I made the above video so that I could put this song of his on YouTube. But I suspect it might get yanked fairly soon.
I first met Bob Dylan when I was in high school. 18 year old, or thereabouts. Pretty close to losing my virginity, if it hadn’t been lost already. What I knew about music was all wrapped up in the minds of my best friend and her brother. Mostly, I didn’t know much. I had listened passionately to Shaun Cassidy. I liked Billy Joel. Fleetwood Mac, sure, why not. I was introduced to Bruce Springsteen by my friend and it was love at first site. But my friend’s brother was a Dylan fan. I heard a song called Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight. The lyrics caught my attention immediately. They didn’t just catch my attention. They strolled up to me and took me, hook line and sinker. It was more than love. It was probably whatever I should have been focusing on religion. This was god to me. Who was this person? Who wrote this song?
The funny thing is, after thirty years of loving Bob Dylan it wasn’t even his most lauded work that drew me in – but a throwaway love song, a lesser work, probably one most people have never even heard of. But that was it. From then on, it was All Dylan All the Time. It has been a reliable, faithful relationship. I’ve had minor affairs with Van Morrison, Springsteen and Leonard Cohen. But my true devotion has always been to Mr. Dylan and always will be.
What do I love about Dylan? His nimble mind. His obtuse personality. His arrogance. His voice. His autistic’s ability to draw upon the language.
He’s been with me through most of my silly adventures in life. He’s been with me through college, all of them. Through men, all of them. Through jobs, apartments, cities, hair colors. My favorite thing that I own is a picture of Dylan that my best friend Clara gave me – a poster for a concert in Paris with Dylan “avec Van Morrison.”
For me, there is no preferred Dylan stage. I love him from the beginning of his career all the way up to now. He is still making great music, still contributing to society in a meaningful way. He has never stopped. Does it mean he’s been happy? Hard to say. He’s happy in so much as his work seems to make him happy. Am I happy? I don’t know.