[NEW COURSE] Learning about the late Bob Dylan is a waste of your time, right? He’s a 60s relic; you hate his voice, etc.... Please reconsider. Read Dylan’s answers in The New York Times about being 80 years old. Listen to Murder Most Foul, released during the pandemic, about which The New Yorker critic, Kevin Dettmar, wrote: “What a weird new song for Bob Dylan to drop ‘Weird’ with its full Shakespearean force, as in the ‘weird sisters’ of Macbeth, possessing ‘the supernatural power of dealing with fate or destiny,’” and his version of Once Upon a Time for Tony Bennett’s 90th birthday tribute. After coming back from the abyss with the Grammy-winning, Time Out of Mind in 1997, Dylan began building on themes that he explored in his earlier work expanding intertextuality in songs to include literature and film, warping time and place to create complex, multi-textured songs, and compelling music. We begin with Dylan’s most recent work, then follow his journey from the 1990s listening to, analyzing, deconstructing, and contextualizing his songs. We will also use excerpts from his radio show, books, and tributes to musicians to gain some insight into one of the most original, enigmatic, and creative minds in music, and the humanities writ large. Audio/Visual, Discussion, Lecture