the zeitgeist report

There is an ugly little trend on Broadway to raid some of our favorite rock legends catalogues and paste together a musical with a story line and dancing. This has happened to ABBA, Billy Joel, The Beach Boys and now Bob Dylan. This seems a little crass and slightly suspiscious:

Dylan, who saw an early preview, has given the project his blessing and is said, in fact, to be eager to see it on Broadway.

Not only because he likes it — which he does, very much — but also because, according to sources, he's looking forward to those big fat royalty checks that can flow from a hit show.

The great icon of the '60s counterculture has already cashed in his catalog to Victoria's Secret and Starbucks, so why not try to ring a few more bucks out of it on the Great White Way?

People view these sorts of things as a sellout but I think most artists enjoy people listening to their music. That's why they do what they do. Dylan doing these sorts of things is viewed by a slightly different standard, in that he is viewed as more of a religious figure than a pop musician.