FOLK LIES: Joni Mitchell Outs Bob Dylan

Big Hollywood ^ | April 28, 2010 | Jonny Whiteside

[EveningStar]

“Bob [Dylan] is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.” — Joni Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2010 

Caterwauling Canuck “folk singer” Joni Mitchell got just about everybody riled up with that sweet morsel of self-serving insight, but the real shock is not that Mitchell is absolutely correct but that someone finally came out and said it. After decades of carefully manicured deification by Columbia Records, brain-dead rock critics and the slimy elite institution that elevated such barely able snake-oil salesmen as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger to celestial heights, it’s high time to flout indoctrination and examine Dylan’s track record as a Grade-A phony. 

[RobRoy]

>>The problem children are those who suggest that, because they don’t like someone/something, it is objectively bad. <<

It is kinda funny. Most of them are probably pretty young though.

[tsomer]

I didn’t catch the previous thread but wondered if you’ve seen this site:
http://www.rightwingbob.com/

I like Dylan and Joni—her earlier stuff more than the later.

I think some of Dylan’s best stuff came mid-career: Desire and Street Legal, and I’d like to hear someone else develop them. There’s an interesting version of “Changing of the Guard” by Patti Smith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY2B_9KpRqk

[tsomer]

JJ Cale was able to live the life he wanted, playing music just as he wanted to, as a direct result of Clapton and others recording his songs.

I agree with that, but I'm curious about the Bob Marley material.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

You know, I think we could divide our parent's generation into two camps: The Franks on one side, and the Bings on the other.

And if you go back to the 1920s, when Bing was coming up, he was pretty revolutionary and controversial. For all you hear about Elvis, Bing was really the first white guy to sing like a black guy. That's why his duets with Louis Armstrong work so well. When Sinatra was coming up in the Tommy Dorsey band, Dorsey would tell him that the one guy to study was Bing.

[shibumi]

"Oh, and Clapton has writing credits on fully half of the record."

Probably why I found it such a bore.

[Rum Tum Tugger]

Bob Dylan is simply the greatest singer-songwriter ever.

Joni Mitchell is simply one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever.

Those are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Those who disparage Dylan or Mitchell are simply musically illiterate.

[HungarianGypsy]

Bob Dylan also knows to shut up and sing.

[HungarianGypsy]

It is also said that there is nothing truly authentic anymore. We just put our own spin on it, which makes it creative.

[shibumi]

Partly because I believe it (but also because it’s so much fun blurting out my opinions) I realize that The Who have written almost all their own music.

Worst excuse for a Rock Band .....

.....ever.

[dmz]

OK. Like I said, I’m not a huge Clapton fan by any stretch, but you’ve told us what you don’t like.

I’m intrigued. What do you listen to? What fills up your iPod, what cds are in the changer in your car?

I think on the way into work this morning, my iPod (on shuffle) served me up some Ry Cooder, Uncle Tupelo, Bruce Cockburn, and Little Feat. It’s only a 13 minute commute to work.

[dmz]

Partly because I believe it (but also because it’s so much fun blurting out my opinions) I realize that The Who have written almost all their own music.

Worst excuse for a Rock Band .....

.....ever.

<><><><><><

LOL.

If that’s not what this thread is for (spouting opinions), I don’t know what thread would be.

My opinion is a bit different, heavy metal bands of all ilks, constitute the worst rock bands ever. Not terribly difficult to scream meaningless drivel into a mic while fretting all of 2 strings in the form of a power chord with enormous distortion/overdrive, layered with chorus and flanger. But again, that is just my opinion.

[Mr. Blonde]

I don't know if it counts as developing the songs, but Jack White would seem to agree with you about the quality from that time frame.

Isis

One More Cup Of Coffee This appeared on The White Stripes debut as well.

His newest band, The Dead Weather cover New Pony

Jack seems like a very close descendent of Dylan in a lot of ways. And they seem to have an interesting relationship. When Bob came through Nashville a few years back Jack joined him on stage and they played songs Bob had either never played live or hadn't played in 30+ years. Also at the show, but not asked to join Bob were Elvis Costello, John Prine and Alison Krauss.

And the last thing is a pretty awesome quote from Jack, "I've got three fathers - my biological dad, God and Bob Dylan."

[shibumi]

Dr. John
Type O Negative
Sisters of Mercy
Marty Robbins
Sibelius
Mussorgsky
Blood of Angels
Brahms Symphonies
Richard Tucker
John Secada
Megadeath
KISS
Sergio Mendez & Brazil66
Waylon Jennings
Conway Twitty
KODO
The San Francisco Taiko Dojo
Ravi and Anoushka Shankar
Siouxie Sioux and the Banshees
URN
Nox Arcana
Various Gregorian Chant
E. Power Biggs
Hank Sr.
Nathan Abshire
Nina Hagen
The Velvet Underground & Nico
Doors
Moody Blues
Robin Trower
Various one-hit wonders
A lot of stuff from the 50’s & 60’s
Shaggy
Albert King
Tom Waits
I could go on ..... and on.....

[shibumi]

Johnny Winter
His Brother
Alice Cooper
FYC
Color Me Badd
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Iggy Popp
David Bowie
Ten Wheel Drive
ELP

[dfwgator]

Color Me Badd?!?!?!

[shibumi]

Li Tingsong
Toshio Iwai
The Scots Guards Pipes and Drums
Leon Russell
Sade
The Tom-Tom Club
Enigma

[shibumi]

It’s like bubblegum.

Fun till it gets stuck on your face.

[shibumi]

And, of course, anything written by this guy:

And his modern reincarnation:

[Borges]

Bob Dylan is one of the Cultural Giants of the 20th century.

[Borges]

What does Zappa’s music have in common with Wagner?