much time giving people answers to
stuff that wasn't relevant to what I was
trying to do," he explained from Los
Angeles, where he lives with his wife
and three young children. "It wasn't that
I was avoiding it, as much as I was find-
ing lots of other stuff in my life to write
about. [Parents] are one part of a per-
son, and There are many other parrs."
Breach boasts Dylan's most straight-
forward lyrics to date. Directly
addressing personal topics in his songs
proved liberating, he said.
"While writing the record, I found it
a lot more challenging. That was more
of what I was attempting to do — to
explore areas of songwriting I found
interesting that I hadn't done before.
And, oddly, it turned out to be by my
being direct and straightforward. But I
don't have a lot of interest in being
introspective about myself. I don't lis-
ten to my other records; it's like look-
ing at old high-school photos."
Dylan's newfound directness is a
large reason why Breach is the best of
the Wallflowers' three albums. Another
is his increasingly assured songwriting,
which suggests he has the potential to
transcend his well-known influences.
But the song on Breach that has
attracted the most attention, "Hand
Me Down," deals with someone who
may be his biggest influence of all
[musical and otherwise] — his father.
It finds Dylan facing the challenge
of trying to follow in the footsteps of a
world-famous parent. Witness such
stinging lines as: "You could never
make us proud ... it's not your fault
you embarrass us all."
"The lyrics have been exaggerated,"
Dylan admitted. "But I've never felt
the need to defend them or to deny
what people are saying. That's the
point — the songs are supposed to be
interpreted by the listeners. I knew
people would think this was a coming-
out song that had me addressing the
obvious, but it's not the case as much
as they imagine."
And what of Bob Dylan? Does
Jakob hope to one day get to a musical
destination — figuratively or literal-
ly
his father has not yet reached?
"If you could find a place he hasn't
been," the younger Dylan replied with
the slightest hint of a chuckle, "let me
know." E
The Wallflowers play DTE
Energy Music Theatre 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 28, with John
Mellencamp. $25.50-$55.50.
(248) 645-6666.
when I first started my
group, four of the five of
us were Jewish. We never
discussed it as an advan-
tage or disadvantage.
During the '50s, it would
have been deserent.
"I?ock roll exploded
from the South; it was in
fact dangerous, and
northern parents had
good reason to be scared.
Early on, Jews did occupy
key roles, only behind the
scenes. Lieber and Stoller
wrote 'Hound Dog'
near the birth of rock,
and Brian Epstein
managed the Beatles.
As pet formers, Jews
were professional
like Paul Simon and
Neil Diamond. Maybe
great artists, but not the
lethal combination that
would eventually become
the image of rock.
"Even though it may
have been inevitable for
Jews to invade all areas
of rock, maybe it took the
guts of one Jewish kid
from Minnesota to stick
the smug face of Brando
to the ferocious danger
of the faraway South.
So the rest of us today
don't have to consider
it a factor at all."
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8/24
2001
79