't even much of a musician. He's pretty damn hideous to look at too.

His concerts are good only because the audience (and a certain floating aroma) drowns him out.

His lyrics are really the only thing he has going for him.

[Robeson]

11. Yeah, I think that's what kind of befuddles us.

[newmajority]

12. Isn't that like saying "I like McDonalds, but not their burgers"???

:wtf:

[old mark]

13. Sure!

It's the Ambiance.

mark

[Orsino]

14. Well, I like a lot of his lyrics...

...but others seem merely opaque and pretentious. I don't know what the hell to make of "All along the Watchtower," for example. I just know it rocks, and that the lyrics, even when I don't understand 'em, are usually pretty.

But no, I don't think disliking Dylan lyrics makes one stupid, any more than does disliking his voice or his guitar playing. But disliking something without being able to articulate why may indicate a lack in education.

[raccoon]

15. Maybe he likes Dylan's bod? nt

[mitchum]

16. Actually, I prefer Dylan as a melodist rather than as a lyricist...

I think that his ability to craft gorgeous melodies has always been overshadowed by the "poetry" of his lyrics.
Granted, Dylan did kick the door open as far as lyrics in pop/folk/rock/whatever are concerned, but I think that some who came in his wake far outclass him as a compelling lyricist. Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, for example.

[EstimatedProphet]

18. Actually, I like Dylan's singing

He puts on a great show!

[bif]

19. How come he does that Jimi Hendrix tune "All Along the Watchtower"?

Was a line I heard from a stoner in the bathroom after a Dylan concert. He got yelled at by just about everyone in the can. Thought that was pretty funny.

[mitchum]

24. "Why is he covering that stupid song abut the Eskimo?"...

mrs mitchum once asked me that question

[redqueen]

20. "that have made Howard such a successful conservative leader"

What? Utter fucking cluelessness?

:rofl:

[SteppingRazor]

21. I'd type a long, drawn out rant about how great Dylan's singing AND lyrics are...

but unfortunately, my head exploded when I read that quote.

[Zavulon]

22. So he doesn't like Dylan's lyrics, but he DOES like Dylan's singing?

That's like saying "I don't like dogs, but I do like what they leave at fire hydrants."

[KG]

23. much prefer to hear Dylan covered by someone else,

great lyrics, average composer.

a favorite Dylan cover:

http://www.imeem.com/people/_GV2cq/music/s0btqkO3/jimmy_lafave_buckets_of_rain/