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episode date - October 3, 2006
It may be surprising to some, but Bob Dylan’s new album has become something of a phenomenon. “Modern Times” is his 31st studio album of new material, and his 52nd album overall (or more, depending on what you include) counting compilations and live albums. At sixty-five years old, Dylan debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Album Chart, making him the oldest artist to ever achieve such a goal. He’s been making records for forty-four years now, and after such a long run, it’s a safe bet to say that Dylan is the single most influential artist of our age.
Or, is it the other way around? Is contemporary culture channeling Dylan’s influence, or has Dylan become a conduit for America’s musical culture? The new album makes the point that Dylan may be relying on America’s musical past as much as America has been influenced by Dylan. It is virtually impossible to deny Dylan’s contribution to our culture. Who else can claim nearly a half-century of relevance, while remaining a trendsetter for virtually all of it? Dylan’s past few albums, though, reflect a methodology that incorporates a great number of outside influences, and this methodology reaches new peaks on “Modern Times.” It took some effort, but I can trace seven of the album’s ten tracks to older sources. Dylan certainly reworks the source material, and the performances here are nothing less than brilliant, but if they derive from another songwriter, can Dylan call them original, and claim to have ‘written’ these ten songs?
My opinion is simple and straightforward; Dylan has always relied on Americana for his material. He has even utilized it to promote and augment his own image. Now that he can claim to be the most important living songwriter – with virtually no competition - doesn’t it make sense that Dylan would reach into our past and reunite us with our own cultural experience? Virtually all of the songs that Dylan uses for inspiration are old, and most hold interest only to musicologists. You can be certain that any casual audience will not be aware of a lineage to Memphis Minnie, The Sons of the Pioneers, Bing Crosby, or even McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters). Nor is it likely that they would care. It has also been brought to my attention that Dylan has excerpted a few lines from a little-known Civil-War-era poet named Henry Timrod into a few of these songs. Until now, I never heard of Timrod. That is why I think it may be a good thing that Dylan can do this. For forty years, he’s been providing fodder for other songwriters, and now Dylan has chosen to capitalize on older sources that have influenced him. Is that a bad thing? Who else is as qualified? I feel that Dylan is providing a service to music fans by introducing ‘new’ material that your grandfather (or great-great grandfather) might recognize.
The point of “American Hit Radio” has always been to provide entertainment for our listeners, while providing relevant information. We also take pride in discussing how music has developed toward its present state. To the best of our knowledge, “American Hit Radio” is the only program in the country that can discuss one hundred years of America’s musical culture, play the songs and discuss their relevance to today’s music scene.
Recently, we added an entirely new aspect to our program by focusing specifically on “How Music Changed.” Dylan’s “Modern Times” provides us with a perfect opportunity to discuss myriad aspects of music’s history, and the relevance of our musical past. If for no other reason – and there are many other reasons – Dylan’s “Modern Times” is one of the most interesting, and controversial albums to be released in years. Thanks, Bob!
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