Bob Dylan at 80: Artistic Independence and Intellect Marked Career

Today is the 80th birthday of Robert Allen Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minn., better known to the world as Bob Dylan. Few American musicians have attracted more praise or influenced more artists than Dylan. He even won a Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrics. Dylan is loved by some and respected without affection by others, yet, for many, the sound of his voice and the words of his songs produce a reflexive revulsion. Either way, Dylan has always been more complex and interesting than the public image embraced by casual fans and bitter detractors alike.

Dylan hitting “the big 8-0” is a generational milestone. Eighty is now the age at which “old” becomes, undeniably, “elderly,” and this is an alarming thing to see in our youth-culture icons. He is not the first rocker to hit 80; several of the figures of the Fifties rock scene made it to 90. He is not even the first Sixties rocker to reach that round number: he was preceded there by Ringo Starr, Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Grace Slick, Mike Love, Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville, Manfred Mann, Dion DiMucci, and Dylan’s sometime girlfriend and collaborator Joan Baez, among others.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

Today is the 80th birthday of Robert Allen Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minn., better known to the world as Bob Dylan. Few American musicians have attracted more praise or influenced more artists than Dylan. He even won a Nobel Prize in Literature for his lyrics. Dylan is loved by some and respected without affection by others, yet, for many, the sound of his voice and the words of his songs produce a reflexive revulsion. Either way, Dylan has always been more complex and interesting than the public image embraced by casual fans and bitter detractors alike.

Dylan hitting “the big 8-0” is a generational milestone. Eighty is now the age at which “old” becomes, undeniably, “elderly,” and this is an alarming thing to see in our youth-culture icons. He is not the first rocker to hit 80; several of the figures of the Fifties rock scene made it to 90. He is not even the first Sixties rocker to reach that round number: he was preceded there by Ringo Starr, Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson, Grace Slick, Mike Love, Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville, Manfred Mann, Dion DiMucci, and Dylan’s sometime girlfriend and collaborator Joan Baez, among others.