Dylan, Lennon, Marx and God

by Jon Stewart

Bob Dylan and John Lennon are two of the most iconic names in popular music. Dylan is arguably the twentieth century's most important singer-songwriter. Lennon was founder and leader of the Beatles who remain, by some margin, the most covered songwriters in history. While Dylan erased the boundaries between pop and poetry, Lennon and his band transformed the genre's creative potential. The parallels between the two men are striking but underexplored. This book addresses that lack. Jon Stewart discusses Dylan's and Lennon's relationship; their politics; their understanding of history; and their deeply held spiritual beliefs. In revealing how each artist challenged the restrictive social norms of their day, the author shows how his subjects asked profound moral questions about what it means to be human and how we should live. His book is a potent meditation and exploration of two emblematic figures whose brilliance changed Western music for a generation.

Genres: Music

252 pages, Hardcover

Published March 24, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Other authors publishing under this name are:

Jon Stewart, Philosopher
Jon Stewart, Comedian
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart, Director of Communications for Government Relations and Health Policy at Kaiser Permanente
Jon Stewart, Econometrics
Jon Stewart, Photographer

Reviews

[Nicholas Sokić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting enough as a dual biography of two seismic artists who actually didn't interact all that much. The teological and ontological examinations of their work means even someone like me, who is an obsessive, comes away with new appreciation.

I also appreciate it's not afraid to deconstruct their dumb bullshit, like Christian Zionism or anti-evolution comments as part of the analysis.

[Will Girling · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic stroll through the lives, songs, thoughts, and beliefs of Bob Dylan and John Lennon. That a dual biography of these two icons hasn't been written before is very surprising, so I'm glad Stewart has laid the foundation.

It's amazing that new information (for me at least) can surface about these two giants of pop culture after so much ink has been spilled on them for the last 60 years. And yet, that's exactly what the author manages to do. The historical influences that shaped both men were particularly fascinating, and not something generally considered when appraising their songs. While we can only guess as to the ultimate veracity of the claims in this work, it's certainly plausible that Dylan is at heart a transcendentalist who rose to fame in the steel jungle that ravaged the landscape of his formative years; Lennon an orphan of the crumbling British Empire who by sheer force of personality managed to contribute in its final hurrah.

This is a thoroughly academic work, so the reader shouldn't expect an easy read: there's plenty of theory to establish and legitimise Stewart's assertions. I'm not sure why Marx was considered worthy of receiving third billing in the title, however. The consensus reached seems to be that Dylan and Lennon were more Hegelian, so perhaps I missed something. Either that or Marx just has more marquée value.

Overall, a very compelling and worthwhile book. Although both held fairly eccentric opinions at one time or another, I certainly came away respecting Dylan more and Lennon slightly less. The latter was clearly a naïve seeker looking for a father/guiding figure he never found. This led him to espouse eveything from universal peace and love to paramilitary violence in the span of about five years. In my opinion, Lennon's strongest work was based on his own rich inner world, while the pretensions of his 'movement artist' phase were ironically actually more self-indulgent. The artist's role is best served as an 'outsider looking in', not a direct political actor. Dylan seemed to realise this very early and it's much to his credit.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful in understanding more of what influenced both artists in their music and overall thinking. The danger of living in absolutes has been present on my mind, and I think Dylan and Lennon both embodied this sense of caution when approaching songwriting and how they conveyed their political beliefs to the world. They’re admired for their multifacetedness because they didn’t run from pluralism or fear of alienation if they didn’t lean into a singular tribalism.

I really respect Dylan’s journey to Christianity because it was borne out of an authentic exploration without worrying about how his earlier music and persona would be interpreted. He held his opinions loosely because he knew they would constantly be in flux, so there wasn’t some internal conflict or external explanation that he needed to offer as he evolved personally and spiritually. God is good.

[Roisin McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting in parts but kind of difficult to read as it was written as more of an academic paper on topics I don’t have much knowledge of. However, I liked that it highlighted that they both were constantly changing their minds (which people nowadays seem to forget you can do) and the reasons why they did so.

[Danny Corker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough analysis of the works of Dylan and Lennon, looking at political and spiritual beliefs and the enduring legacy and relevance of their work today. Exhaustive research and some complex themes that are presented in an accessible way without sacrificing nuance.

[Ward Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dissertation, college thesis, whatever. Some insight and a few mistakes but not easy reading.

[Rob Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. This book is written in a style that is both academic and immensely readable. Highly recommended.