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28/03/2006

Rimbaud and Dylan

BBC Radio 4 is rarely played on my kit. It would be difficult to dream up a more tedious radio station if you tried – wall-to-wall political trivia; presenters who sound like refugees from a retired magistrates luncheon club; and a smugly earnest tone that could drive you to switch over to the even more tedious Radio 2.

But I was alerted by advance publicity to Sunday’s excellent half hour documentary, Like a Rolling Stone, in which Jeremy Harding traced the work of French poet Arthur Rimbaud, posing the question: how did a writer with such a slim legacy win over so many 1960s rock musicians, notably Bob Dylan, but also Van and Jim Morrison, and Patti Smith?

I’d always assumed that Dylan and his rock acolytes had dutifully trawled through all the 19thC French poets until one day, alighting on Rimbaud, they had decided “I like this one best!”. Naïve, of course – Rimbaud was newly popular because he had been championed by the Beats, and thus became required reading for any 1960s rocker with literary aspirations.

You can hear a repeat of this splendid programme on Saturday 1 April at 23:30-0:00 (Radio 4 FM). You can also listen via the web - until 8 April.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio4



Gerry Smith

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