Dylan, Lennon, Marx and God

Ground-breaking dual biography that explores pop music's two most influential songwriters, offering new insights into their creative thinking.

Jon Stewart (Author)

9781108489812, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 December 2021

252 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.52 kg

'… the dual biography, evaluating the extent to which the pair illuminated - and at times rejected - one another's creative achievements and political sensibilities, should fascinate most readers.' Johnnie Johnstone, Shindig!

Bob Dylan and John Lennon are two of the most iconic names in popular music. Dylan is arguably the twentieth century's most important singer-songwriter. Lennon was founder and leader of the Beatles who remain, by some margin, the most covered songwriters in history. While Dylan erased the boundaries between pop and poetry, Lennon and his band transformed the genre's creative potential. The parallels between the two men are striking but underexplored. This book addresses that lack. Jon Stewart discusses Dylan's and Lennon's relationship; their politics; their understanding of history; and their deeply held spiritual beliefs. In revealing how each artist challenged the restrictive social norms of their day, the author shows how his subjects asked profound moral questions about what it means to be human and how we should live. His book is a potent meditation and exploration of two emblematic figures whose brilliance changed Western music for a generation.

1. Introduction
2. Dylan, Lennon and dual biography
3. Dylan, Lennon and anti-war protest music
4. John Lennon and history
5. Bob Dylan and history
6. Dylan, Lennon and spirituality
7. Conclusion
Appendices
List of references
Index.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH], Music: styles & genres [AVG], Theory of music & musicology [AVA]