It comes to us all, a reminder that our generation, or the one just before it, is dwindling in numbers. It typically comes when we hear that a larger-than-life icon of their era has passed away. The recent death of Sir Sean Connery on Halloween, 2020 was one such moment. Though he was 90 years old, we remember Connery as robust, virile, and the only person in our view who could claim with authority that his name was Bond. James Bond:

Icons are made by the people of their own time, and if you were a teenager of the 60s, you are lucky enough to have known the music of someone widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Bob Dylan.

Early critics, however,  were not fans. His style of voice was groundbreaking in that he changed the way a pop singer was supposed to sound: Unpolished, nasally, gravely and growly. His voice was all those things. Musicologist, Steven Rings, referred to Dylan’s use of what he called the “shout and fall” vocal schema: One line of a phrase starts high on the scale, and then quickly descends.

But then he could sing like this:

Ever the poet, Dylan has incorporated dogs as metaphors throughout his music. They’ve been messenger of mood, and props to music as we envision them wandering down dirt roads, chomping on bones, and wandering aimlessly without an owner or a collar. They have featured in Bob Dylan’s album covers and song lyrics, and in 2013, he released a children’s book based on the lyrics from his song, If Dogs Run Free.  

Dylan has shared his entire professional life with dogs, some of whom have gone on tour with him, but they have also been beloved companions, and as far as we can tell, most have been purebred dogs. There was a Beagle and Collie, as well as Labs, a Saint Bernard, and a Great Dane. Perhaps more is known about his Bullmastiff named Brutus because of a couple of anecdotes that were shared by David Marchese back in 2016. You can read them here. 

We’re happy to write that as of today, 79 year old Bob Dylan is still among us (you can read a recent interview with him here). We’re mindful that we’re lucky to have this major figure in popular culture for the past 50 years for as long as we can.

“I set my monkey on the log, and ordered him to do the Dog. He wagged his tail and shook his head, and he went and did the Cat instead.” – Bob Dylan