When Bob Dylan seeks shelter from the storm, he knows what to do. He goes knock knock knocking on Vera Duckworth's door. The legend has revealed he likes to unwind by watching Coronation Street.
In 1966 he famously left his mark in Manchester when for the second half of his gig at the Free Trade Hall he put down his acoustic guitar and to the horror of some folks went electric. A heckler branded Dylan "Judas" for doing so. But he snarled back: “I don’t believe you. You’re a liar”, before telling his band to play even louder, and changing the course of rock history.
That incident was referred to in one episode of Corrie in 2019 when Ken Barlow, played by William Roache, was "identified" as the fan who heckled Dylan. Now the singer has told the The Wall Street Journal he watches the soap when he wants to feel "at home".
He told the US publication:“I recently binged Coronation Street, Father Brown, and some early Twilight Zones. I know they’re old-fashioned, but they make me feel at home. I’m no fan of packaged programmes or news shows. I never watch anything foul-smelling or evil.”
In response to Dylan revealing his love of Corrie, its producer Iain MacLeod told The Daily Telegraph he could sing karaoke with characters Ken Barlow and Rita Sullivan during an open mic night at the Rovers Return pub if he agreed to appear.
Corrie began broadcasting in 1960 - two years before Dylan released his eponymous debut album on March 17th 1962 which was mainly a collection of folk standards. It was his second release The Freewheelin Bob Dylan which had 11 original songs including Blowin In the Wind; Dont' Think Twice It's All Right; and A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall which was his first step to world-wide stardom.
He was back in Manchester last month playing the Apollo on his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour and earned a five star review from the Manchester Evening News.
In the wide-ranging interview, the 81-year-old also revealed his thoughts on streaming services, saying it had made music “too smooth and painless”. He said: "Everything’s too easy. Just one stroke of the ring finger, middle finger, one little click, that’s all it takes. We’ve dropped the coin right into the slot … You need a solar X-ray detector just to find somebody’s heart, see if they still have one.”
While he listens to music on CDs, satellite radio and streaming, he added, he still loves the sound of old vinyl – “especially on a tube record player from back in the day”.
He added: “I bought three in an antique store in Oregon about 30 years ago. The tone quality is so powerful and miraculous, has so much depth. It always takes me back to the days when life was different and unpredictable.”
Dylan also said he discovered new music “mostly by accident” and praised the work of a host of artists including Jack White, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Wu-Tang Clan and Eminem.
He said social media brings happiness to a lot of people. “Some people even discover love there. I think it’s a wonderful thing. But they can divide and separate us, as well. Turn people against each other,” he added.
The writer of songs such as Like a Rolling Stone, I Want You, The Times They are a Changin, Mr Tambourine Man, and Make You Feel My Love, predicted that few songs of today would become standards. He said: "Who is going to write standards today? A rap artist. A hip-hop or rock star. A raver, a sampling expert, a pop singer? That's music for the establishment. It's easy listening. It just parodies real life. A standard is on another level. It's a role model for other songs, one in a thousand."
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