Count me amongst the many this week asking the question, “How the hell did they do that?” As the interactive video for Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” spread like wildfire across the web and social media, I was wowed by the technology, execution and concept —all are brilliant. But I can’t help feeling a bit sad, a bit disappointed as well with the first ever video for one of Dylan’s great, great songs and a watershed moment for rock’n’roll, rock’n’roll radio and rock’n’roll attitude. Amongst the many things this song did was smash the radio restrictions of how long a song could be, and open up what was fair game for songwriters to tackle. Everything changed with this song. However, listen (watch?) closely and you just might hear this song’s death knell of relevance rising up behind Al Kooper’s famous organ lick.
I’ve long disliked music videos that feature insipid plots designed to tell the listener (viewer?) EXACTLY what the song is about. More often than not, it pales in comparison to what was going on in my head, what I “thought” the song was about. And while this video clearly doesn’t fall into that category — there’s nothing insipid about it — does it cheapen the majesty of the song and devalue the extraordinary lyrics? What does it mean to see HGTV hosts, ESPN anchors and plastic Barbie’s hawking home shopping crap mouth the lyrics that Dylan spat out so vehemently, aimed at….who, precisely? That was one of the great parlor games associated with the song; to whom was he speaking, if anyone? The folk movement? His fans? Joan Baez? Edie Sedgwick, or the Warhol scene as a whole? It’s doubtful any of the people lip-synching in the video know. Or care.
The video certainly will open up Dylan’s masterpiece to a whole new audience. I doubt the opening crack of the snare drum will make them sit up and take notice, rather serving as the starter’s gun to “play” the video and channel surf. Another way to experience music with the company of no one, sitting in the dark except for the glow of a screen, clicking on the mouse furiously to change your “experience.” Jeez…no wonder kids have ADD these days. And what does it say that channel 121 — ironically Music Classics — features Bob Dylan and The Band tearing the song up live and is by far the most compelling station to watch with the song? Sadly, that new audience will remember neither the stark opening, nor the barbed-wire lyrics, but the fact that it was a soundtrack to a really cool video. You know…the one with the ESPN guy, and the couple, and you could change the stations. Yeah…that one.
And how does that feel? Not so good. Not so good at all.
In case you've not seen the video (it's very cool) and thus have no clue as to what I'm talking about,
go here:
- AMB Blog's blog
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