Bob Dylan- deserving of the Nobel Prize for Literature- poet or wordsmith of our time.

Bob Dylan- poet, brilliant lyricist or talented song writer.

I was watching BBC Four's glowing tribute to Bob Dylan and it suddenly occurred to me. Now there's a man who deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature. There are two distinctly different schools of  thought here. Was Dylan a gifted song writer or just some pretentious poet from the heart of America? Some of us believe that he transcended all popular music boundaries. He was there at the heart of everything, singing very openly about his own personal experiences and then perfectly touching the chord of a nation that may have been recovering from the very traumatic post- Kennedy era.

But Dylan, the critics might have suggested,was just an inveterate misery guts, full of morbidity, cynicism and edgy political commentaries. Throughout the Dylan history and repertoire, there was heartache, poignancy and the deepest frustration about everything and anything. And yet as last night's programme showed Dylan is still going strong, a political activist allegedly but nonetheless true to his roots and never straying far from the public eye. Dylan loves to whip up a minor controversy in all of his music but this is one hornet's nest that doesn't really sting.

Now in his early 70s Dylan belongs to the generation that howled with revolutionary zeal, constantly raging and ranting with moody menace. University students around the world set out on huge demonstrations. protesting vehemently against the Government of the day yet unscathed and untouched by the troubles around them.


Throughout the 1960s Dylan emerged as a fresh faced songwriter and singer, desperately sceptical of the mess that the world had got itself in and just plain angry at times. He slung a guitar around his neck, adjusted the harmonica and then belted out his distinctive style. I have to admit here that although an admirer of his natural talent Dylan never achieved a place in my record collection nor did he stir me to righteous indignation and outright fury. And yet he always knew had to handle a song, manipulating it and nurturing it with tender care. But Dylan played to the gallery with polish and understated modesty.

But Dylan carried around with him almost constantly- and still does- an extensive catalogue of masterly lyrics and an educated eloquence that never disappoints. The words are pearls and rubies, emeralds and amethyst, gleaming in the light of the day. Oh I hear you say that's just too gushing for words and yet there's an underlying truth in the statement. At the height of the 1960s Dylan perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the times, growling, wailing and disapproving but privately imagining  brighter landscapes.

There was just a hint of radicalism in Dylan's music that did shake up the Establishment but that same Establishment began to listen to him because they too could identify with his sorrow and dissatisfaction. Rather like his late and contemporary Leonard Cohen, Dylan tried hard to communicate his anguish, his angst and occasional bitterness. Of course he could be positive and he could also make you feel good about yourself with an up tempo number of happiness and eternal optimism.

When the iconic 'Blowing in the Wind was released over 50 years or so ago, the public finally discovered a singer determined to defy any classification. Blowing in the Wind has folksy harmonies underscored by progressive messages about change and humanity.

I have to say that for somebody whose knowledge of the Dylan backstory is very limited, last night's BBC Four's flattering portrait of the man did convince me that I had seen a singer who'd lived life to the full and drunk from its overflowing cup. Here was, and still is, a man for all seasons and all tastes.