This is a caricature of Bob Dylan as a ‘six-inch tall grumpy elf,’ by the talented artist James Gurney.
It was posted on his blog ‘Gurney Journey’ on 2016-09-11 under the title ‘Bob Dylan’s Voice.’
“Don’t get me wrong–I love Bob Dylan’s music. But lately, every time I hear his voice, I imagine it coming from a six inch tall grumpy elf.” – J. Gurney (2016)
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And here is my article on Bob Dylan’s voice, for serious counterbalance. In it, I hope I managed to dispel the six-inch elf!
Beyond an angel’s art:
Bob Dylan’s voice, his vocal styles, delivery, and the oral tradition of storytelling through song.
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I wish I had seen this artwork when writing my article, as I would have included it as equally powerful an image of people’s reaction to Bob Dylan’s voice as the ones I included within the article.
“Jon Pareles of the New York Times talks about Bob Dylan’s voice being “the wry cackle of a codger who still has an eye for the ladies. […] a raspy, phlegmy bark that’s not exactly melodic and by no means welcoming.” Sean Daly in the Tampa Bay Times called Dylan’s voice a “zombie bullfrog holler” and Alexis Petridis in The Guardian describes “a terrifying, incomprehensible growl that sounds like one of those death-metal vocalists in full flight.”
“And this is not a new phenomenon. David Bowie once affectionately but tellingly compared Bob Dylan’s voice to “sand and glue” in his Song For Bob Dylan, while John Updike scathingly described Dylan as having a “voice to scour a skillet with.” In April of 1965, Fred Billany described Dylan’s voice as having a ‘dry and bitter quality’ and Time magazine in 1963 spoke of his ‘whooping harmonica, skinny little voice’ which at its very best ‘sounds as though it were drifting over the walls of a tuberculosis sanitarium’ softening with, ‘but that’s part of the charm.’”
Reference:
Zuk, Tara. “Beyond an angel’s art: Bob Dylan’s voice, his vocal styles, delivery, and the oral tradition of storytelling through song.” ISIS 193, August, 2017: 37-48
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