Bob Dylan

[arkjack]

I thought I'd throw this out there today. And I'll try to set up a poll to track.I guess I am afraid to say that I am a Bob Dylan fan. Sometimes in the music scene, I almost feel like I have to be a closet Dylan fan. Is it just me? For some reason I seem to get a "vibe" from a lot of people at different levels of the music business, that its not a good thing to like Bob Dylan. I get a lot of frowns, comments about his singing, and arguments about whether he is or is not a really great songwriter. I guess the other place I "sense" some negativity is the fact that I know I am influenced by Dylan's style in a lot of my own songwriting and music. The screeners come out with comments that something sounds "Dylanesque" and slightly implies it is therefore.... not suitable for human consumption. Kind of a pooh pooh attitude.Its pretty easy to research how much of an iconic influence he has had on all genres of music for probably three generations now. Itunes has 82 albums for sale just under Bob Dylan alone, which doesn't count hist joint efforts with other artists and bands. If you look at the artists and bands that have done covers of his songs or even entire tribute albums, the list is phenomenal compared to the majority of american songwriters. All Along The Watchtowerr alone has been a hit cover for Hendrix, Dave Mason, the White Stirpes, and the Grateful Dead. The artists go from Natalie Cole, Nick Drake, Elvis, Pearl Jam, Dixie Chicks, Stevie Wonder..... He has 15 Grammy honors including Album of the Year, Golden Globe, and and Oscar. A member of the Rock, Songwriters, and Nashville Songwriters hall of fame.I guess the first song I ever learned by heart, 'Don't Think Twice', and growing up through the seventies and eighties with his songs as standards, I know the influence is very strong, just as it is throughout music around the globe.So I'm out of the closet, I'm a Bob Dylan fan. Heres to a great American writer.ArkJack