The one musician Bob Dylan said he was in awe of: “So damn effortless”
What can you say about Bob Dylan that he hasn’t already told you? Every other musician has added to that glorious racket, too, chirping in with their thoughts on what exactly makes the iconic musician so indelibly important to the world of music. In fact, his profound effect on artistry is perhaps best summed up by none other than Paul McCartney, who poignantly proclaimed: “I could feel myself climbing a spiral walkway as I was talking to Dylan. I felt like I was figuring it all out, the meaning of life.”
In fact, McCartney even put down his mystic message in writing: “‘I’ve got it!’ and wrote down the key to it all on this piece of paper,” it all, on this occasion, being absolutely everything. “I told [Beatles roadie Mal Evans] ‘You keep this piece of paper, make sure you don’t lose it because the meaning of life is on there. Mal gave me the piece of paper the next day, and on it was written ‘There are seven levels.’ Well, there you go, the meaning of life…”
What does that mean? Nobody exactly knows. The band and Dylan had been famously smoking pot when the moment arrived at McCartney’s cerebral palace. Perhaps the marijuana had something to do with this spiralled assailing epiphany, but what is known for certain is that no matter how understated the equivalent rush may have been for the original vagabond, his mind was also being blown by McCartney. Though he may have shared the odd sneering remark – and even the odd bitter song about his band – The Beatles, the songwriter found a special thread of inspiration in McCartney. We have Dylan’s trusted word for that.
“I’m in awe of Paul McCartney. He’s about the only one that I am in awe of. But I’m in awe of him,” the usually reticent Dylan told Rolling Stone in 2007. “He can do it all and he’s never let up, you know,” that much is true as ‘Macca’ reaches his 80th Birthday (a year behind Bob), and he continues to inspire legions of fans. As Andrew Bird told us: “There are very few who are continuously obviously pushing themselves. Paul Simon can still pull out an amazing song, and Paul McCartney is no different. There aren’t many people who make it that far and are still pushing themselves.”
McCartney continues to push the progressive envelope like a postman of hits, and as Dylan adds, there is nothing but fantastic musicianship behind it. “He’s got the gift for melody; he’s got the rhythm,” Dylan continued. “He can play any instrument. He can scream and shout as good as anybody, and he can sing the ballad as good as anybody, you know so… And his melodies are, you know, effortless.” Looking through his impressive career, it’s hard to disagree. His recording presence is impossible to undermine, and his ability to then take it to the stage is what secured his spot as the ultimate spectacle, even 60 years after he first set foot on the boards.
For any audience member, be it a layman who has only heard ‘Hey Jude’ to one of the most impressive songwriters of all time, McCartney’s abilities are difficult to deny. The folk troubadour concluded: “That’s what you have to be in awe… I’m in awe of him maybe just because he’s just so damn effortless. I mean I just wish he’d quit, you know? [Laughs] Just everything and anything that comes out of his mouth is just framed in a melody.”
That envy is mutual and no doubt a healthy driving force, as ‘Macca’ said of Dylan way back in 1966: “Dylan is a fantastic composer. At first, I didn’t understand. I used to lose his songs in the middle but then I realised it didn’t matter. You can get hung up on just two words of a Dylan lyric. ‘Jealous monk’ or ‘magic swirling ship’ are examples of the fantastic word combinations he uses. I could never write like that, and I envy him. He is a poet.”
The two men have certainly enjoyed one another’s work. While Dylan inspired The Beatles to look inward when writing their songs, Dylan was inspired by the band to accept the possibilities pop music afforded them. It would end up a connected relationship built out of mutual appreciation.
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