What don't I get?
More like who...

I do NOT get Bob Dylan. I'm sorry. He's a good to very good songwriter, true; I'll be the first one to admit that. But as a performer -- dear gods, people.

1. His singing is so nasal as to actually sound as if he has several pounds of shortening shoved in his sinuses.
2. He's utterly inarticulate. I know his lyrics are insightful, but that's because I've read the damned things. I couldn't tell you what he was saying ninety percent of the time to save my life. Bon Scott could give him diction lessons. Hell, Graham Chapman with fake teeth could have given him diction lessons. I've talked to retarded parrots with more precision of speech.
3. He's ugly. And I don't mean 'so ugly he's cute' ugly, like, say, Tom Waits. He's just ugly. He looks like five miles of bad road. He looks like he has had regular facials with a cheese grater. If he pulled up driving a van with no windows, I'd hide my daughter.
4. Fact is, my boss -- gods love 'im -- went to see Dylan this summer, and brought back a bootleg. He hasn't improved with age. His singing is worse, and his guitar playing is...enh.

Sorry, I don't get it. If Bob Dylan is the voice of a generation, then apparently that voice can't speak -- or sing -- English of ANY sort.
(springjack The King Of Pygmy Marmosets!, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 17:48, 4 replies)

Music to my ears
Which ironically is not my response to the outpourings of the great nasal one. I couldn't agree with you more.
(Leonard Hatred briefly did some work on, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 19:54, closed)

Some of his songs are more nasal than others
I admit he's not the greatest singer in the world, but he's far from the worst either. I reckon his early early albums are probably the best - 'Freewheelin' for one, though I love 'Like a rolling stone'.

But what I don't get is why it matters what he looks like. People are far to focussed on appearances nowadays at the expense of talent. I couldn't give a fuck what the bands I listen to look like. If you watch Pink Floyd live at Pompeii they look worse than Dylan ever did.
( MatJ LOOK, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 20:52, closed)

Looks.
If I came off as being focused on Dylan's looks as a quality evaluation, I didn't mean to. Hell, I like Steve Buscemi.

But something about Dylan's specific looks says 'serial killer', 'child abductor', or 'weird guy who lives in swamp and eats water beetles for fun'.
(springjack The King Of Pygmy Marmosets!, Thu 15 Oct 2009, 21:51, closed)

I must be an oddity.
I honestly never noticed Bob Dylan had a nasal voice until somebody pointed it out to me. It turns out thousands of people feel that way. It's almost common knowledge that he's 'difficult' to get into. I always thought he was pretty inoffensive. Amazing musician.
(almightyjoey is most likely listening to Electric Wizard on, Fri 16 Oct 2009, 21:58, closed)