Thoughts on Dylan at 80

Didn't even know Dylan was turning 80 today, so didn't really prepare any thoughts. But here's one thing I think about quite often, which is that it's a mistake to "read" Dylan primarily in terms of looking for a program or guiding philosophy. He certainly was clear that he had no interest in being a protest singer or the like. Yes, many themes can be teased out, and maybe if one were to be comprehensive about it, one could say that, in the end, the lyrics of Bob Dylan made this or that essential point about life. I actually play that game sometimes. When I do I think that his work is fundamentally anti-authoritarian and also very up front about knowing what he doesn't know, clear in admitting the limits of understanding in this world. That said, for me, the main thing is just the experience of listening to Dylan. Various phrases and verses will send my mind spinning, setting off sparklers of associations. This along with the sensation that some sort of truth is trying to emerge from the bedrock of our subconscious. The closest experience I have had along these lines is reading Emerson, whose main theme, it has been said, is "the infinitude of the private man." One might amend that to "mind."