He’s an impressive poet, in many ways. Elsewhere I have discussed why I think his poetry deserves the prize. But since the comments above are about his music, here’s my take. His voice is rough, but there’s a long tradition of rough voices in American music. I might mention Louis Armstrong, who is widely considered one of the most important jazz singers. On the blues side, where do we start? Robert Johnson? Charley Patton? So I don’t fault his voice. His intonation, by the way, is superb and that matters a lot. His own guitar playing is adequate, nothing special, likewise his piano, but his harmonica playing has been very influential, and his ability to work with a band is just about unmatched. The story of the organ line in Like a Rolling Stone is an example.
He’s an impressive poet, in many ways. Elsewhere I have discussed why I think his poetry deserves the prize. But since the comments above are about his music, here’s my take. His voice is rough, but there’s a long tradition of rough voices in American music. I might mention Louis Armstrong, who is widely considered one of the most important jazz singers. On the blues side, where do we start? Robert Johnson? Charley Patton? So I don’t fault his voice. His intonation, by the way, is superb and that matters a lot. His own guitar playing is adequate, nothing special, likewise his piano, but his harmonica playing has been very influential, and his ability to work with a band is just about unmatched. The story of the organ line in Like a Rolling Stone is an example.