Dylan wins the Nobel for Lit

[Ken Gargett]

nice to see an inspired decision. been saying he should win it for years.

best decision possible (bar Bruce, of course).

[braveheart655]

F*ckin' A 

[helix]

Yep either you get Dylan or you don't. Ramblin Jack Elliot may not be too impressed however.

[PapaDisco]

Ha ha!  Love the decision too . . . but the ramifications of defining lyrics as literature I'm not so sure about!  What ever will become of this?!  

[TheLiquidGator]

5 minutes ago, PapaDisco said:

Ha ha!  Love the decision too . . . but the ramifications of defining lyrics as literature I'm not so sure about!  What ever will become of this?!  

There is a quote from Dylan many years ago that one of the main reasons he put his words to music was because he would reach more people. And that people really aren't that interested in ready poetry anymore. I will try to find the quote later.
 

On another note. If you are a Dylan fan find and read the March 1966 Playboy interview with him. It was his first print interview. It really is a good read.
 

The main point I took away is how he wants to protect his privacy, He said he never understood why people were so willing to give away their privacy.
 

Fast forward to today with Facebook,etc. Extraordinary man indeed.

[Akela3rd]

Favourite Dylan quote "hnrr, hnrr, grrru, yyee, hnrrrr (harmonica break) babe"
Only joking - strange, out of the box choice and well deserved.

[MahDooRow]

Yeah baby!!!  Big props to Zimmy 

[Warren]

I thought he won it for his services to the marijuana industry.

[kuma]

Ha Ha Ha what a crock!  Was not that long ago he was "In the basement mixing up the medicine"

if you know what that means.  Stoner to the max!  not sure who is the worse singer Willie N. or

him.

[Ken Gargett]

9 minutes ago, kuma said:

Ha Ha Ha what a crock!  Was not that long ago he was "In the basement mixing up the medicine"

if you know what that means.  Stoner to the max!  not sure who is the worse singer Willie N. or

him.

why a crock?

he didn't get it for his voice or his 'singing ability'. it was awarded "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

given that so often it seems to be some barely heard of, obscure writer who has sold about 8 books (which is not to say that they are not excellent writers), i think this is an inspired decision.

[MIKA27]

WOW, have they run out of real talent to give this prestigious award to?

No offence to Dylan fans, I never liked his "Thing" but in this day and age with Science, Physics and Medicine advancing, I'd have thought the prize would have gone on to someone in these fields?

My take on Dylan, the below sums it up.

 

[Ken Gargett]

2 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

WOW, have they run out of real talent to give this prestigious award to?

No offence to Dylan fans, I never liked his "Thing" but in this day and age with Science, Physics and Medicine advancing, I'd have thought the prize would have gone on to someone in these fields?

My take on Dylan, the below sums it up.

 

guys, again, not for his voice. it might be distinctive but yes, it is as bad as mine.

but why on earth would they give the literature prize to someone for science, physics or medicine? wouldn't they be more likely to win the medicine or physics nobel prizes?

remember, churchill's nobel was not the peace prize. he won the literature nobel.

[MIKA27]

1 minute ago, Ken Gargett said:

guys, again, not for his voice. it might be distinctive but yes, it is as bad as mine.

but why on earth would they give the literature prize to someone for science, physics or medicine? wouldn't they be more likely to win the medicine or physics nobel prizes?

remember, churchill's nobel was not the peace prize. he won the literature nobel.

Well there ya go @Ken Gargett I was unaware there were individual prizes for the different categories.

I assumed there was only the "One" prize out of "All" the categories. Fair enough then

[Ken Gargett]

mind you, this would open up the possibility of the chemistry prize going to keith richards.

[MIKA27]

1 minute ago, Ken Gargett said:

mind you, this would open up the possibility of the chemistry prize going to keith richards.

[helix]

1 minute ago, Ken Gargett said:

mind you, this would open up the possibility of the chemistry prize going to keith richards.

 now that's funny I don't care who you are !!!! LOL

[kuma]

Ken what!  He copied as much as the song writers before him and then after him.  Most

of those white rockers 60's copied music / styles / forms from the black delta blues singers and

writers.  Zim was no different.  He was the right color at the right time.  Same with the 60's Brit. rockers

(clapton, Jagger / Richards, Rod Steward......) Dylan and the rest of that bunch owe the black

delta blues performers a big load of gratitude and thanks for showing them the way.....

[Ken Gargett]

i wonder if those not so enamoured by the decision are perhaps the younger members amongst us and perhaps, understandably, not aware of the extraordinary contribution and impact this man has had on both music and life in general. music would not be what it is today without dylan. i would argue that he is as important to music as anyone in the last 100 years. even more so.

[Ken Gargett]

6 minutes ago, kuma said:

Ken what!  He copied as much as the song writers before him and then after him.  Most

of those white rockers 60's copied music / styles / forms from the black delta blues singers and

writers.  Zim was no different.  He was the right color at the right time.  Same with the 60's Brit. rockers

(clapton, Jagger / Richards, Rod Steward......) Dylan and the rest of that bunch owe the black

delta blues performers a big load of gratitude and thanks for showing them the way.....

no argument that the blues players were crucial. as were others. and, like in so many spheres, those who come after build on what has gone before but i have no doubt that dylan would acknowledge that. i (and apparently the nobel committee) would argue he certainly took it further than anyone to that stage.

[Ken Gargett]

this is a short video which might help explain his contribution and originality.

worth mentioning that he also drew greatly, as the vid suggests, on rimbaud and the bible. often heard dylan speak of what he got from rimbaud.

i love the last line - "he has rearranged the way we all think".

http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000004707425/bob-dylan-and-his-poetic-gift.html?emc=edit_tnt_20161013&nlid=62389403&tntemail0=y

[kuma]

The blues delta performers were miles ahead of most with guitars and harmonica

work.  Think Howlin Wolf, Muddey Waters, BB King.... also the lyrics where also copied

and reworked for the primarly young white hippy audeance.  Just my thoughts and we all have

them but not sure if he was any more special than say Cat Stevens, Jim Croche, Jim Morrison (doors).

Not sure he outshines a luminary as say Les Paul and his contribution or a J. Cash / W. Jennings

Appealed to the hippies mostly w / peace, love, sex and drugs down with the pigs (police)

and the 9 to 5 world.  Half the time could not understand what the hell he was saying / singing

about without sheet music.  Anyway to each there own!

 

 

[MaxG]

Don't forget Lightning Hopkins.  Pure gold. 

 

- MG

 

[foursite12]

8 minutes ago, kuma said:

Ken what!  He copied as much as the song writers before him and then after him.  Most

of those white rockers 60's copied music / styles / forms from the black delta blues singers and

writers.  Zim was no different.  He was the right color at the right time.  Same with the 60's Brit. rockers

(clapton, Jagger / Richards, Rod Steward......) Dylan and the rest of that bunch owe the black

delta blues performers a big load of gratitude and thanks for showing them the way.....

Ken much more diplomatic, and economical, than I can be.

I will grant you that, at the beginning of his career, Dylan borrowed heavily from that well-known delta blues artist, Woody Guthrie. Maybe that lack of originality is why nobody has covered his music.

Look. Now is the time, here is the place. Take the plunge. Start with albums 2-6 and Blood on the Tracks. Don't expect to dance to it. Be attentive and be enriched. Those are the sounds, the words, the phrasing, the rhymes and yes, the humor, that effected change--on both societal and personal levels--on a scale never achieved through art before or since. And it is as valid and relevant now as ever.

[Jimmy_jack]

My Economics teacher in highschool played Dylan albums during class. God I hated that class.

[Ken Gargett]

1 hour ago, kuma said:

The blues delta performers were miles ahead of most with guitars and harmonica

work.  Think Howlin Wolf, Muddey Waters, BB King.... also the lyrics where also copied

and reworked for the primarly young white hippy audeance.  Just my thoughts and we all have

them but not sure if he was any more special than say Cat Stevens, Jim Croche, Jim Morrison (doors).

Not sure he outshines a luminary as say Les Paul and his contribution or a J. Cash / W. Jennings

Appealed to the hippies mostly w / peace, love, sex and drugs down with the pigs (police)

and the 9 to 5 world.  Half the time could not understand what the hell he was saying / singing

about without sheet music.  Anyway to each there own!

 

 

completely agree re the each to their own. as it should be.

that said, and without in any way diminishing cat stevens, to me we are talking solar systems difference between the two of them. and pretty much the rest of them. but yes, each to their own.