Why did John Mellencamp tell Bob Dylan to stop calling him?
Not many can claim such illustrious musical feats as John Mellencamp. Known for his accessible form of Heartland rock, the Indianan musician rose to prominence in the 1980s, scoring a host of hits that include ‘Hurts So Good’, ‘Jack & Diane’, and ‘Crumblin’ Down’. A Grammy Award winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and an artist that has sold 60million albums worldwide, Mellencamp has hit the heights that only a select few have. Duly, this success has brought him into contact with some of music’s definitive heavyweights, including his hero Bob Dylan.
After Mellencamp and Dylan first met, they eventually became good friends, with the latter regularly calling the former for songwriting advice. However, after a while, Mellencamp had to ask him to stop. This wasn’t for the reasons that one might think, though.
A lifelong fan of Dylan, Mellencamp regularly played covers of songs by the ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ songwriter when he was still cutting his teeth. “Some people go to a bar one night a week, maybe two,” he recalled to American Songwriter. “I was in a bar every night playing with a band.”
“I was a Bob Dylan jukebox,” he continued. “I could play every Bob Dylan song.” Even after he had ‘made it’ in the industry, Mellencamp would periodically turn to Bob Dylan songs in concert. “When you put someone up against Bob Dylan, he is the only singer/songwriter,” Mellencamp said later. “With Bob, it’s God’s mind to Bob’s fingers. There’s just nobody else.”
After Mellencamp and Dylan first met and became friends, the elder statesman would turn to his counterpart for songwriting advice. Still, Mellencamp had to ask him to stop because he felt he wasn’t a reliable sounding board, as he likes “everything” Dylan does. “Bob Dylan used to call me up in the middle of the night and read his lyrics to me that he was working on for new records,” Mellencamp revealed to Billboard. “And I finally told him, ‘Bob, would you quit calling me because I’m not gonna say anything. I’m not a good sounding board because I like everything you do. I’m happy to hear this stuff, but I’m not that great of a sounding board.'”
Despite giving Dylan a reality check, Mellencamp is still grateful for being friends with one of the musicians he loves the most. “There’s very few guys I ended up admiring, musically,” he said. “Bruce [Springsteen] and Bob are definitely two of those guys, and I’m happy to say I have a good relationship with both of them.”
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