Bob Dylan: Prophet, Poet, and Enigma

"Years ago they ... said I was a prophet. I used to say, "No I'm not a prophet" they say "Yes you are, you're a prophet." I said, "No it's not me." They used to say "You sure are a prophet." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, "Bob Dylan's no prophet." They just can't handle it." Bob Dylan

Today Bob Dylan is 69 years old. He has been a cultural icon, poet, prophet, minstrel, and a mystery for the past five decades. He is what Duke Ellington called "a man beyond categories." Every time you try to classify him by musical genre, political philosophy, or spiritual beliefs - he breaks out of the box.

In the early 60's, he was the voice of folk music, having written "Blowin' in the Wind," and "The Times They Are a -Changin," which became anthems for a new generation. But Bob was not a "protest" songwriter (he hated that label), and refused to fit into the "box" that the political left fashioned for him. He alienated the folk music world by going electric and in July 1965, Dylan released the single "Like a Rolling Stone", which Rolling Stone Magazine listed as number one on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

Bob recorded with Johnny Cash, sang at the "March on Washington," toured with the Grateful Dead, championed the cause of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, wrote songs recorded by the Byrds and Jimi Hendrix, refused to appear at Woodstock, and reportedly introduced the Beatles to marijuana. He was friends with Woody Guthrie, Allen Ginsberg, the actor Sam Shepherd, and Keith Green ( a major voice in contemporary Christian music). He never participated in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era, and wrote a song poking fun at the John Birch Society. He has written songs about Lenny Bruce, Jesus, Woody Guthrie, Catfish Hunter (the baseball player), and John Wesley Harding. His music has ranged from rockabilly, to blues, to country, to Christmas carols, to gospel.

In the late 1970's Bob announced that he was a "born-again" Christian. His concerts took on the atmosphere of an evangelistic crusade. He recorded three "Christian" albums and played the harmonica on Keith Green's album, So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt. But Bob would not fit into the box that the evangelical Christian world wanted to put him in. Nevertheless, you can continue to hear the message of the gospel in his music thirty years later.

Bob Dylan has been interpreted, re-interpreted, evaluated, and speculated upon time and again. But Bob has always enjoyed being an enigma. He is what he is, and he clouds himself with mystery. I hope he has a happy birthday, and I think I'll take sometime today and listen to this mysterious poet laureate. He has been a a prophetic voice to me over the years.