{"id":2272619,"date":"2026-02-08T15:21:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2272619"},"modified":"2026-02-08T15:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:21:20","slug":"the-last-great-age-of-real-music-according-to-bob-dylan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-last-great-age-of-real-music-according-to-bob-dylan\/","title":{"rendered":"“The last great age of real music”, according to Bob Dylan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Following an adolescent fascination with 1950s rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, Bob Dylan<\/a> became gradually spellbound by folk music. After modelling his early material on American folk, as popularised by Woody Guthrie, Dylan branched out to pioneer his distinctive form of folk rock, first exhibited in his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Much to the disaffection of folk purists at the Newport Folk Festival in \u201965, Dylan famously \u201cwent electric\u201d during his most inspired run in the mid-60s and continued dancing to his own tune. As a musical innovator, Dylan drew inspiration from various genres, past and present and, for many years, maintained a contemporary sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The moment would be a defining fork in the road for music. Not just Dylan\u2019s own pathway, which was given a whole new map forward, but for music in general. Dylan\u2019s decision proved that genres could be changed and an artist\u2019s style could go along with it. The freewheelin\u2019 trooubador wasn\u2019t just a folk artist any more he had stepped into the world of pop. <\/p>\n

When discussing his enduring admiration for The Rolling Stones<\/a> in a 2009 interview with Bill Flanagan, Dylan pinpointed the moment in history when he began to lose interest in contemporary pop music. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Rolling Stones are truly the greatest rock and roll band in the world and always will be,\u201d Dylan asserted. \u201cThe last, too. Everything that came after them, metal, rap, punk, new wave, pop-rock, you name it \u2026. you can trace it all back to The Rolling Stones. They were the first and the last, and no one\u2019s ever done it better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The shades of Bob Dylan. (Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continuing, the singer-songwriter explained that while enjoyable music never ceased to materialise, a peak was reached in the 1960s. \u201cThose \u201950s and \u201960s records were definitely important,\u201d he said. \u201cThat might have been the last great age of real music. Since then, or maybe the \u201970s, it\u2019s all been people playing computers. Sam Cooke, the Coasters, Phil Spector, all that music was great, but it didn\u2019t exactly break into my consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is naturally a hefty degree of bias in Dylan\u2019s preference for the older decades of the 20th century. The singer found his way in the world during those particular years; his heroes, his adversaries and his cultural counterpoints all found their feet during those decades. It is perhaps refreshing that Dylan is as equally blinded to the changing landscape of music as any other music lover. <\/p>\n

Dylan explained that, during the \u201950s and \u201960s, he learned from the best in the business. \u201cI was listening to Son House, Leadbelly, the Carter Family, Memphis Minnie and death romance ballads,\u201d he continued. \u201cAs far as songwriting, I wanted to write songs like Woody Guthrie<\/a> and Robert Johnson. Timeless and eternal. Only a few of those radio ballads still hold up, and most of them have Doc Pomus\u2019 hand in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite such assertions, the octagenarian is by no means disillusioned with more modern music. During an interview with the Wall Street Journal<\/em> towards the end of 2022, an 81-year-old Dylan outlined his current listening habits. <\/p>\n

Among his surprisingly diverse list were the rap artists Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan, both of whom Dylan said he is \u201ca fan of.\u201d He praised both for their \u201cfeeling for words and language\u201d and added that he enjoys \u201canybody whose vision parallels mine.\u201d Also included in that praise were Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag\u2019 n\u2019 Bone Man and Nick Cave.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome I\u2019ve seen live,\u201d he added. \u201cThe Oasis [Gallagher] brothers, I like them both, Julian Casablanca [sic], the Klaxons, Grace Potter. I\u2019ve seen Metallica twice. I\u2019ve made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner. Zac Deputy, I\u2019ve discovered him lately. He\u2019s a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to Bob Dylan\u2019s 2020 single \u2018I Contain Multitudes\u2019 below. In the lyrics, Dylan gives a shoutout to \u201cthem British bad boys, The Rolling Stones.\u201d<\/p>\n

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