Posted on 07/05/2005 10:19:12 AM PDT by NRA2BFree
No, none at all. Just stated the facts as I see them. But you are correct that my mind is set on the subject.
Okay, back to living under my rock.
What I find curious about this conversation is that Dylan has for virtually his entire career, been remarkably quiet in terms of his personal life and political views. He avoids politics, and wishes to be left alone.
Yes, he is popular with a segment of society that you no doubt have much contempt for and you have lumped him together as being either "one of those" or as a leader of that group.
One of the reasons he remains so introverted, as to his personal beliefs, is because if he was outspoken on the subject, many of those fans whom you hold in contempt, would desert him.
No, I have no hard evidence to point to that supports the above, but it is a conclusion I have drawn from my readings of the man and his interviews.
He is misunderstood by many, yourself included.
I'm far from a perfect example of a Christian, so that's not the issue at all. The fact that he pretended to be a Christian for awhile, almost all the while carrying on as he always had, then later denying Christ, is what I am standing oppposed to.
Many people still refer to Dylan as a Christian, in spite of his denial. Even your statement, "You appear to be viewing him through the lens of how good a Christian he is," appears to be assuming he is a Christian.
I decided a long time ago to not buy anything of his. That should be no big deal to anyone here, and it's a little puzzling that it should matter to anyone. If I had made any statements that were not true, you would be countering them with the truth. Since nobody here has done so, I suspect that my statements about him are true.
(I didn't hear anybody dispute my comment about the burnt coffee at Starbucks either. ;-) )
RD
As a voice teacher I can say with certainty that his sound is not "good". It may be distinctive, but it is bad and ugly, poorly produced, problematic. If you like bad and ugly, well, fine, but for a real voice try Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, or Andrea Bocelli (to name but a few of the biggies).
Actually, this has circulated for years, underground; first on cassette tape and now on CD.
They may be releasing the soundboards; or, if not, there is some technology to clean up old recording real good.
As for the rest of the comments concerning Dylan...ob la di, ob la dah.
I have no interest in arguing about it. I will say that a reading of Chronicles shows him a self educated man with lots of knowledge about a lot of things. It does up in his songs; not necessarily in specific allusion, but rather in the thinking he has done about the human condition. It comes out in the songs.
His favorite politician is Barry Goldwater and he is a gun owner. The When he asked the authorities, he was told he would most likely be in trouble if he shot trespassers on his property. He wanted to do it. People would not leave him alone.
Actually, this has circulated for years, underground; first on cassette tape and now on CD.
They may be releasing the soundboards; or, if not, there is some technology to clean up old recording real good.
As for the rest of the comments concerning Dylan...ob la di, ob la dah.
I have no interest in arguing about it. I will say that a reading of Chronicles shows him a self educated man with lots of knowledge about a lot of things. It does up in his songs; not necessarily in specific allusion, but rather in the thinking he has done about the human condition. It comes out in the songs.
His favorite politician is Barry Goldwater and he is a gun owner. The When he asked the authorities, he was told he would most likely be in trouble if he shot trespassers on his property. He wanted to do it. People would not leave him alone.
Dylan's political, religious and other attitudes have in many ways been remarkably consistent. Also consistent has been the distorted spin that the mainstream media have put on his life and work. Assigning Dylan's work to the cultural left has been one of the Big Lies of American liberalism. They have tried hard to co-opt possibly the greatest ever American songwriter to their world view, despite his constant rejection of their labels and their seductions. It's a big subject, one I write a little about here:
http://www.rightwingbob.com
Oh, and the idea that he rejected Christianity between 1981 and 1983, or any other time, is completely wrong. He continues to sing such songs as "Saving Grace," "I Believe In You," "Solid Rock" and others in concert. It's pretty clear that his born-again experience led him to explore his Jewish heritage very intensely. This led some gossipers to say he'd just shed Christianity like some kind of fad. It's bogus, and just another Big Lie. Dylan has made clear over and over again that he accepts Christ, in addition to accepting his own Jewish identity, yet somehow certain observers choose to spin in another way ...
I have also felt that one reason that Dylan does not speak of himself very much is for financial reasons. Many of his legions of fans would abandon him, if they found out he was a closeted conservative.
Maybe we should take solace in the fact that he has become a wealthy man to a large extent off of the backs of the left/lib crowd.
Well, you have to contend with Dylan's own words, in an intervew, saying that he wasn't a Christian. I'm still looking for a direct source for that, but I've recently seen references to the interview, and I recall it when it happened.
http://www.interferenza.com/bcs/interw/85-dec.htm
Search in that doc for "born-again" and it's the second hit.
He's rejecting being labeled (and dismissed) as a "born-again" type - he's not rejecting Christ, whose words he quotes approvingly in the same interview - in fact in the very same answer. Dylan has always considered labels to be radioactive, because they mean such different things to different people. You or I might hear "born-again" and think, hey, that's great. Someone else hears "whacko nut-job." Dylan is very sensitive - you might well think perversely so - to not letting labels overwhelm truth.
Born again (by the Spirit of God) believers know the Truth and can spot the false. That interview convinces me beyond a doubt that Dylan is not a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, at least not at the time of the interview.
sigh
Well, scoff if you want, but it's true. Born again believers DO know the Truth, and CAN spot the false. Do we always spot the false? No. But that interview set off flashing red lights and blaring alarms for me. It's that obvious.
Did you also not like to watch Koufax pitch?
Did you avoid all Mark Twain's novels?
Did you never appreciate Ulysses by James Joyce?
Do you also so strongly condemn Abraham Lincoln?
Do you also like Barry Bond's simply because he thanks the Lord each time he hit a steroid enhanced home run?
Do you not appreciate all that Thomas Edison gave us?
Do you also so strongly condemn the works of Frank Lloyd Wright?
And do you cringe each time you hear "God Bless America" knowing that Berlin was a non believer?
Does a person not have a right to any privacy and must put himself up for inspection to be judged by others before he can be enjoyed for his contributions be it musically, athletically or through the pen?
You are entitled to your beliefs, of course, along with your condemnations of others for not living up to your expectations. But I do believe you are a lesser person for much of what you have projected in this thread.
Tis a pity.
The "Christian phase" he went through is just one example.
But go ahead and read into what I wrote anything that floats your boat. You will anyway.
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