Right wing Bob Dylan Fans?

Question

When I hear all those old protest songs he sung his early days - with their left wing platitudes, slightly anti-American lyrics - I wonder, as right wing thinking people, do the songs loose all value? Do you end up disliking him; or does another kind of appreciation take effect? I just find it interesting on a psychological level!

Answer 1

I dont like him, but not becuase Im right wing.

Answer 2

I'm afraid I can't recall those Dylan platitudes you are referring to, could you remind me please?

Answer 3

My uncle is a Conservative MP. He listens to Bob Dylan....so do my parents, they vote conservative.

Answer 4

Is there any right wing Bob Dylan fans?

Answer 5

Dylan, not only wrote some great lyrics, but some great tunes too.

It's a similar thing I guess when I think about some of the stuff that Billie Holliday used to sign about. I love her voice and music, but some of the lyrics were terrible in terms of the rights of women, eg: -

It cost me a lot

But there's one thing that I've got

It's my man

It's my man

Cold or wet

Tired, you bet

All of this I'll soon forget

With my man

He's not much on looks

He's no hero out of books

But I love him

Yes, I love him

Two or three girls

Has he

That he likes as well as me

But I love him

I don't know why I should

He isn't true

He beats me, too

What can I do?

Oh, my man, I love him so

He'll never know

All my life is just despair

But I don't care

When he takes me in his arms

The world is bright

All right

What's the difference if I say

I'll go away

When I know I'll come back

On my knees someday

For whatever my man is

I'm his forevermore

These are terrible lyrics but the song as a whole is amazing. It's of it's time and the society when and where is was written and you just have to accept it for that.

Answer 6

I don't think he has any anti- American songs. They are actually patriotic songs.

"All that foreign oil controlling American soil,

Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed.

Sheiks walkin' around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings,

Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris

And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend."



"To declare that you are not allowed to criticize the president or that you should support him right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but also moral betrayal to the American people." - Theodore Roosevelt

Answer 7

sorry but i do not know who that is.

Answer 8

He was a Jew you know, he changed his name. He was involved in a lot of anti American activities as well. He was placed for the purpose of destroying America through the media. A tactic that is still used today. No I do not like him. I once did but once I learned the truth, I no longer find pleasure in his lyrics. 88

http://www.radiohazak.com/Dylan.html

Answer 9

i know what you mean, its like he told us how unfair the world was and didnt really change anything accept peoples views on him, and his new electric guitar.......... gotta luv him tho

Answer 10

Oh this would make Bob so very very unhappy.

Firstly being in favor of democracy and against opression and war and bad things, being instead in favor of good things and for us, etc WHERE IN ANY OF THAT DO YOU FIND SOMETHING UNAMERICAN?

Define unAmerican. I think you'll find the adventure very semantical.

BOB was just a simple folk singer. He'd observe life and rant about it - in his Bob sorta way.

Besides , there's just too many WORDS in a Bob Dylan song to actually hear what they all are or be able to figure out any messages, so we all just listened to the SPIRIT of the recordings and picked out some occasional colorful imagery to be amused by.

'Course "we" weren't actually subscribers to the idea that there even IS a right wing and a left wing.  We all thought that we were just people, and were all American (if we happen to live here) and so oughta find ways to get along! (not divide into left and right, and do it even just because we mistakenly think it's the intellectually sophisticated thing to be heard doing! (sorry)..phew!  (tiresome).

Yeah I just don't see anything unAmerican about wanting what's best for your country. instead of some evil c**p. That actually strikes me as VERY "pro-America", in fact. So I'd end by saying for godsakes beware of people who use that word! (they're just tryin' to trick ya,  into hatin' somebody  - and that ain't too nice).

       Unite, not divide.

Answer 11

I didn't like his music. But not because of the lyrics. I just didn't like his voice or that type of music. I was into the Beatles, the Doors, The Animals and such as that. Just didn't care for him. And I was pro-war. He was a dove and I was a hawk. The hawk attacks the dove. :-)

Answer 12

That's the beauty of music, you can enjoy the melody and ignore the message, if you choose.

Appreciation of art in general is not dependent on message interpretation. In fact, in many cases, a message can detract from the artistic value of some types or art. It can add to artistic value as well, but, the rules of appreciation are subjective and remain in the the minds and hearts of the viewers and listeners.

Answer 13

Man, why would anyone answer if they didn't know who he is? "Sorry, I don't know who he is."

Don't think he's anti-American, not that I'm American.  Didn't notice any platitudes, just as don't see how he was the "spokesman for his generation", for which he was hounded and hauranged throughout the mid-sixties, but which couldn't be proved in any court.

Just heard him recite Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love". Superb!

Answer 14

I really do not find anti American songs of any value at all.  

Either love the country.  Or leave it.  It's that simple.  In 1969 my husband was in an airport.  And because he was wearing an army uniform he was spit upon.   The young woman had no clue who he was where he was coming from nor where he was going.  But just because of the uniform.... she spat on him.  All that she accomplished was to make someone she did not know hate her for the rest of their life.

Bob Dylan's anti American songs. Trash.

Answer 15

For god's sake, the word is LOSE!!!

I like Bob Dylan because he's a genius.

Answer 16

I consider myself a moderate and I love Dylan.

Answer 17

For God's sake the word is LOSE!!!!!

I don't like Bob Dylan.