17 May 1966: Number 10 in our series of the 50 key events in the history of rock music
Looking back, the rage at Bob Dylan's abandonment of political songwriting in favour of performing with a Fender Stratocaster and a rock'n'roll backing band seems utterly baffling. Folk fans' arguments ? that it was evidence of dilettantism, of an arrogant remoteness, of a lack of commitment to a worthy cause, that you couldn't hear the words, that it was just too loud ? have been trampled by the weight of rock history. If nothing else, the famous cry of "Judas!" that interrupted his performance at the Manchester Free Trade Hall on 17 May 1966 and the footage of outraged fans streaming out of other dates, carrying on as if they'd been personally insulted by his decision to "go electric", tells you that the heightened, hysterical pitch of the online comment board is actually nothing new: "Bob Dylan was a bastard in the second half," bellows one disgruntled patron. The most lasting effect of the whole controversy was not on Dylan, but on folk revivalism itself, which, ever after, was doomed to be labelled a bit fusty, boring and uncool by onlookers: the price you pay for trying to stop progress.
LeAnn Rimes Adrianne Curry Jennifer Gimenez Katie Cassidy Estella Warren
No comments:
Post a Comment