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Dylanalysis
“The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981” was the first new Bob Dylan release when I was starting to descend down the rabbit hole. I was surprised to learn this was not already considered some of the most marvelous music of his career. I needed to learn more, not just about this period I was wholly unfamiliar with, but the entire arc of his legendary career.
Enter Definitely Dylan. Nobody has enriched the man and his music for me more than Laura Tenschert. When you listen to the radio show and now podcast, you can hear the joy in her voice, and joyful is exactly how I feel when I am listening to Bob. Laura makes magnificent connections across Dylan’s many artistic mediums, and between him and other artists. She understands that there are no “right” answers, and what can be more satisfying than that for a man who contains multitudes?
Erin Callahan’s Infinity Goes Up on Trial tackles big ideas that fuse Bob Dylan, art, and our shared humanity. She is incredibly articulate and knowledgeable about a wide range of topics, and through her podcast has introduced me to some extraordinary people. Erin is extremely generous in every sense of the word. She believes that everyone should have a voice at the Dylan table. Nobody is considered as having more or less value or quantifying their contributions based on their credentials.
Case in point, Roberta Rakove. I know she doesn’t consider herself any kind of serious Dylanologist, but the reality is she has an incredible amount of wisdom and enthusiasm to offer. See her fun and informative exploration of The Man in Me or read her poignant Bob Dylan and Our Plague Years. She is passionate about politics, and I am inspired by her devotion to action. I find this a natural extension of Dylan, because if he was only once identified specifically with social activism, he continues to remain an artist committed to truth and justice. She is also the only other person I know who likes the song “Joey” as much as I do.
Henry Bernstein is a renaissance man. He is a wonderful conversationalist as evidenced by his not one, not two, but three podcasts! He is my favorite Twitter feed to follow not just because it is full of delightful original Dylan content like his Taylor Swift Mashup, but because it is so eclectic. He somehow manages to make me interested in things I know nothing about, like Star Trek and comic book movies, while bringing me back to things I once followed more closely like baseball and WWE. I want to talk to him just as much about the Coen Brothers and Michael Chabon as I do Bob Dylan.
I like to celebrate what I consider Dylanologists’ own proper art, inspired by Dylan’s art. The community around Dylan has added a whole other dimension to my appreciation. They are truly some of the kindest and most interesting people I have ever met in real life and online. Whatever the next big news item is in Dylanland, we’ll be processing it together.
What an honour to be mentioned, and alongside such brilliant people who have become friends through our shared love and enthusiasm for Bob Dylan's songs. Bob Dylan himself has said, "The highest purpose of art is to inspire. What else can you do? What else can you do for anyone but inspire them?" – and all of us who are listening to his songs and think about them, maybe talk or write about them, have been inspired not just by him but also by each other.