It’s been said of Willie Nelson that he sings ahead of the measure – it’s part of his vocal style. He sounds contained on Lanois recording, so does Dylan.

As for Waits, having just seen him last night in Knoxville, I have to say that to anyone that has an issue with his “affectation” (as I have felt myself at times, even while still loving his music), see him live and any issues with affectation disappear, it’s theater, not affectation. Theater at its best, the script written over a 25+ year period. Awesome.

I’m a big fan of his work with Emmylou Harris. And Lanois’s Sling Blade soundtrack is still one of my faves.

Was he talking about the actual sound of the recording or Lanois’ tendency to be sort of new agey? I can understand the latter for sure, but I like Lanois’ production. Sure, it tends to be a little thick with the reverb, but it’s generally pretty interesting. The double drummer tracks on Teatro are pretty darn awesome. I would have never thought to do that.

Dylan talks about working with Lanois in Chronicles. I think you could summarize Dylan’s sentiments as: “maybe that guy knows what he is doing but I couldn’t get into it.”

I think it’s funny that you chose this particular Dylan verse since I find it to be self referential…so in affect he’s laughing at himself along with you.

I wondered why Waits got a pass for such obvious affectations, such as the ready to kick up dust and in between song banter/jokes. I think his love for american music and his attempts to be a living historic amalgam of it is what makes him endearing in regards to his ‘act’.

I see Dylan in an almost similar light except there you are dealing with someone who is keenly aware of the image and act he is delivering but is also combined with what I believe is excellent songwriting and poetic lyrics. As with poetry it tends to not age well unless the poet’s cultural context is also considered.

Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
Blonde on Blonde
Blood on the Tracks
Live 1975 The Rolling Thunder Revue
Time Out of Mind
Love & Theft
The Bootleg Series Vol. 7
Modern Times

At one point I also had The Basement Tapes, but it was lost in the great break-in of 2001.

So it’s not like I haven’t tried to grapple with the breadth of his output.

Of these, I really only go back to Time Out of Mind repeatedly. That may be because of the Lanois production and Augie Meyers’ keyboard work. By the way, Lanois also recorded one of my favorite Willie Nelson albums around the same time and it might be my favorite Willie Nelson album.

I love Highway 61 Revisited, have a strange fondness for Before the Flood, and am drawn to much more. He’s just someone who has slipped between my fingers so many times I am losing count.

Some artists come to me over and over, year after year, and I eventually pierce through and get it in a way that enriches me. Dylan has yet to do that. Having said that, I have a ton of respect for his influence, and for his body of work. I just refuse to work that hard to get into it. If it comes to me, then I will be waiting. If not, then so be it. God knows there’s much more in life I will never appreciate as much as others.

What the who, eh?

Oh yeah, and the Band’s version of I Will Be Released is devastating.

Most people who say they don’t or won’t like Dylan are either thinking of a specific kind of Dylan song they hate or haven’t grappled with the man’s full catalog.

It could be you don’t like any Dylan, but you have to have more than one reason. Because he’s been more than one songwriter. Because the guy who wrote Blood on the Tracks is different from they guy who wrote Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. And neither is the guy who wrote “Positively 4th Street.”

Hell, Love and Theft is a better record than 99.9 percent of songwriters will ever make. But when people talk about how they don’t get why people dig Dylan, they either haven’t bothered to hear that record, or that record isn’t who they mean.

When you’ve written 45 years of music there’s a lot to hate. But there’s a lot to love.

I don’t mean you shouldn’t say he’s overrated. He is. People tend to deify him for a small subset of musics he made. And it wasn’t even his best work. But he doesn’t have one lyrical style or one way of songwriting. He’s put out really good records the worshipers never touch. If I were a person who didn’t think I liked Dylan, that’s probably where I’d start.