The solo musician whose dexterity, flair and class awoke the innovative spark in the aforementioned David Bowie, a feat that the Brixton-born 70s icon acknowledged in his love letter of a track, Song For Bob Dylan, the man born Robert Zimmerman is perhaps the most famous proponent of the pseudonym. The unwitting figurehead of the early 1960s folk scene, Dylans decision to plug in and embrace electric rock and roll at the Newport Folk Festival mid-way through the decade still remains one of the most monumental moments in all of music history, marking the point where he alienated die-hard folkies and began to successfully adapt his critically-lauded tunesmithery for the burgeoning rock scene. There has been widespread debate over where Zimmermans choice of alternative surname originated but it was finally confirmed by the man himself (if his word can be trusted) that it was inspired by his love for the poet, Dylan Thomas. And certainly, there can be no disputes that Dylan is a powerful poet at heart and one of, if not the greatest, lyricists in all of modern music. Taking influence from Thomas and the Modernism of T.S Eliot and Ezra Pound in addition to the Beat scene that directly preceded musics ascension to the forefront of the counterculture, Dylans complex analyses of social issues such as war and racism and personal topics like love, heartbreak and despair were crafted with such eloquence and insight that they were, and are still, unrivalled in their brilliance and verbosity by any artist since.
A 22 year old English Literature graduate from Birmingham. I am passionate about music, literature and football, in particular, my beloved Aston Villa. Lover of words and consumer of art, music is the very air that I breathe.
