Heroes No More
Sometimes things you see or read just seem to come together.
First I read this comment, made by Bob Dylan back in 1991:
" People today are still living off the table scraps of the '60s. They are still being passed around - the music, the ideas. Look at what's going on today: there used to be a time when the idea of heroes was important. People grew up sharing those myths and legends and ideals. Now they grow up sharing McDonalds and Disneyland."
The next day, I saw this grafitti near to our office at Goodge Street - the anonymous message seeming to me to be a positive affirmation of Dylan's lament.
Dylan was never comfortable with his fame. Neither can he have expected it – the kind of worldwide stardom that he achieved only really began in the 60s. The proliferation of visual images, the popularisation of music, an increasingly specialised and widely distributed media and the solidification of youth culture all saw to this. In his own words:
"It wasn't me who called myself a legend. It was thrown at me by editors in the media who wanted to play around with me or have something new to tell their readers. … What's important isn't the legend, but the art, the work."
In an international youth study last year, we asked young people directly about their heroes. Considering this was international study, it was surprising how often David Beckham came up. The common reason why he was considered a hero? He rose to fame on the back of his sporting ability so you may expect this to have something to do with it. But it was actually the fame itself that was admired. That along with the money and good looks (apparently).
Of course, we all know about the cult of the celebrity. Shows like Big Brother and the X-Factor go to show how fame, in many cases, has become disattached from anything more than just being in the public eye. But perhaps the fact that Bob is famous for and admired for more than just his lifestyle should give us some cause for hope.
Bob may have been mythologised by the marketing machine and he may resent this fact. But new generations do continue to return to his work for inspiration. Although the legend that has become Bob Dylan may have become greater than the man himself, the meaning that it has taken on, and now represents, still offers some balance to superficial celebrity that has become the longing of much of today's youth.
Dylan was never comfortable with his fame. Neither can he have expected it – the kind of worldwide stardom that he achieved only really began in the 60s. The proliferation of visual images, the popularisation of music, an increasingly specialised and widely distributed media and the solidification of youth culture all saw to this. In his own words:
"It wasn't me who called myself a legend. It was thrown at me by editors in the media who wanted to play around with me or have something new to tell their readers. … What's important isn't the legend, but the art, the work."
In an international youth study last year, we asked young people directly about their heroes. Considering this was international study, it was surprising how often David Beckham came up. The common reason why he was considered a hero? He rose to fame on the back of his sporting ability so you may expect this to have something to do with it. But it was actually the fame itself that was admired. That along with the money and good looks (apparently).
Of course, we all know about the cult of the celebrity. Shows like Big Brother and the X-Factor go to show how fame, in many cases, has become disattached from anything more than just being in the public eye. But perhaps the fact that Bob is famous for and admired for more than just his lifestyle should give us some cause for hope.
Bob may have been mythologised by the marketing machine and he may resent this fact. But new generations do continue to return to his work for inspiration. Although the legend that has become Bob Dylan may have become greater than the man himself, the meaning that it has taken on, and now represents, still offers some balance to superficial celebrity that has become the longing of much of today's youth.
posted by Nick at 11:05 AM
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