"The above are quite simple lyrics, and the messages are obvious." In the song "Blowing in the Wind" the messages are so obvious as to be preachy and simplistic.

Bob Dylan would have been happy to be received as well as Elvis Presley. He was a show business figure who found a new way to reach the public. He took on the mantle of Woody Guthrie and maybe Jack Elliott.

The infatuation that Pete had for him, I could never understand. I think this is due to Pete's naivete. I remember saying this to Pete personally and it was one of the few times I've ever seen Pete angry. Don't cross Pete if he is.

I don't agree that Dylan is a great poet. He is clever, maybe like Ogden Nash without the sophistication and can turn a cute phrase but he is more of a symbol of rebellion and comes out of that need by adolescents who haven't quite grown up. He is also a symbol of nostalgia for the Sixties and yes he probably thought in those days "everybody needs to get stoned".

"Like A Rolling Stone" was an indictment of young girls or boys on the road who didn't come to grips with the reality of their situation. It has an air of judgement about it although as a song on the charts, it was interesting and a departure from the sentimentality that you usually find there.

In fact, there is an air of judgement that is almost Old Testament coming from Dylan.

An interesting book to read is "Positively Fourth Street" which talks about his relationship with Joan Baez. He's a bit of a misogynist. He is the product of a patriarchal attitude.

He is, however, a significant performer in the field of popular music. Watching him in the early days, he had a hypnotic effect on an audience, something that is built in the DNA I think and could mesmerize large audiences in a huge setting as well as people in a small room.

He captivated Joan Baez who went all out for him but he never reciprocated.