Bob Dylan and the Super Bowl

Ah, Bob Dylan.  When was the last time he did something that lived up to everybody’s image of him?  You can please some people part of the time but there is just no pleasing all the people all the time.  Yes, he made a commercial for Chrysler during the Super Bowl.  In fact for me, the weirdest part of the two minute spot was the way Dylan looked.  They dolled him up to look like the Dylan of the late nineties rather than the Bob Dylan of his current tours.  Regardless, the sentiments he purveyed in this spot should not surprise anybody.  Bob Dylan is imploring people to buy American and more specifically, cars assembled in Detroit.  The man has always been a big proponent of the American way and I see this commercial as analogous to his 1983 song, “Union Sundown”, which criticized the way businesses “don’t build nothing here no more”.  I’d go as far to say that Bob Dylan is America’s greatest cultural export (the guy is more popular in Europe than he is in the land he shills for).  All he was asking was for people to help get a proud city rolling again.  He was doing the same Detroit salesman job as Eminem and Clint Eastwood did before him.  I didn’t hear anybody accusing those two of selling out when their spots ran.  Where was the outrage when another icon of the old counterculture scene and another true original, David Bowie, appeared in a Louis Vuitton ad?  The Rolling Stones, another counter-culture icon have had their music pop up in ads throughout the years and I’ve heard nary a peep or a squabble about Mick and the boys being sellouts.  All the indie bands put their music in commercials and people rarely bat an eye.  But, as Dylan once said, it’s always different with him.  Apparently to see a counterculture icon sell American pride (despite the company being own by Fiat or whatever) is selling out. 

But with Dylan it’s always different.  People have projected their own image of Dylan the myth onto Dylan the man and in doing so Dylan the actual living, breathing man will always fail to live up to the image of this great counterculture icon.  On Twitter, the voice of the gut reaction, he was decried as a sell out once again and people were furious to see their image of who they imagined Bob Dylan to be zig-zagged yet again.  Sometimes it seems as if Dylan likes to do this kind of thing just to throw people off and revel in their ire and outrage.  The man seems to feed on betraying his fans and followers as if every move is to shed his audience.  I’m still surprised that people are shocked at Bob Dylan doing something that surprises them.  He’s probably the only artist of his stature and class that does not get the benefit of the doubt.  Why can’t we just let him be and accept that he does whatever he wants and really doesn’t care about what you think?  Do people think that a self-righteous tweet about authenticity is going to convince the Minnesota Bard that he erred by participating in a Super Bowl ad?  Do people like me think that writing a wordy defense of the man will change people’s opinions on his sell out status (me, I’m just using this controversy to write another piece on my hero, so the joke’s on you, loyal reader)?   Bob Dylan once said, “just because you like my stuff doesn’t mean I owe you anything”.  Truer words have never been spoken.

And I can’t stand the argument used by the Dylan’s-a-sellout crowd of asking whether the 25 year old Bob Dylan would approve of what the 72 year old Bob Dylan would do.  The 25 year old Bob Dylan was a genius but he was not an infallible saint of a person.  Just watch Don’t Look Back if you don’t believe me.  Now I will always rush to defend Dylan in that film, but there are certain scenes where he is a quite the young, arrogant jerk and he’ll readily admit it now(any scene with Joan Baez).  Dylan the person and Dylan the musician are two different entities; it is true now as it was in 1965.  So I say stop putting your image of Bob Dylan on the real Bob Dylan.

Of course my view of Dylan is warped as I am a huge fan of the man’s work and I usually rush to defend him on most things (I’d like to present this rambling essay to the court as evidence).  What I love about Dylan is that he is an unpredictable character living in an increasingly predictable music and entertainment scene.  He still does things that (seemingly) make no sense and generally does what he wants, other people’s judgments be damned.  His determination, his vision, and his ability to always accrue controversy wherever he lands makes him a compelling figure.  He is someone who at best is unpredictable.  Being a Bob Dylan fan for me is about enjoying the ride.  There are many twists and turns in attempting to keep up with the chaos that follows this icon and just sitting back and watching in wonder and amazement at what he does next is a helluva fun ride.  The guy’s an icon and deserves our respect and our benefit of the doubt.  So let him keep on astounding, angering, and challenging us and let us all enjoy his next move out of left field: a concert tour where he talks to the audience!