Conclusion

UP TO ME

We can glean a great deal about Dylan’s thought process by examining a statement he made in 1985, when he was discussing the turning points of his career to that moment. It was revealing to note what Dylan said when he compared two points in his life: when he was booed by audiences during his early electric concerts in 1965 and 1966, and when he was cheered by legions of fans across North America on his triumphant 1974 comeback tour. He told Cameron Crowe: “Time had proven them all wrong.” This is a revealing statement, underscoring Dylan’s mind-set.

One of Bob Dylan’s everlasting lessons has always been this point: Don’t ever feel compelled to substitute flash for substance. In our celebrity culture, this is easy to do; but what happens when, sooner or later, the flash becomes a flash in the pan? It doesn’t matter, either, what your status is at a given moment, whether you happen to be standing at the beginning or closer to the end of your journey. Having enough faith in yourself is what really matters now and forever. Understand what you bring to the equation and stand by it. Realize you possess the inner power, wits, drive, and self-awareness to make it possible for you to get where you want to go.

Dylan practices what he preaches. It’s easier said than done, especially in the midst of a blinding media glare. Remarkably, he seems to have found a way to live his life with the same values both before fame came to him and after he became universally recognized. When I read his book Chronicles, which traces his early days in New York City up to his period of stardom, I noticed that the writer’s attitude doesn’t really change too much throughout the volume. Whether Dylan is writing about his ragamuffin origins in Greenwich Village, when he frequently crashed at friends’ apartments, or the “Oh Mercy” block, when he is struggling to find a new musical approach at a time when he was an acknowledged superstar, the author’s point of view about himself remains consistent. He is unpretentious at all times. It is an admirable trait.

Fans and pundits point all the time to the many musical changes that Dylan has experienced. But these are all on the surface. Regardless of what Dylan is singing about, or how he is doing it, he is carrying on with a personal code that we can learn from. He demonstrates the importance of remaining single-minded even in the face of adversity; of never giving into the whims of critics or the temptations of fads; and of summoning the strength time and again to feel comfortable as the eternal outsider, to remain self-confident and focused in good and bad times alike, and, above all, to stay true to yourself.

During his five decades in the public eye, Bob Dylan has received accolades ranging from spokesman to genius. He has been lauded for his music, his artistic vision, and his humanity. He deserves all of these rich designations.

But let’s remember to include one more apt term to describe this unique man, Bob Dylan: role model.