How rich is Dylan?

Subject: How rich is Dylan?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 05:36 AM

How rich is Bob Dylan and what does he do with his money?

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Teresa
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 06:02 AM

Ah, well, don't know much about him, except that the concert of his I went to about a year ago had no commercial sponsors. A novelty, eh? Well, not too bad for a commercial concert with several scores of thousands attending ...
Teresa

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 07:56 AM

If he is still writing songs, enjoying singing them and people listen then he is rich beyond measure.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: alanabit
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 07:59 AM

It's none of my damned business. Who folks sleep with and what they do with their money never is.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:00 AM

Well, I'm glad you said it, alanabit. It's people's *music* that interests me.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Big Tim
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:15 AM

It's none of your business Les. Leave Bob alone.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Mooh
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:37 AM

I agree it's really not our business, but I think it begs a larger question. What have the big names supported? What charities have they embraced? Should we, to our lesser abilities, follow their lead? Have they set a good example?

Just wondering.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: wendyg
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:45 AM

I think it's an interesting question because we see a lot written about the incomes and catalogues of other stars/songwriters like the Beatles and Madonna, but never about Dylan. The Beatles catalogue has famously changed hands a couple of times, so we have a sense of how valuable it is.

Many of his songs from the 1960s are still performed, recorded, and played on the air, but whether he gets a steady stream of income from them depends on how smart he was about retaining the rights when he was a beginning musician. Dylan has always struck me as pretty damn smart, but he's also very secretive. We'll probably never know until his will is read.

wg

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 10:09 AM

I have no idea how much money Dylan has. I do know, though, that there are any number of older, often penniless, traditional musicians whose final years were made much more comfortable thanks to Dylan's financial support; support that he has offered very quietly and out of the public eye.

Dylan has also financially supported such organizations as Smithsonian Folkways Records and the Sing Out folk music magazine; again very quietly and out of the public eye.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST,Hershel
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 11:04 AM

Mr. Dylan has a net worth of $28.6 million. These assets are allocated as follows; 37% copyright/royalties, 28% equities, 16% bonds, 10% real estate, and 9% fixed income.

These are approximate values based on unaudited statements dated December 31, 2003.


Hershel Zimmerman

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 12:27 PM

If I were a carpenter....John

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 01:50 PM

Who frigg'n cares...

And why isn't this under the BS line?

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: nutty
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 02:34 PM

i've always considered "blowin' in the wind" to be a pleasant ballad until I saw it covered by Billy Bragg who belted it out as a protest song. If this as Dylans original idea then fame and fortune are simply by-products of his talent, like Bruce Springsteen and Billy Connelly. America had already been prepared for such a Messiah a decade earlier by the Beat Poets, Burroughs in particular.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 02:46 PM

He will make even more from royalties if they do repeats of the Magic Roundabout.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: nutty
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 02:54 PM

Time for bed said Zeberdee...........BOINGGGGGGGGGGG

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Big Tim
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 03:26 PM

Not as rich as he deserves to be.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Gurney
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 06:33 PM

'The folksinger came from America to sing in the Albert Hall,
He sang his songs of protest, and fairer shares for all.
He sang how the rich were much too rich, and the poor too poor by far,
Then he drove back to his penthouse flat in his brand-new Rolls-Royce car.'
I don't know who Benny Hill had in mind when he wrote that, back in the 70's. The line always got a titter in folkclubs, though.
Yeah, yeah, we threw him out, yeah, yeah.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 06:39 PM

The money doesn't matter. He's earned every penny of it...and more.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Peace
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 06:58 PM

The man changed the culture of our time, influenced more songwriters than Carter had liver pills, and he enriched literature. Along the way he made a few bucks.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Raggytash
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 07:28 PM

Why do you ask the question, is it any of your concern, do you want to know how much I earn in my daily job, again what concern is it of your's

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST,who cares?
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:28 PM

shouldn't this be in BS???

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:30 PM

The forum won't curl up and die if it doesn't get moved there, and Dylan is a musician, is he not?

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST,who cares
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:32 PM

I should have red the whole thread first........   now I've gone and agreed with Clinton Hammond ----


The Times THEY ARE a changing

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 08:37 PM

"and Dylan is a musician, is he not?"

errr yes, err no... errr I'm not sure what the answer is to that - could it be a double negative? or just to late at night????

I only asked shouldn't it?

:-)

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Feb 04 - 09:46 PM

It's okay. I agree with Clinton Hammond now and then too...well, occasionally. :-)

And Dylan's a consummate musician, but yeah, I fed you a great line there, didn't I?

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: dianavan
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 12:57 AM

Dylan deserves every cent and more.

I used to feel so sorry for my baby brother. His generation really never had anyone that innovative. I was lucky enough to hear the new music of Elvis and then Dylan and the Beattles (not to mention Van Morrison). So much choice. So much variety. What did the kids of the 80's and 90's have that was so refreshing?

The 2000's? Not much more than pop, rap and tech. I'm glad Dylan's songs were a big part of my life. We liked it, we paid. He got rich.
Hooray! Somebody got what they deserved!

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Bo Vandenberg
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 01:34 AM

"I want to be Bob Dylan
Mr. Jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky
When everybody loves you, son, that's just about as funky as you can be"

Counting Crows

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 06:55 AM

i've always considered "blowin' in the wind" to be a pleasant ballad until I saw it covered by Billy Bragg who belted it out as a protest song.

Nutty - "Blowing in the Wind" always was a protest song - you've obviously never really listened to words if you've thought otherwise. It's quite possible to sing a protest song without belting out the words, although Dylan's own style is hardly contempative.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Fergie
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 07:48 AM

If you think I'd let Barry Golderwater,
move next door and marry my daughter
you must think I'm crazy or something.

There is no way I'm going to let her slum it.
Signed
R Zimmerman.
Daluth

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 07:58 AM

I'd imagine the real RZ would be literate enough to have mastered the correct spelling of his birthplace.

How pointless is this thread? And whyever am I reading it?

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Big Tim
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 10:20 AM

Dylan himself has described "Blowin in the Wind" as a "spiritual" and he should know.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: alanabit
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 10:48 AM

I could be fooled into thinking that spirituals were in essence a type of protest song...

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 11:20 AM

Indeed. Spirituals very frequently have a strong element of protest against a world of people intent on going their own selfish and foolish way. Dylan's material was drenched in both spirituality and protest from the beginning and right on through to now.

"they'll pinch themselves and squeal, and they'll know that it's for real, the hour that the ship comes in...then they'll raise their hands, saying 'we'll meet all your demands', and we'll shout from the bow 'Your days are numbered!" and like Pharaoh's tribe they'll be drowned in the tide, and like Goliath they'll be conquered" (circa 1963)

"I've seen thousands who could have overcome the darkness
For the love of a lousy buck I watched them die
It won't matter who loves who, you love me or I'll love you
When the night comes falling from the sky" (circa 1985)

- LH

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 11:53 AM

John the Baptist while torturing a thief
Looked up at his hero the Commander in Chief
And said tell me great hero
But please make it brief
Is there a hole I can be sick in?

The commander answered him chasing a fly
Saying death to all those who whimper and cry
And dropping a barbell he pointed to the sky
Saying the sun's not yellow it's chicken.

BD


You work it out, I can't......John

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Steve-o
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 11:58 AM

I had to read through quite a few whiners to get to one actually interesting piece- about Dylan quietly giving financial support- and it came from a "guest". Thank you.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 12:40 PM

I would have been delighted to post that one Steve, if I had know about it. Thank goodness for Guests, eh? :-)

John - Sure, here's what it alludes to: It's a very sarcastic and critical comment on a society that constantly idolizes killers in its movies and entertainment. The classic killer at the top of the pecking order is symbolized by the "Commander in Chief", who is not a "hero" at all but a mass murderer. "John the Baptist" is one of his ordinary soldiers, who has to obey orders he doesn't like in the least...such as the order to torture the "thief" who is probably someone who took a loaf of bread because his family was starving. John feels like throwing up while committing this act and secretly detests his commander. The commander is "chasing a fly"...doing something entirely trivial which he, however, thinks is vitally significant...yelling "Death to all those who would whimper and cry!" ...the usual refrain of proud slaughterers who glory in their power to destroy and their macho self-image of omnipotence. He drops a barbell, because he is always pumping iron to show off his mighty muscles to everyone. He "points to the sky" (possible sexual reference of potency...or maybe not...) and accuses the very sun of being "chicken". In other words, even the sun is less powerful and might than he is. He's a psychotic.

It's a very pointed attack on brutal hubris, aggression, jingoism, militarism, and all the stuff that fuels things like attacks on small countries who have not attacked you and lack any real power to even do so. Sound familiar?

Make the Commander in Chief Rambo, Dirty Harry, Schwarzenneger, Stallone, a Charles Bronson character, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Ariel Sharon, or even George Bush and you may find some parallels.

- LH

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 03:20 PM

I asked the question and I think it has been clearly answered by a collection of replies.

I was a bit surprised by some people who feel quite clearly that it is none of our business.

Dylan is unique as a songwriter and a performer. He is also unique in the way has commented on and asked us all to reflect on the rich and powerful and the poor and the powerless and how we are all related.

Dylan has become deservedly rich and hence powerful. I never believed for a second that he would use his wealth in totaly selfish ways.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Bill D
Date: 02 Feb 04 - 05:01 PM

well, when I saw a few years ago that he had a house perched on a cliff over the ocean in some of the most rarified real estate in California, I figured he must be doing ok....

In my mind, the biggest incomes in the entertainment industry are seldom earned by those who suit MY taste...but if Michael Jackson can be rich, I guess Bob can be too..*grin*

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 07:47 PM

Another question: How rich is our music, poetry, writing and culture because of Dylan? He damn near invented the suspended fourth, and who can hear Queen Jane (Approximately) with its out of tune electric and not go, wow, how does the guy do that and get away with it? Most of us don't care that the guitar is outta tune. It works. I think we are rich because of Dylan. I am a Dylan fan. Have been for over 40 years.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST,Ronnie Golfman
Date: 04 Feb 04 - 09:39 PM

Bruce,

That was a great version of "Walkin' Down the Line" you used to do.

Ronnie

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: GUEST,Mountain Tyme
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 12:37 AM

bbZ was always rich. I hung around with him in 61/62 NJ NY scene. No he didn't have any money then. He was very shy and intense wise guy. Whenever I could afford it, very drunk too. Then he shined! I still today tune my guitar as I did then to my Honer harp that I have always carried in my case for that sole purpose. Bob borrowed it often (he didn't own one) in those early performance days. He couldn't much play it or a sometimes borrowed guitar or sing for that matter. The visual was the thing. The harp is a "G" long before blown out to G flat. It and Bob were perfect together. Many Dylan clones still today ask to see it or spit into it. In the early days, Folk City on 4th was a favorite haunt twice a week. Many of the then obscure, todays names, were there nightly. Yes he's rich now and deals with it well. Try consider today, the day no talent Bob's 1st album hit the streets. That was true collective awe! I could go on about my affection for Bob till this server is pained... but no I couldn't do that to Clinton H cept'n maybe on a BS thread. Nuff sed.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: Big Tim
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 03:59 AM

Bob got quite animated when asked about his money on the bbc tv docu at the time of Hearts of Fire. He ranted, a bit, something like "are you talking about money in the bank? When I started I had no money, so don't talk to me about money" - this from memory, tho I still have a video of the interview.

Thanks Mountain Thyme: I always "knew" Bob was one of the good guys; you only have to listen to the songs.

Subject: RE: How rich is Dylan?
From: alanabit
Date: 05 Feb 04 - 05:15 AM

When making a TV documentary last year, I looked the interviewer straight in the eye and told him that I was not going to say how much money I earned, because it was none of his business. I think there are certain areas of a person's life which deserve to be respected and kept from intrusion. I will listen to the details of someone else's love life or financial affairs if they choose to volunteer the information. I have never felt that people forfeit this right to privacy simply because they are rich or famous. It is just about basic courtesy.
    I am sure no malice was intended by the original enquiry and there has certainly been no spite in this thread. I must say though, it often struck me during my busking career just how casually people asked the question, "How much do you earn?" - seemingly oblivious to the fact that I would not dream of asking the same question to a bus driver, a stock broker or a folk musician. I guess different cultures have different ideas about courtesy. That does not necessarily make me right, but I don't wish to change this aspect of my behaviour.
    My favourite reply to this question came from a colleague (an American as it happened) who looked back at the interviewer and replied, "Well you first tell the viewers how much you earn!"