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12/12/2005

Chronicles: Part 2 - Dylan the creative artist

by Anne Ritchie

Chronicles has numerous insights into Dylan the creative artist, notably as the dedicated researcher into the folk music which obsesses him. Leaving home, ostensibly to go to college, his immersion in the folk scene in Minneapolis involves an all-consuming interest in the music’s archetypal messages. His excitement at the discovery of a whole collection of Woody Guthrie songs is graphically conveyed. He marvels at the “infinite sweep” of the songs.

As to the development of his own song writing, Dylan can’t point to any Eureka moment when he decides to write his own songs; he concludes that it happened in stages. A step on the way is the dissatisfaction he feels with a contemporary folk song doing the rounds, I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill. Although he doesn’t actually make any changes, he fantasizes about the possible new approaches required to create a song worthy of its subject.

In the final chapter, Dylan pays tribute to the influence of Robert Johnson. As with Woody, we are left in no doubt as to the excitement he feels on hearing Johnson for the first time. He even copies down the words to examine the lyrics and patterns and truths behind them. Much like many a fan listening to a new Dylan album, then.

In the Oh Mercy chapter, we are treated to an extended and intimate revelation of the song writing process leading to the album. There is a detailed account of the writing of Political World, ending with his satisfaction when the song is completed. Within a few days he is writing the words, in one go, of What Good Am I? Followed by Dignity. With all three songs, we are given extra verses which didn’t make it to the recorded versions, plus the bonus of the author’s own analysis of the songs.

Dylan feels that he disappointed producer Daniel Lanois in not creating songs of the calibre of some of his earlier masterpieces, but he himself is comfortable with that. He believes that it is for some future performer, a rapper like Ice-T or Public Enemy, perhaps, to carry the torch.

(to be continued)

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