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3.0 out of 5 stars
What is Truth?, April 18 2003
An interesting book, but no where near enough analysis of the biblical references in Dylan's work - pre-conversion i.e 1961-1979, and post Born-Again period i.e 1981-2003. In particular the ingenious song "Jokerman", which seems to have many clues, is barely examined. There is a strong presence of God in Dylan's latest albums, but whether or not these are in a Christian context is debatable. There is definitely some merit in Marshall's study of whether Dylan is a Christian or not, and his effort in preparing this book is to be admired, but I was struck by a particular thought whilst reading this book: Why not just ask Bob? If Bob, in keeping with his image of mystique (and disdain for journalistic probing), refuses to answer, this would indicate that he is not a Christian. Why would he want to be so secretive about it? Also, I notice Marshall did not refer to Dylan's "moral" behaviour post 1981. If Dylan is a Christian, is he "walking the walk"? Or has he continued the "Rock Star" lifestyle? Other Dylan biographers seem to think so. The whole question seems extremely perplexing. Dylan seemed so passionate about his faith on "Slow Train Coming" and "Saved" but then seemed to distance himself from the faith -without officially denouncing it. Was the whole thing an act? Is Dylan merely an actor on a stage who dabbles in all artforms of traditional American music - of which gospel music is a prominent one. Can we ever truly know unless Dylan comes out and clarifies the issue once and for all? I don't think performing the odd track from "Slow Train Coming" or the occasional tradtional gospel song in concert, is answer enough. Perhaps Dylan's autobiography "Chronicles" (to be released later this year) will reveal all.
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