At some point, we all feel the need to discover new music to shake off our listening routines a bit and lift our spirits with new tunes. While there are many ways to find new music in the digital age, some great pieces just come to us by chance. Bob Dylan also believes the same, as he revealed to the Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Slate during a recent interview, while also naming one of his favorite rap stars.
“Mostly by accident, by chance,” Dylan replied when asked how he discovers new music lately. “If I go looking for something, I usually don’t find it. In fact, I never find it. I walk into things intuitively when I’m most likely not looking for anything. Tiny Hill, Teddy Edwards, people like that. Obscure artists, obscure songs. There’s a song by Jimmy Webb that Frank Sinatra recorded called ‘Whatever Happened to Christmas,’ I think he recorded it in the ’60s, but I just discovered it.”
The musician continued, “Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘A-Tiskit, A-Tasket.’ Janice Martin, the female Elvis. Have you heard her? Joe Turner is always surprising me with little nuances and things. I listen to Brenda Lee a lot. No matter how many times I hear her, it’s like I just discovered her. She’s such an old soul. Lately, I discovered a fantastic guitar player, Teddy Bunn. I heard him on a Meade Lux Lewis – Sid Catlett record.”
Continuing to list the names he enjoys listening to these days, Dylan added, “Performers and songwriters recommend things to me. Others I just wake up, and they’re there. Some I’ve seen live. The Oasis Brothers, I like them both, Julian Casablanca, the Klaxons, Grace Potter. I’ve seen Metallica twice. I’ve made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner. Zac Deputy, I’ve discovered him lately. He’s a one-man show like Ed Sheeran, but he sits down when he plays.”
Besides the artists from rock and roll, jazz, and folk, the singer also named the rap star he is a fan of. Bob Dylan shared, “I’m a fan of Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag and Bone Man, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, anybody with a feeling for words and language, anybody whose vision parallels mine.”
Considering the musicians he listed from very different genres, it seems evident that Bob Dylan has a broad taste in music, as he even listens to rap, which may be surprising to hear for some. Dylan revealed that he is a big fan of the rap star Eminem, while he also enjoys listening to the hip-hop band Wu-Tang Clan. It is also interesting that the singer went to see Metallica twice, proving his interest in metal music as well.
