Bob Dylan's "The Philosophy of Modern Song": Gumshoe narration from a Washington Square soapbox - by Harold Lepidus
Bob Dylan's "The Philosophy of Modern Song": Gumshoe narration from a Washington Square soapbox - by Harold Lepidus (All images - Simon & Schuster) The Philosophy of Modern Song is everything you’d expect from a Bob Dylan book with such a provocative, all-encompassing title. Taking a circuitous route through a seemingly random selection of 66 compositions that spans many decades and genres, Dylan is not going to give it to you straight. Does he ever? He taught us to question everything. Which means we must also question him. Probably to his eternal annoyance. The following are some initial, random thoughts on the book. I will try to steer clear of giving you too many specific examples in advance, hopefully just enough to whet your appetite. Part of the fun of reading the book is following the unexpected twists and turns, especially the occasional punchline, or a baffling/challenging observation. I pictured Dylan either typing on an old-fashioned typewr...