--- title: "6 Bob Quotes By Greil Marcus" description: "6 Bob quotes by Greil Marcus. Plus more from Greil Marcus and more Bob sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg" --- > [I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg) > [Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term 'still'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-unsettling-records-and-to-do/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/greil-marcus-10438_answers_bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-u_265454.jpg) > [Along with a lot of other things, becoming a Bob Dylan fan made me a writer. I was never interested in figuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becoming-a-bob-dylan-fan-made-me-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/greil-marcus-10438_becoming_along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becomin_1080912.jpg) > [If Bob Dylan really is an historian in and of himself in his work, in his performances, he is also an historian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-and-of-himself-in-his-work-in/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/greil-marcus-10438_bits_if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-a_1437015.jpg) > [ What always attracted me to \[Bob\] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg) > [I am a critic who is pulled toward history. But Bob Dylan himself is a great historian. He is an historian who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-history-but-bob-dylan-himself-is-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/greil-marcus-10438_bob_i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-histo_2431912.jpg) ## Other authors on Bob ## More by Greil Marcus > [As I write, Johnny Rotten's first moments in "Anarchy in the U.K." - a rolling earthquake of a laugh, a buried shout, then hoary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/as-i-write-johnny-rotten-s-first-moments-in-anarchy-in-the-u-k-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Elvis' early music has drama because as he sang he was escaping limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/elvis-early-music-has-drama-because-as-he-sang-he-was-escaping-limits/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [You're going to react to a painting in a way that the painting demands you react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/you-re-going-to-react-to-a-painting-in-a-way-that-the-painting/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [No failure in America, whether of love or money, is ever simple; it is always a kind of betrayal, of a mass of shadowy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/no-failure-in-america-whether-of-love-or-money-is-ever-simple-it-is/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [ “\[Listening to a song\] one could experience a freedom from one's physical body, and from one's social body - the mask you wore to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/listening-to-a-song-one-could-experience-a-freedom-from-one-s/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Records that were the sound of somebody - more often than not, a she - speaking with a voice that had never been heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/records-that-were-the-sound-of-somebody-more-often-than-not-a-she/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [There is no pop category, let alone any infinitely gene-sliced genre name, to contain the lead in Rihanna's voice in 'Needed Me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/there-is-no-pop-category-let-alone-any-infinitely-gene-sliced-genre/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I'm a fan of Oliver Stone. I like his movies, I like his excess, and I think he has a great capacity for empathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-m-a-fan-of-oliver-stone-i-like-his-movies-i-like-his-excess-and-i/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term 'still' seems meaningless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-unsettling-records-and-to-do/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [When you're writing criticism or thinking critically, to draw a very limited minor conclusion from solid evidence is really not thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/when-you-re-writing-criticism-or-thinking-critically-to-draw-a-very/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [My ideal reader is somebody who trips over a copy of my book on the sidewalk; then they pick it up and read as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/my-ideal-reader-is-somebody-who-trips-over-a-copy-of-my-book-on-the/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [I don't know that there's a division between American and British, European, South American, Asian sensibilities when it comes to rock n' roll or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-don-t-know-that-there-s-a-division-between-american-and-british/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [We fight our way through the massed and leveled collective safe taste of the Top 40, just looking for a little something we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/we-fight-our-way-through-the-massed-and-leveled-collective-safe-taste/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) > [“Banishing the love song, people discovered what else there was to sing about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/banishing-the-love-song-people-discovered-what-else-there-was-to-sing/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/#itemlist", "name": "6 Bob Quotes By Greil Marcus", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of betrayal and anger and rage was about Bob Dylan's beginning to perform with a band, to play rock-and-roll, to get on the radio.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term 'still' seems meaningless to me. But the real answer is simple: I listen to Bob Dylan for pleasure more than I listen to anyone else for pleasure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-unsettling-records-and-to-do/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/greil-marcus-10438_answers_bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-u_265454.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/greil-marcus-10438_answers_bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-u_265454.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a91/greil-marcus-10438_answers_bob-dylan-continues-to-release-odd-and-u_265454.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Along with a lot of other things, becoming a Bob Dylan fan made me a writer. I was never interested in figuring out what the songs meant. I was interested in figuring out my response to them, and other people's responses. I wanted to get closer to the music than I could by listening to it - I wanted to get inside of it, behind it, and writing about it through it, inside of it, behind it, was my way of doing that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becoming-a-bob-dylan-fan-made-me-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/greil-marcus-10438_becoming_along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becomin_1080912.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/greil-marcus-10438_becoming_along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becomin_1080912.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/greil-marcus-10438_becoming_along-with-a-lot-of-other-things-becomin_1080912.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Along with a lot of other things, becoming a Bob Dylan fan made me a writer. I was never interested in…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If Bob Dylan really is an historian in and of himself in his work, in his performances, he is also an historian with a unique sense of humor. There's always been a bit of a stand-up comic in him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-and-of-himself-in-his-work-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/greil-marcus-10438_bits_if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-a_1437015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/greil-marcus-10438_bits_if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-a_1437015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/486/greil-marcus-10438_bits_if-bob-dylan-really-is-an-historian-in-a_1437015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If Bob Dylan really is an historian in and of himself in his work, in his performances, he is also an…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always continued to surprise me, is his voice, the way he sings, the way he wraps his voice around certain words, the way he backs off from melodic moments, the way he moves forward to grab something in a song that, were anybody else performing it, they would have no idea it was even there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-and-what-has-sustained-me-as-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/greil-marcus-10438_bob_what-always-attracted-me-to-bob-dylan-an_1781512.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What always attracted me to [Bob] Dylan, and what has sustained me as a Dylan listener, or has always…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am a critic who is pulled toward history. But Bob Dylan himself is a great historian. He is an historian who acts out history. So it always has a personal stamp. It always has a particular timbre. It always has a particular howl, or a moan, in that voice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greil Marcus" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-history-but-bob-dylan-himself-is-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/greil-marcus-10438_bob_i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-histo_2431912.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/greil-marcus-10438_bob_i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-histo_2431912.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa4/greil-marcus-10438_bob_i-am-a-critic-who-is-pulled-toward-histo_2431912.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am a critic who is pulled toward history. But Bob Dylan himself is a great historian. He is an historian…” — Greil Marcus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/", "name": "Bob Quotes by Greil Marcus", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45c/greil-marcus-10438_band_i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossib_111689.jpg" }, "description": "6 Bob quotes by Greil Marcus. Plus more from Greil Marcus and more Bob sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bob", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Greil Marcus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bob/greil-marcus/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```