Bob Dylan explains the problem with streaming platforms
In a rare interview, Bob Dylan revealed that his eclectic music taste welcomes Eminem, Wu-Tang Clan, Oasis, Metallica and Arctic Monkeys. Elsewhere, the legendary songwriter explained the problem with streaming platforms.
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”.
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.
Later, 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[s], 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.”
When asked how he consumes music these days, Dylan revealed that he likes a mixture of platforms, but vinyl is king. “I listen to CD’s, satellite radio and streaming,” he said. “I do love the sound of old vinyl though, especially on a tube record player from back in the day. I bought three of those in an antique store in Oregon about 30 years ago. They’re just little, but the tone quality is so powerful and miraculous, has so much depth, it always takes me back to the days when life was different and unpredictable. You had no idea what was coming down the road, and it didn’t matter. The laws of time didn’t apply to you.”
Discussing the modern trend of streaming music, Dylan described how the ease of access takes something away from the listening experience. “Streaming has made music: too smooth and painless,” Dylan opined. “Everything’s too easy. Just one stroke of the ring finger, middle finger, one little click, that’s all it takes. We’ve dropped the coin right into the slot.
“We’re pill poppers, cube heads and day trippers, hanging in, hanging out, gobbling blue devils, black mollies, anything we can get our hands on. Not to mention the nose candy and ganja grass. It’s all too easy, too democratic. You need a solar X-ray detector just to find somebody’s heart, see if they still have one.”
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