Mr Tambourine Man

“People often feel that Dylan’s relevance as a musician has gone down because of his experiments with acoustic and electric music,but it’s only his eccentricity – the genius still resides in him,” says Abhinav Krishnaswamy,guitarist for Chennai-based band Blacklisted. “As he has aged,his voice has lost the vibe that he possessed in his youth,but he is the only pioneer of the music industry still around,” he adds.

But Dylan’s talents don’t just end with his music. Many are fans of the Blowing In The Wind artiste for his song-writing,par excellence. “When he started off in the 60s,his lyrics spoke out against authority,against the Vietnam war – in short,what was going through the minds of the masses,” says Subir Malik,keyboardist for Delhi band Parikrama. “That has endeared him to millions,not only in the US but across the world,even today,because the lyrics that he wrote are timeless. And let’s face it,being a brilliant musician is one thing,but being a brilliant song-writer too is like a sone par suhaga” he laughs. Warren Mendosa,guitarist for Mumbai band Zero,says he doesn’t like Dylan’s music but is a grudging fan of his lyrics. “When I was going up,music always came first,and the lyrics of the song were a distant second. However,as I grew older,I came to appreciate lyrics,and few can even come close to matching Dylan’s lyrical quality. The message of his songs doesn’t need music to accompany it,it is poetry on its own,” he says.

Music critics,from the Rolling Stone downwards,have blasted his career from the 80’s onwards,pointing at discrepancies like his ‘carelessness’ in the recording studio to his impromptu experiments on stage. However,Akash Sharma,guitarist for Mumbai band Travelling River Band and a self-proclaimed die-hard Dylan fan says,“In the ’60s,Dylan was just a kid,he was still growing up. Follwing his career path,I feel that his real talent,his real genius came out post ’70s,both as far as music and lyrics are concerned.” Malik adds,“Few artistes have the capability to come out with new songs year after year after year. Dylan has been going strong for almost five decades!”

And Indians still love the singer/writer of Mr Tambourine Man. As Malik points out,every year in Shillong,thousands of guitarists gather to celebrate Dylan’s birthday by playing one of his all-time classics,Knocking On Heaven’s Door. But the last line has to go to Sharma. “He is always going to be remembered for his genius – his music and his poetry,and for his non-conformist view,with which he looks at society,” he smiles.