Bob Dylan - today's top groups are "amateurs"

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

BOB DYLAN has launched a withering attack on contemporary rock bands in the programme notes for his latest American tour.

"I know there are groups at the top of the charts that are hailed as the saviours of rock'n'roll and all that, but they are amateurs. They don't know where the music comes from," he wrote, adding, “I wouldn't even think about playing music if I was born in these times... I'd probably turn to something like mathematics. That would interest me. Architecture would interest me. Something like that."

As previously reported Dylan’s latest leg of his so-called 'Never Ending Tour' opens in Seattle on March 7 and winds up with a five night stint at New York's Beacon Theater, April 25 -30.

Meanwhile, Martin Scorsese's two-part Bob Dylan documentary, ’No Direction Home’, is now likely to air on BBC2 in late September.

Concentrating on Dylan’s career from his arrival in Greenwich Village until his 1966 motorcycle crash, the film will draw on previously unseen archive footage from the singer’s own personal collection, plus new interview material.

(NME weekly music magazine)

Cybernetic Organism68 · Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 384

Everyone knows they are amateurs...

Looks are more important than talent.

bbchris

Bob Dylan only made that comment cause he's not seen any of my bands....... :bday

HatefulMusic · Ears bleeding yet? Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 793

Maybe if he could sing better I'd pay attention to his comments. Amateur.

Theo

HatefulMusic.com

bbchris

Don't you like nasally-whiney singers Theo? :bday

droolymutt

I saw him Live in 2002, and he sounded surprisingly good.. - nasal voice and all..partially due to an incredibly talented and tight back-up band...

In spite of his singing, I think most would agree he's a talented lyricist..

As far as him dissing today's bands? Well - he was an amateur once too. And he's sure not going to garner much good will by making public statements like that.

HatefulMusic · Ears bleeding yet? Joined: 08 Jun 2003 Posts: 793

Chris - In a word, no.

Theo

HatefulMusic.com

HKRockChick · No More Peas! Joined: 25 Nov 2003 Posts: 1513

I like Dylan's writing, though his recent attempts are simply trying too hard. I saw him on David Letterman doing (cant really call it singing) one of his new songs and it was embarrassing. If he was just starting out as an artist, it would have been laughed at, I'm sure, it was that school boyish. Dylan had his day and his old songs are still cool.

Joan Baez sang some of Dylan's songs, boy what a singer she is. She kicked @#%$.

I'm afraid I just don't like tuneless singing. Or someone who is trying hard to stay on tune and somehow managing, but you know its not natural and that they could go off any minute ewwww.

droolymutt

Well said, Debbers....

What keeps him afloat is his "legend" status...

Take that away, and he'd be kinda mediocre.

bbchris

Do you know his real name is Robert Zimmerman?

droolymutt

Yep, I knew that.

He's Jewish.

I forget why he changed his name.. probably a "show biz" move...

Wise move.

Somehow, "Robert Zimmerman" doesn't sound too "rock & roll" to my ears.

Sounds more like a Nerdy math teacher.

hahahaha... - wait.. - didn't he say he would like to be a math teacher...?!?!?....

Robert Zimmerman.. - in his next life...:

Bardofely · Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 97

Well, I love Dylan's songs old and new and his voice!

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

Quote:
Bob Dylan only made that comment cause he's not seen any of my bands

Maybe Bobby's just jealous that you went with the "Everything's gay" kid for the new TOL guitarist instead of him, Chris! :cute

Dylan has never been noted so much for how he sang as much as for what he sang. Probably his best vocal work was on "Lay, Lady, Lay" - from the "Nashville Skyline" album, I believe.

I think he's one of those people who ya either love or ya hate. Or - as with Madonna - a person may like some of his musical phases, but not the others.

And his live singing is often intelligble. It's a running joke amongst Dylanphiles that when he plays a song they have to guess which one it is!

He's one of our state's (Minnesota) best known "sons". Along with Prince, of course.

It's interesting not only that he is Jewish, but that he came from a part of the state (called "the Iron Range" - a mining area) where most the folks came from Scandinavia. A lot of Finns settled there, especially.

He lived in Minneapolis for awhile, attended the U of Minnesota and played the local folk venues before heading off to NY.

Lots of fans still make a "pilgrimmage" to his hometown, Hibbing. He's a bit of a cottage tourist industry there.

It even has a restaurant called "Zimmy's".

Included on it's menu are such items as the "Hard Rain" Hamburger, "Blowin' in the Wind" Stir Frys and "Don't Think Twice" Jumbo Shrimp.

No, I'm not kidding -

Zimmys Restaurant

bbchris

What interesting info Ron! Didn't know he was from your state! :banana

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

Quote:
Didn't know he was from your state!

Haha - yeah, that's probably why I give the old fella more slack on what he said, especially in it's context. I believe he was dissing the "top 40" chart-toppers. The dime-a-dozen, prefeabricated, heard-one-you-heard them all that the music industry cranks out.

In that sense I'd nod in agreement.

I'm guessing that Bobby hasn't surfed the web very much, checking out places like IC-MM and others where there's more creativity and diversity of sounds.

It's sometimes kinda funny with him having beeng a local boy. He used to rent a cheesy room above a drugstore when he lived in Minneapolis (by the U of Minnesota). After he became famous it was considered somewhat cool to rent a room above that drugstore.

The owner would tell prospective renters that he "didn''t remember" which room Dylan rented. That way he could charge more for the crummy rooms, because a renter just might be living in Dylan's old place!

There's not much left from that scene.

One of the places where he often played fell into disrepair and was eventually torn down. It was known back then as the "Ten O'Clock Scholar" cafe - a folk/beatnik hangout. I knew it in it's later incarnation, the "Cafe Expresso", where I - along with a zillion other guys&girls with guitars - played a set or two.

Some great memories of that area in it's heyday. Now it's more of a soulless "University Trendy" scene, without spontaneity and missing the underground, bohemian feel.

I better quit before I go on about "the good old days"! :cute