I Love You, Bobby: Revisitng Bob Dylan

Unconsciously, "Blowing in the Wind", (the Kansas version) was the first Dylan song that stuck on me. I was a little kid then, and our maid was singing that song for her high school graduation.

Many years later, out of curiosity, and probably by the advice of some friends, and perhaps too because a hot college American Lit professoress mentioned that a certain Mr. Bob Zimmerman adopted Dylan Thomas's name for his own, I got this "The best of Bob Dylan" tape (When I decide to try an artist I totally have no idea of, I normally choose the "best of" collection first, just to be sure...but having bought a lot of "best ofs" and eventually ending up buying also the individual albums, it is my opinion that often the best ofs are not really the best...so there). I immediately fell in love with the raw voiced folk singer, and all of the songs in the cassette. But of all the tracks there (which included Sister, The times they are a changing, shelter from the storm, tambourine man, and the poignant Blowin in the wind.) my life, and everything I thought about music was changed by "Tangled up in Blue." I used to hop along the street in my walkman, everytime this song comes up. I always dreamed to live in the 50s; I even had an Alice Daisy phase (disregarding the fact that I took the name from Alice in Chains and Alice in Wonderland), during which I tried to approximate the mind of a hippie.

Anyhow, as heroes we so passionately love forever, sometimes withdraw in hibernation in the caverns of our minds, I somehow outgrew my Dylan phase, especially when I discovered more electronic sounding outfits...but in spite of this, I still listen to that good ole Dylan tape in my quiet hours. Until someone "borrowed" it and that was the last time I saw that tape.

Years passed without Bob, until Eric sold me his DVD collections, and one of them was a collection of Dylan Sessions from his folk guitar days to his modern band set-ups. And among the videos, my devotion to Bobby was rekindled by the song Hurricane, which I believed was how folk rock should sound like (only). And thanks to modern technology (for MP3 players) and Eric Lim (for the copy of the songs Hurricane and Tangled up in Blue), I was reunited with the songs I know I will always love.

* * *
Bob Dylan's Profile (Ripped off from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan)

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and a poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of Dylan's most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal chronicler and a reluctant figurehead of American unrest. A number of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'",[1] became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements. His most recent studio album, Modern Times, released on August 29, 2006, entered the U.S. album chart at number one, and that same year was named Album of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine.[2]

Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, he has shown steadfast devotion to many traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to gospel, rock and roll and rockabilly, to English, Scottish and Irish folk music, and even jazz and swing.[3][4]

Dylan performs with the guitar, keyboard and harmonica. Backed by a changing lineup of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the "Never Ending Tour". Although his accomplishments as performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally regarded as his greatest contribution.[5]

Over many years, Dylan has been recognized and honored for his songwriting, performing, and recording. His records have earned Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1999, Dylan was included in TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century, and in 2004, he was ranked number two in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "Greatest Artists of All Time", second only to The Beatles.[6] In January 1990, Dylan was made a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by French Minister of Culture Jack Lang; in 2000, he was awarded the Polar Music Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music;[7] and in 2007, Dylan was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award in Arts in Spain by the Fundación Príncipe de Asturias. He has been nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature.[8][9][10]

In 2008, Dylan was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."[11] Previous recipients of this award include Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.[12]