"the fact remains that for many years he represented something of what I wanted to be like"

George, my guess is that you did live up to the representation and kept your ideals - something that Dylan never could do.

That is the beauty of a great artist - they create something that inspires. It does not have represent themselves but should represent a message that the artist tries to create.

Contrary to Marshall McCluen, the medium is NOT the message - the message is the message!