by Wouter van Oorschot
Translated by Brent Annable
Previously in this series…
- Amuse bouche
- Who the book is (not) for – part 1
- Who this book is (not) for – part 2
- Anything but idolatry – part 1
2. Anything but idolatry – part 2
(continued)
We will also certainly cover this religious period, but let us not get ahead of ourselves. First we must examine Dylan’s failed launch into pop-stardom in December 1962. That would be of little use, however, without first explaining how I believe American popular music was commercialised and poisoned by the entertainment industry in the 1950s. Since it was against this backdrop that Dylan went through puberty and developed his temporarily dormant ambition to make a success of his life, I shall attempt to paint it for you. But you will understand my temerity in doing so: bows in that country are cocked at any non-American with the audacity to commit such a foolish act (although some would seem to prefer an AR-15 [a lightweight semi-automatic rifle, in case you are not familiar with firearms]).
But even this would be premature. A clear understanding of Dylan’s art also necessitates some general observations regarding the traditional love song and its global appeal. Last of all, it is important to understand the state of affairs around 1962 in the United States when Dylan first garnered attention there as a musician. His first 45-RPM release (a single debut) fell almost concurrently with that of The Beatles, and so something was afoot. I will make rather short shrift of the first twenty-two years of Dylan’s life, however, for the benefit of those who would prefer me to get straight to the twenty-five songs that I believe illustrate the essence of his artistry – all seasoned, of course, with lashings of my personal background and clouded perspective. I will try to keep things friendly!
Dylan’s self-emancipation as an artist took place around his 23rd birthday, and was marked by the song ‘All I really want to do’. He premiered it on 26 July 1964 during the annual Newport Folk Festival in the American state of Rhode Island, when he had already released three ‘folk’ LPs and had achieved a degree of stardom in the country of his birth.
Those who would prefer to gain an understanding of who Dylan was in the context of the age when his life began (the period from his birth in 1941 until the premiere of ‘All I really want to do’) should first read chapters 18 to 25 – then we will reconvene at chapter 3. This sequence will involve the repetition of some material which, while inevitable, is nonetheless surmountable. Those who are happy to take Dylan’s youth and formative years for granted for the present, can simply read on. The option is always available to refer to chapters 18–25 in the event of any questions about Dylan’s younger years. You may need to play a little hopscotch in that instance, but what of it? In 1963, author Julio Cortázar showed just how enjoyable that can be with his book of the same name. Again, the choice is yours!
As a preamble to the next chapter, I believe an extremely brief summary of Dylan’s childhood and younger years is in order. He was a respectable middle-class boy from the Midwest of the United States near the Canadian border, who moved to New York in the winter of 1961 at the age of nineteen to make his living as a folk singer. He did not rise to national fame until his earliest work had become imbued with political engagement, influenced by the family of his first great love. After that, his talent did the rest. These landmarks will become relevant later.
As for Dylan’s life itself: many premature biographies have already been written (that is to say, written before his death). Charitable and interested readers can readily leave these unread, especially those who, after reading this book, have not yet decided whether Dylan’s work as a whole is sufficiently captivating to warrant learning more about his life. It may also be advantageous to wait, for given Dylan’s age at the time of publishing – 83 – it would seem that new and updated posthumous biographies are not very far away. That is the nature of things. Beware, however, of the aggravating habit among some publishers of selling old wine in new casks, or furnishing revised editions with completely new titles. Incidentally, the information I am serving up here about Dylan’s life, though I do so out of sheer necessity, is also nothing more than a potpourri of what I have garnered from elsewhere. And so you see: we all ‘borrow’ from one another, the only difference is what I choose to present. Very well, let us begin!
(end of chapter 2)
continued: Dylan & Us: Beyond America: 3. Love, Dancing, Sex, Sadness, TR-63 – part 1
Wouter’s book is only available in Dutch for now:
Dylan en wij zonder Amerika, Wouter van Oorschot | 9789044655179 | Boeken | bol
Previously, we published:
- What you really don’t want: reconsidering “It ain’t me babe”
- All I really want to do: What you really want.
- Dylan & Us: Beyond America. Amuse bouche
- Dylan & Us: Beyond America. 1. Hors d’oeuvre – part 1
- Dylan & Us: Beyond America . 1. Hors d’oeuvre part.2
- Dylan & Us: Beyond America. 2. Anything but idolatry – part 1
We will publish more chapters from it in English on Untold Dylan in the coming weeks