Saturday, October 15, 2016

Testing the waters

In a week of some significant disagreements on this blog, I am wondering whether we might be able to agree that Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature is a very good thing?

6 comments:

Andrei said...

He won it for his lyrics not his music - the committee went to great pains to point this out.

Mostly we don't notice the Nobel prizes except those awarded for Peace and Literature.

The Peace Prize has almost fallen into disrepute in recent times through some very dodgy choices

Bob Dylan's is OK it is just committee who award it showing their age

Its likely few will notice the 2015 Physics, Chemistry or Medicine and Physiology prizes though - such things are not on most people radar

Father Ron said...


Peter, the element of loving concern for humanity is a feature of Bob Dylan's poetry and music. He's surely a candidate for a humanitarian award? Not a masty bone in his body - a good Christian characteristic.

Tregonsee said...

When the news broke, I was positive it was an Onion story. Sadly no. More evidence of the continued trivialization of many of the Nobel Prizes. At least it was just silly, instead of being overtly political.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peter; I agree it's positive, but I think Andrei's general sentiment on this blog is correct. It's kinda trivial cheap western tinsel, while our brothers and sisters in the east are slaughtered. Champagne anybody?

Nick

Pageantmaster said...

It most certainly is good news and gives me hope that in the future the poignant and wry commentary on the alienation of youth and the human condition in the 20th Century embodied in the still topical lyrics of Alice Cooper may be recognised by the Swedish Academy for the outstanding literature that they are:

I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice
I wanna be elected
I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce
I wanna be elected
Kids want a savior, don't need a fake
I wanna be elected
We're gonna rock to the rules that I make
I wanna be elected, elected, elected
I never lied to you, I've always been cool
I wanna be elected

Then again there are the subtle alliterative lyrics of the tone poems of the Chiffons such as the brilliantly and sensitively written 'One Fine Day' by Carole King and Gerry Goffin:

Shooby Dooby Dooby Dooby Do Wah Wah
Shooby Dooby Dooby Dooby Do Wah Wah

Bryden Black said...

1. Don't think twice, it's alright!
2. Christopher Ricks' Dylan's Visions of Sin is a "masterpiece", illustrating how Dylan constantly references virtue and vice ala the Medieval schema. Highly recommended.