"Many people hate Bob Dylan because they hate being fooled. Illusion is fine, if quarantined and diagnosed as mild; otherwise it is potentially humiliating (is he laughing at me? Conning me out of my money?) Some still discount Dylan as merely a popular culture hero (how can a teenage idol be a serious artist -- at most, perhaps a serious demagogue.) But the most tempting answer -- forget his public presence, listen to his songs -- won't do for Dylan has exploited his image as a vehicle for artist statement."Willis said this more than thirty years ago, but what's really telling is that you could easily sub a number of artists for Dylan and it still rings true. (Madonna? No stranger to demagoguery. Gaga? Well, people discount her as a mere "pop" star, too.)
Also interesting is that Dylan, when viewed with enough historical distance, was once a "teen pop idol." Even when I think of the Dylan of my parents' generation, I don't see him as a pop star, only as a "serious" artists. It goes to show how much someone's narrative can change throughout their career given a few twists of fate. (Pun intended.)
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