ABSTRACT

The favorite indoor sport in America is discussing, worshiping, disparaging, and all interpreting Bob Dylan. One of Paul Williams’s first significant articles, “Understanding Dylan” tackles the subject of rock’s most opaque poet, a figure whose complex lyrics virtually begged to be analyzed. Everyone knows that Dylan came east from the North Country in 1960, hung around the Village, and finally got a start as a folksinger. There are a few things about Dylan’s past that are relevant to understanding his work, however, and these appear to be little known. His roots are deep in country music and blues: he lists Percy Mayfield and Charlie Rich among the musicians he admires most. The way to “understand” Dylan is to listen to him. In many ways, understanding Dylan has a lot to do with understanding oneself.