MovieChat Forums > Bob Dylan Discussion > How Did He Choose Singer?

How Did He Choose Singer?

posted 4 years ago by FilmBuff (6687)
20 replies | jump to latest

He's a legend, I get it. He's beloved, I respect that. However. Who the hell heard this guy sing and told him "oh yeah, with that voice? You gotta become a professional singer?" I really, really would like to have overheard that conversation. Of all the vocations he could have selected, what made him think he'd succeed as a singer? More power to him for making it happen, and I think he's earned every bit of his success, but gosh, how did it all begin? Part of me believes it was a William Hung situation, where his friends all tricked him into a false sense of confidence so they could watch him fail, but if so, the joke's on them.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

it's part of the charm

[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

I suspect it's a bit like Bowie's story.

I'm not a fan of Bowie, but I heard an interview with him on "Fresh Air", back when I listened to it every morning. He said he never wanted to sing or perform, and he didn't think much of his own voice (neither do I), and that what he really wanted to do was to be a professional songwriter. But since he couldn't get anyone to sing his songs, he had to do it himself.

[–] FilmBuff (6687) 4 years ago

That makes sense. I did not know that about Bowie. He's pretty much my single-favorite singer of all time, so I like his voice quite a bit. I can't even imagine his songs from someone else.

[–] liscarkat (16515) 3 years ago

Bowie has one of the best popular music voices of the '60s and '70s. Can't say the same for Dylan.

[–] Otter (24464) 3 years ago

I saw "Labyrinth" again last night, and Bowie's singing voice hadn't improved over the 20 years since I last saw the movie. Better than Dylan's, everyone's is, but Bowie always sounds like he's forcing his voice to do something that neither nature or training have equipped it to do.

If you like that, fine, but I don't.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

greatness is in the ear of the beholder, but i find bowie's vocals repugnant - they make me cringe, in every era. he never sounded right to me. everything he sang sounded forced, all artificial crooning, and crooning in a way that just makes me wish i was listening to anything else in the world.

whereas dylan, at least up until the mid 70s to me, was sublime at everything he did.

[–] Kowalski (57914) 4 years ago

DYLAN IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGWRITERS OF ALL TIME.HIS VOICE IS THE DELIVERY SYSTEM.

[–] FilmBuff (6687) 4 years ago

OH OK THEN I WAS NOT SURE BUT THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME OK BYE

[–] chilone (17262) 3 years ago

I think he's awful in every way. Supposedly he's an asshole, too.

[–] Kowalski (57914) 3 years ago

YEAH...HE SEEMS PRETTY ASSHOLEY...I STILL DIG HIS VOICE AND MUSIC.

[–] Owlwise (1489) 4 years ago

Because his voice is the right voice to deliver his songs. Too much professional polish would only diminish their power and impact.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 4 years ago

It was the 60s. People took a lot of drugs and made terrible decisions. Listen to The Mothers of Invention’s song, Cocaine Decisions, or just look the lyrics up online. Dylan had a DREADFUL voice, which I’ve compared to the sound coming out of a live alley cat being fed tail-first into a Cuisinart. Other than that and his lyrics and melodies being self-indulgent crap and unmelodious, respectively, he’s mediocre.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

The overly rough, nasally singing voice is an affectation to emphasize earthy folksiness. His real singing voice is heard in "Lay Lady, Lay" and other songs from the same album, "Nashville Skyline." Much more pleasant.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

As a woman

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

all songwriters see themselves as singers.