Bob Dylan is an iconic musician, activist, and Nobel Prize recipient. Often considered the voice of his generation, his contributions to folk and rock music of the ’60s and ’70s are widely understood. But as far as his popularity amongst the younger generation goes, it is safe to say he’s less followed. However, A Complete Unknown, the biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, has established itself as Dylan’s contemporary, Oscar–nominated revival. A lengthy press run complete with Bob Dylan memorabilia, cover albums, and SNL performances—the artist was evidently brought back into the mainstream from some distant, outmoded–but–powerful place. The ease and rapidity of his comeback seems to be a testament to his artistry, but it also begs the question—did Dylan’s music ever leave the conversation to begin with? Fortunately, the answer is close to home. To gain insight into the Bob Dylan phenomenon, look no further than Penn and the existing campus community of long–time fans.
One Bob Dylan enthusiast—Professor Al Filreis, English professor and director of Kelly Writers House—celebrates Dylan’s poetry, versatility, and lasting musical legacy. Filreis explains that he was first drawn to Dylan’s music in his youth. “I was young, I was a teenager, and I was rebellious. I thought the revival of Rock and Roll in the mid–60s was exciting but what it was missing was its connection to poetry," Filreis says. "I fell into it because I was—even as a young guy—I was a language–oriented person, and Dylan took the folk revival and matched it with surrealism and avant–garde poetry.” Filreis’ favorite song, “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”, perfectly exemplifies the poetic nature of Dylan’s work that first drew Filreis in, with introspective and delicate lyrics. “Statues made of matchsticks / Crumble into one another / My love winks, she does not bother / She knows too much to argue or to judge,” Dylan sings on the track.
He credits Dylan’s profound lyricism as an influence for the success of other classic acts, “The genius of The Beatles was that before Dylan, I should point out, was their assimilation of 1950s rock 'n' roll, so those Beatles songs we think of as revolutionary—the lyrics were not much. So, they became influenced by Dylan of the early '60s, and suddenly, The Beatles … they became more interesting.” Dylan’s work is classic, notes Filreis, likening it to that of Shakespeare or Gertrude Stein. This versatility is why his musical legacy still lives on.
“He influences everybody. You know people like Rosanne Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash, were deeply influenced by Dylan. Patti Smith, I mentioned, was influenced by Dylan. Bruce Springsteen—deeply influenced by Dylan. These are different Dylans. The Springsteen Dylan is a Walt Whitman–Woody Guthrie: ‘I’m out on the lam, America is broad I want to discover it’ Dylan. The Patti Smith Dylan is Rambeaux and surrealism and what we call ‘visionary romanticism.’ Rosanne Cash: that influence is the Dylan Americana, the guy that brought Appalachian music into rock. … Those are three very different Americas, very different American musics,” Filreis says.
But Dylan's impact extended beyond broad American appeal—according to his music's political themes—was a powerful influence in their own right. “‘This Land is Your Land’ and the folk revival of the '50s, Pete Seeger and those people—that’s a way of saying that the political left should embrace America. … That’s the left trying to take the ‘pride of American culture’ from the right, and Dylan influenced that.”
Penn lecturer and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis, feels similarly about the literary nature of Bob Dylan’s work: “I heard other people perform his songs: Peter, Paul and Mary; The Byrds … I was pretty young—12 or 13—and a friend’s older brother had one of Dylan’s albums, and we listened to it, and it took me a while to get used to the voice,” he explains. “I had never heard anything like that, you know? I mostly listened to pop music before that, but then I just got interested in his writing. He’s an extraordinary songwriter, and my background is literary; I have a Ph.D. in American literature, [so] the words really drew me in.”
DeCurtis, like Filreis, did not hesitate to mention Dylan’s massive musical influence, also. “His impact on other artists whom I held in high regard, from The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder—you can just run down a long list. Pretty much everybody has felt the impact of Dylan,” The reason why? “Dylan has allowed himself to evolve,” says DeCurtis. “He pays attention to what's going on, and the music that he makes tends to shift the currents of the culture.” The lecturer has even gone so far as to teach a class on the musician's legacy: “Visions of Dylan," based on the Dylan song "Visions of Johanna.” “The course was designed to inspire the student’s creativity … it was about trying to get inside his work and his life and the people he affected and using that to excite your own creativity,” says DeCurtis.
Perhaps the Bob Dylan "revival" isn’t really a revival at all—maybe he’s been here this whole time. From his range and dominion, it is undeniable that Bob Dylan is an artist’s artist. Some would say he’s your favorite singer’s favorite singer. He’s influenced classic musicians who are, in turn, cited as inspirations for 21st–century pop stars like Frank Ocean and Drake. In a roundabout sort of distant way, he also might be responsible for Lady Gaga’s The Fame (and just for that, Bob Dylan will always be famous in my book). In short, there’s a Bob Dylan for everyone; his evolution and expense are a testament to his talent. It’s good to see Bob Dylan have a public moment again considering the transformative work he’s done for music.
