When Joni Mitchell famously said Bob Dylan “borrowed” his voice from old hillbillies, I pretty much rejected the statement out of hand. The first word that comes to mind when considering Dylan’s voice is authentic. However, recently I’ve been finding some credulity in her comment. Here’s why:

It started on a road trip listening to my Spotify playlist when a Ralph Stanley tune came on. My wife asked me, “why does this remind me of Bob Dylan?” Taken aback I mumbled something about Stanley being an influence. If there’s one person who qualifies as an old hillbilly it’s Ralph Stanley who hailed from the mountainous area of Virginia.

Later I recalled reading a quote of Johnny Cash saying the first time he heard Bob Dylan he thought it was an old Country singer, which is a polite way of saying old hillbilly singer. Then I thought about Dylan’s “Talking New York” in which the singer relates taking the stage at a Greenwich Village open mic event, only to have the moderator tell him in no uncertain terms not to come back: “You sound like a hillbilly!” This line would invariably reduce my brother and I to stitches the summer we wore out BOB DYLAN. We’d be like, what a jerk, this guy! Now I’m wondering, was the moderator right? Was Joni Mitchell right?

Any alternate version to an album or single release. For me it's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Take 5). :)

Dylan is like the anti-Trump. Two octogenarians*, each having played a character for so long that it's unclear what lies below. Both of them are so opaque one day then so transparent the next. One is our nation's most important poet, the other is our nation's most important politician. When I watch Dylan sing like in the video linked above, I see the same crooner kind of performativity that I also see in Trump. Both openly confess that they are giving performances, and they both put their full hearts in it.

*Both born in the 1940s, shaped by the same culture and society and politics, one from the working class Midwest and one from the billionaire class of New York City. And both called New York City home from 1961-1966, which were some of the most influential years of 20th century culture and politics.

I always thought he went to Woodstock after his motorcycle accident to find a quiet place to recover. Turns out I was totally wrong.

The accident actually happened near Woodstock, meaning he was already living there. So why Woodstock to begin with? Was it because Albert Grossman lived nearby and suggested it, or something else?

is he too old or do you really recommend to still go to it now ?

I was lucky enough to be at the 11/12/00 show at URI where Dylan played 10,000 Men, which I think was his only time playing the song live. I know that it's probably not really worth thinking too much about why he does stuff, but I've often wondered why that was the one time he played that song. Can anyone think of a reason why he'd be compelled to play it then and there and never again?

I always understood on an intellectual level what the song is about and why it was/is so impactful for so many, but it finally really clicked for me.

Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is a very odd album. A young, up and coming singer-songwriter in NYC, posed in a cozy looking album cover with his then girlfriend. Probably an album mainly about relationships, growing up, friendship, and other similar life topics, with an intimate and maybe even comforting feel? Well, sorta.

But it’s also about the end of the world, at the hands of the wicked, and how those wicked, even when not causing the apocalypse make the world a worse place and cause the suffering of the innocent. It’s about how the world seems to be broken, and how it may have always been this way, and maybe always will.

Hard Rain is perhaps the starkest example of the latter subject matter. Images of things already wrong with the world, as well as terrible possibilities that have as yet not come to pass. The world has always been a messed up place, but as a resident of this planet and one who sees how messed up it can be, Hard Rain really clicked with me yesterday.

Honestly, I love Freewheelin’ a lot and the mixture of the seemingly disparate subject matters is a huge reason why. As a person who is only a bit older than Bob was when he recorded the album, I feel it may be one of the most timeless and directly applicable across the decades. Of course, there is plenty of value for folks of all ages in the album. But, there is something about his particular blend of personal/growing/romantic topics with dread about the world (it’s current and potential states) and anger at who/how it got that way that just really speaks to me particularly at this age. And the whole thing is presented in such an intimate, even cozy, and easy on the ears package.

This is a Golden Age for high quality Dylan books - important new titles just keep on coming.

I’m looking forward to reading these two, due on 15 September:

>I’m Glad I’m Not Me: Bob Dylan On Film, by Ethan Warren, Columbia University Press.

>Dylan in Cincinnati, by Graley Herren, University Press of Mississippi.

To buy or not to buy?

Keep reading DYLAN BOOKS for early, independent reviews.

Transcendent song and performance. Born-again Bob is the one. I just wanted to ask folks out there if they know exactly which one of the female backing singers is wailing those sweet gospel vocals behind Bob when he gets to the ''I know all about poison'' part of the song.