The classic Bob Dylan song that shaped Shame: “You can’t really touch him now”
When the biggest artists of the 1960s and ‘70s were at the peak of their popularity, it’s probably fair to say that they weren’t considering just how much influence they would still have 50 to 60 years later, let alone how important the next generation of rock stars would consider them to be.
Given that music is constantly evolving and looking to move with the times, you would think that the modern generations would have different heroes from those who had come before them, idolising more contemporary acts and taking inspiration from them.
However, given how important those two aforementioned decades were, and have continued to prove themselves to be, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the current crop of acclaimed artists are still looking back at those who initially paved the way for them rather than simply staying in the modern era. The likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones will never cease to be a source of inspiration, and one individual in particular from the same time period appears to be heavy on the mind of a current figurehead of British post-punk.
During an interview with Far Out as part of our ongoing Existential Boozer series, Shame frontman Charlie Steen was quizzed on which living person he most admired, and after a considerable amount of deliberation, he ended up settling on one icon who stands tall above the rest in his view.
“Yeah, the living person is tricky,” Steen pondered before coming to a conclusion. “I often think about lots of people, but I guess in terms of people who’ve inspired and influenced me and who I can’t really doubt that genius in terms of someone who’s alive would probably be [Bob] Dylan.”
He then continued, citing how his multi-faceted artistry was not just important for the era where he was at his most active, but that it still continues to resonate with him and others in the current era. “Lyrically, and also, you know, like, what else he did in his time, it was just more than music as well,” he added.
“What he inspired and what he spoke about, politically and socially, it was, you know, I think you just can’t really touch him now”.
Charlie Steen on Bob Dylan
Steen was then pressed to provide his all-time favourite song by the folk legend, and his response was one that takes him back to his earliest memories of hearing his music.
“If I was to say the one that first made me realise [how good he is] was ‘Masters of War’ when I was like nine years old,” he explained. “That probably wouldn’t be my favourite now, but in terms of if I listen to that, that still reminds me of the first time I had clicked”, you know?”
Shame may not bear much resemblance to Dylan, but he’s frequently cited by people far outside of the areas he was most active in. If anything, this is indicative of how impactful he’s always been to the evolution of music and how his work seemingly never loses its potency.
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