Dylan “bores” ridiculed

Thanks to Pete Short:

“A friend who knows of my Dylan interest sent me an article from Sunday’s Observer Music Magazine and challenged me to respond to the sneer, below.



OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY, Sunday 11 November:

‘Who does Bob think he is?


‘There are six - or is it seven? - 'Dylans' in Todd Haynes's I'm Not There. The director talks exclusively to Sean O'Hagan about the weirdest rock biopic ever

… blah … blah … blah …


‘Haynes's wilful blurring of fact, fiction and myth will probably annoy the crap out of the Bob bores, the very people who possess the deep knowledge of Dylan lore to be able to pick up on, and decode, all the in-jokes and references.

'Oh, they'll be panicking, I suspect,' grins Haynes, 'but it'll do them good. To me, it's like the ultimate misunderstanding of Dylan to try and pin him down by collecting and endlessly analysing everything he does. The one thing you have to acknowledge about Dylan right off is that he's never there when you reach out to claim him. He's already gone, three steps down the road.'


“My response to my friend:

1. I’m not interested in Todd Haynes. His film is of no interest, either – I’d far rather watch some proper Dylan DVDs instead.

2. I don’t buy The Observer; it’s a waste of trees.

3. I don’t read feature articles in glossy magazines plugging new product: who needs them?”