Bob and the American Hum.

I’ve mentioned on this blog before that probably the most formative influence on my attitudes towards western culture was the early work of Bob Dylan. Long before dear Zoe (blessings be upon her) pointed me in the direction of Ishmael, I’d already started to hear the hum of Mother Culture courtesy of good old Bob.

On listening to it again now, I’m struck by how much bitterness there is in those early songs (I got nothin’, Ma, to live up to and when ya got nothin’, ya got nothin’ to lose.) I wonder whether this is just a reaction to The Hum, or whether Bob was bitter by nature. He certainly recounts some bitter true stories, as in The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and The Ballad of Hollis Brown, so maybe it was simply that his creative faculty responded more readily to the nasty side of life in the good old US of A. But then most of his romantic ballads were pretty bitter, too. One Too Many Mornings and Boots of Spanish Leather are prime examples. (And I once sang Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright to a prospective liaison of my own. She wasn’t at all impressed with the sentiment!)

I’ll never know, of course, since I’m never going to meet him. If ever I did, I’d like to ask him why he embraced religion later in life, first Judaism and then Christianity. That’s a puzzle.

And on that subject, I read today that 71% of Americans still identify themselves as Christian. This surprises me since I wonder how the prevailing American ethos accords with such notions as turning the other cheek, eschewing wealth, and the meek inheriting the earth – all supposedly core teachings of Jesus. That’s a puzzle, too.

But let’s end on the upbeat. There is a rare example of Bob mixing bitterness with humour (I ordered some Suzette, I said ‘could you please make that crepe’ was one of my favourite lines even at age 15 when I didn't know what crepe Suzette was; I just knew it was posh and he'd transposed the words.) It's called Bob Dylan's 115th Dream. Unfortunately, it isn’t overly kind to the good old US of A, so may I point out that this not an anti-American post. Some of my very favourite people are American. It’s just a disinterested observation consequent upon listening to one of America’s most potent artists. Also unfortunately, the nice people at Google will let you hear it on YouTube, but they won't let you upload it to a Google blog. It's here if you want listen.