Bob Dylan uses Michelangelo to explain his songwriting process
Bob Dylan was undoubtedly born a creative mastermind, but we may never have known if he hadn’t found the perfect conduit of folk music. Following his adolescent attachment to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, Dylan became acutely aware of the more word-dense and expressive musical style and saw an opportunity.
Over the 1960s, Dylan revolutionised the genre, first stamping his identity into some poignant and often comical protest songs and, later, using an electric guitar to pioneer folk rock. His poetry soared to Shakespearean presence and immortality by the end of the decade and has left his musical peers in awe to this day. In 2016, Dylan was recognised for his pivotal contributions to the arts as he swiped the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In an exceedingly rare interview with Wall Street Journal last month, the 81-year-old folk-rock icon weighed in on a range of topics from the rise of technology and streaming to his love for the British soap opera Coronation Street. When questioned about how he discovers new music, Dylan said it arrives “mostly by accident”. He proceeded to list several artists that he’s been listening to in recent years.
“Performers and songwriters recommend things to me,” Dylan revealed. “Others I just wake up and they’re there. Some I’ve seen live. The Oasis brothers, I like them both, Julian Casablancas, the Klaxons, Grace Potter. I’ve seen Metallica twice.”
Continuing, he revealed that he still likes to visit the live shows of some of his favourite contemporary artists. “I’ve made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner,” he said. “Zac Deputy, I’ve discovered him lately. He’s a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays. I’m a fan of Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag and Bone Man, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, anybody with a feeling for words and language, anybody whose vision parallels mine.
“[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.”
Dylan then declared his love for former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan and used one of his songs from 2019 to describe his own songwriting process. “There’s a Duff McKagan song called ‘Chip Away,’ that has profound meaning for me. It’s a graphic song. Chip away, chip away, like Michelangelo, breaking up solid marble stone to discover the form of King David inside.
“He didn’t build him from the ground up, he chipped away the stone until he discovered the king. It’s like my own songwriting, I overwrite something, then I chip away lines and phrases until I get to the real thing. Shooter Jennings produced that record. It’s a great song. Dvorak, ‘Moravian Duets.’ I just discovered that, but it’s over 100 years old.”
Listen to Duff McKagan’s ‘Chip Away’ below.
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