Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet

by Seth Rogovoy

Bob Dylan and his artistic accomplishments have been explored, examined, and dissected year in and year out for decades, and through almost every lens. Yet rarely has anyone delved extensively into Dylan's Jewish heritage and the influence of Judaism in his work. In Bob Prophet, Mystic, Poet , Seth Rogovoy, an award-winning critic and expert on Jewish music, rectifies that oversight, presenting a fascinating new look at one of the most celebrated musicians of all time. Rogovoy unearths the various strands of Judaism that appear throughout Bob Dylan's songs, revealing the ways in which Dylan walks in the footsteps of the Jewish Prophets. Rogovoy explains the profound depth of Jewish content -- drawn from the Bible, the Talmud, and the Kabbalah -- at the heart of Dylan's music, and demonstrates how his songs can only be fully appreciated in light of Dylan's relationship to Judaism and the Jewish themes that inform them. From his childhood growing up the son of Abe and Beatty Zimmerman, who were at the center of the small Jewish community in his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to his frequent visits to Israel and involvement with the Orthodox Jewish outreach movement Chabad, Judaism has permeated Dylan's everyday life and work. Early songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" derive central imagery from passages in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah; mid-career numbers like "Forever Young" are infused with themes from the Bible, Jewish liturgy, and Kabbalah; while late-period efforts have revealed a mind shaped by Jewish concepts of Creation and redemption. In this context, even Dylan's so-called born-again period is seen as a logical, almost inevitable development in his growth as a man and artist wrestling with the burden and inheritance of the Jewish prophetic tradition. Bob Prophet, Mystic, Poet is a fresh and illuminating look at one of America's most renowned -- and one of its most enigmatic -- talents.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

331 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2009

About the author

SETH ROGOVOY is a writer, award-winning critic, book author, lecturer, teacher, and radio commentator.

He is the author of BOB DYLAN: Prophet, Mystic, Poet (Scribner, November 2009), a full-length analysis of Bob Dylan’s life and work, and THE ESSENTIAL KLEZMER: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music (Algonquin Books, 2000), the all-time bestselling guide to klezmer music.

Termed “American Jewry’s greatest Dylan scholar” by Religion News Service, for over a quarter century, Seth’s work has appeared in the English-language national Jewish newsweekly, the Forward, to which Seth is a contributing editor.

Seth is editor and publisher of The Rogovoy Report – an online magazine of cultural and critical news and observations — and BerkshireDaily — a five-day a week e-newsletter aggregating news, features, and commentary from around the corner and around the globe.

Seth also does cultural, editorial and marketing consulting. He is the programming consultant for the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., where he curates the center’s the annual YIDSTOCK: Festival of New Yiddish Music, which debuted in summer 2012, and which continues under his artistic direction.

Seth lives in Hudson, N.Y., and New York City.

Reviews

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a great biography on Dylan with a heavy focus on how Judaism has not only influenced him but directly informed many of his lyrics.

The author, for the most part, makes a very strong argument and case by citing scripture and comparing it with Dylan’s own lyrics. Dylan didn’t just copy words from scripture word for word though, he rendered them something his own with his inimitable but unmistakable style.
Some parts of the book were really fascinating such as when the author traces the origin of ‘Idiot Wind’ to a quote from the Talmud mentioning “the winds of idiocy.” I had always assumed that it was Dylan’s coined term for ‘the spreading of malicious and incorrect gossip.’ What was also fascinating and a revelation to me was how it's impossible for someone who is Jewish, or who was raised to be Jewish, to become "born again" - it's technically impossible as this author asserts.

There are a few minor things I didn’t like about the book. First, some of the connections (not many) he tries to make between scripture and Dylan lyrics are rather tenuous and I’m not saying he is wrong but some of his assertions I felt were quite a ‘leap’ or in other words cocky speculation. Secondly, there were a few parts I disagreed with or which were just plain wrong such as when he calls reggae a type of “Americana”?
It’s not mon, it’s from Jamaica mon, seen?
I think I just heard Peter Tosh restlessly turning in his grave.
It’s true that many American artists (Dylan, Clapton) have incorporated Reggae into their own music but to call it “Americana” is a bit of an insult to Jamaicans.

Finally, there were a few parts of Dylan’s discography which I wanted him to cover more. (I know Dylan’s catalogue is huge so this is a big ask)
For example I love Dylan’s folk cover albums of the early 1990s, which are Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong, but they only get a fleeting mention. I know that these were 'cover' albums but still if you are going to write a biography, I thought that it's important to also analyze those moments when Dylan WASN'T writing original material and delve into the possible reasons why.

The fact that he barely even mentions Brownsville Girl is almost unforgivable for true Dylan fans as it was definitely one of the strongest songs Dylan recorded in the 1980s (which was generally a bad decade for Dylan with a few notable exceptions) along with the stunning Blind Willie McTell which does not get much of a mention either - perhaps because there is not a strong connection to Judaism in the lyrics to these songs.

However, all things considered, these are relatively minor ‘gripes’ I have, and this is a very enjoyable and informative biography on Dylan, the number of which seems to be growing year on year. Not the best biography I have read on Dylan but definitely worth a look!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another biography of Bob Dylan, but what makes this one different is that the author examines the life and lyrics of the Dylan/Zimmerman as a fellow Jew. I learned that Dylan is not as decadent as I thought. Also many of his lyrics have origins in the Torah, Tanakh and Talmud. The Books was worth reading.

[Jeff too Much · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book on Dylan, and a good overview of his work as seen through religious or Jewish lens. What I most enjoyed about the book is how it looked at his career in total. Yes, his output in the 60s still deserves a bulk of attention (as it should), but his post Blood on the Tracks work is given attention too.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on Bob. He's certainly tangled up in scripture, and often in the prophetic mode. Still, I think too many of Rogovoy's interpretations of lyrics are "stretches". He's especially unconvincing in arguing that the "Born again" records are more about Judaism than they are about Jesus. Still, much food for thought and this book will probably send me back to Heschel's study of the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rogovoy is focusing on the Jewish influence in Dylan's work, which he says is fundamental, although clearly not exclusive. Rogovoy argues that Dylan's earliest life and family experiences were steeped in Judaism. That's as far as I've gotten up to this point.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just skimmed this as much of it dealt with Dylan's later work, and I abandoned him some years ago. It's akin to literary criticism with a great emphasis on the Judaism the author finds in Dylan's work. Perhaps I'm simply not that interested in Dylan any more.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attimes, fascinating, though at times uneven. Some of the readings of Dylan songs strike me as brilliantly insightful; others feel like a stretch. But there is no doubt that Dylan's Jewish tradition has had a profound impact on his music, even during this Christian period in the early 1980s.

[Ariella · Rating 3 out of 5]

To take this book at face value would mean that Dylan has the biblical knowledge of a rabbi. I'm not sure I'm prepared to believe that - especially given the college essay style writing here - BUT the allusions that clearly do guide much of Dylan's songwriting are pretty illuminating.

[Seth Rogovoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is actually Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet

[Liesl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blah, blah, blah...

[Seth]

no review yet, I'm still reading it, I said.