Bob Dylan reveals a selection of his favourite modern musicians
In a very rare interview, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has revealed that he’s a fan of hip-hop acts Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan, amid praise for a handful of seemingly unlikely acts, including Oasis, Metallica, Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons.
The brand new interview with Wall Street Journal was published yesterday and heard the 81-year-old folk-rock icon weighing in on a range of topics from the rise of technology and streaming to his favourite television shows. When questioned about how he discovers new music, Dylan said it arrives “mostly by accident”. He then listed over 20 artists that he’s been listening to in recent years.
Among the diverse list were the unlikely rap artists Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan, both of whom Dylan said he is “a fan of”. He praised both for their “feeling for words and language” and added that he enjoys “anybody whose vision parallels mine”. Also included in that praise was Royal Blood, Celeste, Leonard Cohen, Rag N’ Bone Man and Nick Cave.
While Dylan’s contemporary Cohen and moody poet Cave came with little in the way of shock, something about Dylan sitting at home blasting out Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ doesn’t seem to fit, but we love the image.
In a 2001 interview with Time, Dylan revealed that he hadn’t listened to much of Eminem’s music but said that the soaring rapper was clearly “doing something right”. He added: “I almost feel like if anything is controversial, the guy’s gotta be doing something right.”
Dylan also mentioned a range of what he deemed more “obscure artists”, including Tiny Hill, saxophonist Teddy Edwards and guitarist Teddy Bunn, who were most active during the 1940s to 1960s. Dylan also revealed that he listens to Ella Fitzgerald, Brenda Lee and Janice Martin, the last of whom he described as “the female Elvis”.
Later in the interview, Dylan discussed some of the artists he had seen perform live. “Some I’ve seen live,” he said. “The Oasis Brothers, I like them both, Julian Casablanca, the Klaxons, Grace Potter. I’ve seen Metallica twice. I’ve made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner. Zac Deputy, I’ve discovered him lately. He’s a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays.”
Discussing some of the songs he likes in particular, Dylan began with The Kinks: “‘Waterloo Sunset’ is on my playlist, and that was recorded in the 60s. ‘Stealer,’ The Free song, that’s been there a while too, along with Leadbelly and the Carter Family. There’s a Duff McKagan song called ‘Chip Away,’ that has profound meaning for me.”
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