dylan

overall i found the meredith tax writing to be on the mark in terms of how our criticism of different forms of expression become compartmentalized. and that the very categories people work within tend to weigh heavily on how the work is judged and interpreted. i did think her example of bob dylan was very funny though. of course dylan wrote from the heart and commented on the political climate, but to assume that everyone listening to his music was informed by it is absurd. he is largely regarded as a pop singer, not just a poet or even activist. and he distanced himself from many of the protest movements he had originally been a part of because he felt they were not really successful and that he was being exploited. his divergence from the folk scene was also a symptom of his own desire to change with the times and remain viable in american popular culture. which brings us back to the question of who his work was/is for? is it for young revolutionaries? maybe once it was. but now it is pop music that has about as much to do with revolution as the backstreet boys. i don't neccessarily think this deminishes the initial impact of his writing, but to hold him up as a pilar of "art as process" seems a little convoluted. i would posit ani difranco as a much better example of someone who never took the dangling carrot, always kept her artistic integrity and maintains popularity with her origianl fans because she has never waivered in her militant protests against civil injustice. and her work reaches far outside her music in her support of the arts locally and her personal involvement within the community. she will never be as mainstream as dylan, and that to me is a sign of her success as an activist. subversion can only go so far, sometimes you have to just say what you mean.