“You're a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds, manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister.” In some ways, this line from Bob Dylan's 1983 song, ‘Jokerman’ sums up his personality. Over the years, he has not only influenced musicians but also poets, writers, professors, scholars and fans. Two years ago, in news that made ripples across the globe -- Dylan was honoured “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” with the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The legend celebrates his 77th birthday today. Like every year, tribute shows are being organised across the world. In India, Lou Majaw has been organising an annual event in Shillong, Meghalaya, since 1972. The place also has a Dylan Cafe. In New Delhi, a gig is being held this evening at Depot 48, Greater Kailash 1. Back in 2001, Dylan fan and founding editor of Inside Outside magazine, Sean Mahoney organised a multi-artiste show at the city's now defunct Rang Bhavan to celebrate Dylan's 60th birthday. Sadly, the number of Dylan tributes have been few, though many play his songs at shows. There aren't too many Dylan specialists in India, but Majaw and Delhi-based Susmit Bose always gather a full house.
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Falling into Dylan
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Every fan has a Dylan story. Let me tell you mine, or a part of it. I first got into his music in 1983, in my final year of college in Delhi. I was 20, and he arrived at a time when my tastes were transforming from pop and disco to rock and smooth jazz. From ABBA, Boney M and Lipps Inc, I was suddenly thrown into the world of Doors, Santana and Eric Clapton. On first listen, Dylan sounded neither here nor there. Yes, I liked 'Blowing In The Wind' and 'Mr Tambourine Man' but his voice sounded too nasal for my comfort. And I had nothing against nasal voices, being a huge fan of Hindi playback singer Mukesh.
Those days, we all tried to convince each other about our favourite acts. So here came my friend Arindam Mukherjee, loaded with Dylan's Greatest Hits cassette. I was mesmerised and played it for days. Luckily my father, normally into Hindustani classical music, liked his voice too. The following year, he went to Hong Kong and picked up the latest album Infidels. From then onwards it became a backward discovery. I had begun working, and spent half my meagre internship income of Rs 500 having blank cassettes filled up with Dylan, Jethro Tull or Pink Floyd.
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Lyrics like poems
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Slowly, I heard each album in depth. Highway 61 Revisited , Blonde On Blonde , Freewheeling , The Times They Are A-Changin , Another Side Of Bob Dylan , Blood On The Tracks , Bringing It All Back Home , Desire , Slow Train Coming and Street Legal . As luck would have it, I found a book of Dylan lyrics at a street stall. So the joy was doubled. I soon shifted to Jaipur and this book would be opened every time I listened to his albums. I even felt like quitting my journalism job to do a research thesis on the man.
Time flew by. Like every music buff from my generation, I began to discover newer genres and artistes both in Indian and international music. There were phases when I didn't listen to Dylan for months, but he kept coming back. I shifted to Mumbai in 1990. The 1997 album Time Out Of Mind proved to be a turning point. Half my old tapes had been damaged, and I picked up new ones from Rhythm House, Kala Ghoda. Later I bought all his music on CD.
Among his later records, Tempest (2012) is a favourite. On his last three albums - Shadows In The Night,Fallen Angels and Triplicate - he has focused on American standards, rather than writing originals. His voice and style are different, but he still sounds phenomenal. Maybe I am biased, but then, fans can be an absolutely devoted bunch. Happy Birthday, Bob. To quote your own lines, "May you stay forever young."
The author is a freelance music writer