"Most people want music to speak to their hearts and their feet, ie to emotions put to rhythm so's they can dance to it.    You never see too many people dancing to Dylan, do ya?"


Ha! You just hit upon the crux of something there, my friend. I never listened to music at any age because I wanted something to dance to. Never. And you know why? Because I grew up listening to folk music. Music that made me think. Music that gave me a comprehension of history, philosophy, social causes, ideals, cultural change, and so on. Folk music, unlike most other musical genres, is NOT primarily intended as dance or entertainment music...it's primarily intended as "think and then feel that which you are thinking about and think some more" music. It doesn't merely entertain, it enlightens.

Popular music is intended as feel only...and then dance...but for heaven's sake, don't think! Just danc with the other sheep who aren't thinking. Do you think that commercial radio stations want anyone to think? Hell, if they did they'd turn off the damn radio station and listen to something real that wasn't permiated with an endless avalanche of advertising and obnoxious deejay blabber.

And therein lies the divide. I like the side of it that Dylan is on and I take to it naturally...hence I consider him the greatest songwriter of them all. You prefer the other side of that general divide, thus you are naturally more tuned in to the Beatles and a great many others. (who also did great music in their own fashion)

Dylan does not write songs for people to dance to. And that's just fine with me.

He either moves you profoundly or he doesn't. If he doesn't, there's nothing I can say that will faze you in the slightest.

And for the other yobbo from the UK...he did NOT name himself after Dylan Thomas!