Learning from A Master: New Bob Dylan Museum Gives Deeper and Broader Insight Into the Iconic Artist’s Works and Process

In their 1993 hit, “Mr. Jones,” The Counting Crows sang: “I wanna be Bob Dylan.” So, I don’t want to BE Bob Dylan, but for a long time I’ve wished that I could gain enough insight into his creative process to effectively apply at least shades of it to my own.

I’m no Bob Dylan expert. But one meaningful connection for me is that we’re both from, and presumptuously shaped to a degree, by growing up in Minnesota.

My fandom literally goes back to the 60s, when I was a teenager and the notes and intense messages of his first famous works flowed into our culture.

Dylan’s iconic hits, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “The Times They are A-Changin’” came out in 1963 and 1964, respectively. “Like a Rolling Stone” followed in 1965. Those amazing songs are but a small sampling of the prolific artistry he’s produced, and continues to this day.

Other early-on monumental songs of his include:

Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (1963) / A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (1963)

All I Really Want to Do (1964) / It Ain’t Me Babe (1964)

The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1964) / Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965) / All Along the Watchtower (1967)

Lay Lady Lay (1969) / Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (1973)