Composer Comments on Bob Dylan Rolling Stone Interview

If anyone can comment on the recent Bob Dylan Rolling Stone interview, it’s another songwriter. The controversy over whether Bob Dylan clearly cited the sources of the quotes used in his songs is just an attempt to distract listeners from the power of his new work. Look, all artists have been borrowing from each other since the days of poets. You might even go so far as to say that all ideas are borrowed from a superior source. Thousands of artists around the world are tuning in to the same ideas, inspirations, and thoughts at the same time. It is what the artist then creates with that inspiration that catches our attention.

True artists understand that the creation process is organic and that inspiration can come from many places, the key is to take that idea and make something unique with it. And if done right, it will be a future inspiration for all of us.

Appropriation in art is a well-known method practiced by many artists; it is the use of pre-existing images, words, materials and objects to create a new work. An artist can borrow from a variety of sources, for example, advertising, media, art history, or everyday objects. Appropriation questions the idea of ​​originality in art and challenges the concepts of authorship and ownership. Imagine a recycling of ideas that continually rejuvenates our creative energies. Bob Dylan is no different. If one is going to dissect his music and look at this scientifically, everything is inspired by some source. Keep the music machine going and let’s focus on the heart of your creation and how well it was executed.

Let someone else make a mistake. Bottom line: all artists borrow from each other. Critics who have been quick to judge Bob Dylan’s use of quotes from other artists on his recent album forget to note that great songwriters and bands like The Birds, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Crosby Stills and Nash, among many other musicians. , they have used the ingenious interpretation of Bob Dylan. write songs as inspiration for your own music. How much can you squeeze out of a man and then criticize him negatively at the same time? Not surprisingly, he fiercely countered the critics’ attack on his creative process. How many of these critics are songwriters, let alone have been invited to the White House as one of the greatest songwriters of all time? Critics should take a pill to relax and realize what is happening.