Jakob Dylan: Music Cannot Be Avoided
L'uomo Vogue (January 1997)
Translated from the Italian text

It is not easy to be called the "new Bob Dylan." Several artists, among them Bruce Springsteen, had to stand comparisons with the legendary folk singer for most of their artistic lives. But Jakob Dylan cannot choose. He is the young Dylan, 26-year-old son of the Great Bob, and, even worse, has decided to sing. It's true, he took after his father as far as voice, talent, and behavior are concerned, and he stresses it with his haircut and goatee, but it is also true that he took after his father as far as "privacy" is concerned. Ask about the old Bob or his family, and he'll shut you off, so you can't even understand what he thinks about them by his comments and his behavior.
The second CD of young Dylan and his group, the Wallflowers, is quite new, but is already a great success, as far as public and critics are concerned. Its title is "Bringing Down the Horse," and it's a mixture of rock-folk-country music, influenced by the '60s. The group, formed in 1990, had already recorded a CD, "The Wallflowers," in 1992, which wasn't very well accepted. Later, a new record company and new members of the group arrived (only Dylan and his friend, piano player Rami Jaffee remained), and the Wallflowers recorded a very good CD, thanks to the help of some other artists, and that of T-Bone Burnett. Dylan says: "In the first CD we just played, it was a live recording, without elaborations. `Bringing Down the Horse´ is a real CD, elaborated, produced and played in a different, more mature way. There have been moments when I thought the band would not survive . . . really depressing moments . . . But we went on, and now that we are touring in order to promote the CD, we play together every evening, and I realize we are finally OK." Jakob Dylan comes from Los Angeles, the youngest of the five children of Bob Dylan and Sara Lowndes, a former model who divorced Dylan in 1977 and obtained the kids' custody. "Everybody thinks I grew up in a musical environment," says Jakob, "but, in reality, my parents divorced when I was only six and my father wasn't present in my life, and my mother surely wasn't Marianne Faithfull. We all studied a musical instrument, as part of our education, but I am the only one who decided to start a musical career." During high school, Jakob started playing with some friends, going to concerts with his elder brothers, and listening to music, particularly the Clash, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. He wrote his first song at 18. "I can't remember what it was about, but it was for sure rubbish," he laughs. When he formed the Wallflowers, Jakob worked for Canter's Deli in L.A., playing in the Kibitz Room. At the beginning, there wasn't a big audience, but soon artists like Jackson Browne and Lenny Kravitz arrived. The band became famous, and the CD arrived. "Considering we have been playing for six years and that success arrived only today, I would not say my success was due to my surname. I realize I am a good target for attacks and comparisons, but this worries those who are close to me more than it worries me. I became an artist because I could not avoid it, not because of my surname."
His biggest success is "6th Avenue Heartache." All his songs talk about stories that might seem to be vaguely autobiographic, and tell of strange people and destroyed lives. Jakob is able to give an accent of sincerity and soul to his words and music. "To me it is important to be sincere, when I sing, to be myself. My public understands it. They sense a 'believable' voice."
Also, to be directly in contact with his public, he prefers to play in small clubs more than in large theatres. "In the past we were supporters to other bands, for instance 10,000 Maniacs and the Spin Doctors, but I feel better when the public, even if not large, comes to hear us. The relationship is really incredible. If I could, I would only play live. To record is a heavy work, and makes me feel claustrophobic."
Jakob makes you feel he's a young talented artist, not looking for grandeur. The music business does not interest him, he just wants to sing and compose. He's not worried about the group's image. As far as his image is concerned, he's got precise ideas. "I only wore for Vogue things that I would wear in real life. Logically I could not afford them, but they correspond to my ideas. I do not have much time to go shopping - I ask for friends' and relatives' advice . . . My tours are really tiring. The only thing I want, at the end of the day, is to sleep or to walk outside. Nothing more."
What are his projects for the future? "To go on playing, of course, and to do some of the things I keep saying to myself I should do, but I have no time . . . Ah, and to make the clown who keeps shouting for us to play my father's songs during our concerts shut up.


| Home | Back to Articles |