Prickish Bob Dylan Ignorantly Blasts Haggard, Hall in 'Person of Year' Speech

by Julian Spivey
Songwriting icon Bob Dylan showed the world exactly how not to give a “Person of the Year” speech on Friday, Feb. 6 when he accepted the 2015 MusicCares Person of the Year honor when he took time out of his lengthy speech to blast some fellow legendary songwriters for absolutely no reason at all, other than sheer malice.

Dylan thanked many artists during his speech for help during his career like Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash, but things quickly turned weird when he turned his ire to country music songwriting legends Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall.

Dylan criticized Haggard by claiming Merle didn’t like his music, as if that would be some sort of crime, and took a swipe at the Bakersfield legend by claiming his Bakersfield counterpart Buck Owens to be a better talent.

“Merle Haggard didn’t even think much of my songs. I know he didn’t. He didn’t say that to me, but I know way back when he didn’t,” Dylan said. “Buck Owens did, and he recorded some of my early songs. ‘Together Again,’ that’s Buck Owens. And that trumps anything else out of Bakersfield. Buck Owens or Merle Haggard? If you had to have somebody’s blessing, you can figure it out”

Haggard took the high road on Twitter the next day by saying: “Bob Dylan I’ve admired your songs since 1964. ‘Don’t Think Twice’ Bob, Willie [Nelson] and I just recorded it on our new album.”

Haggard was a curious swipe for Dylan to make as the singer-songwriter actually opened for Dylan on Dylan’s tour in 2005. It’s also interesting that Dylan claims to know that Haggard never thought much of his music, because Haggard called Dylan “our greatest living songwriter” in an interview with CMT just last November. This particularly makes Dylan look like a completely and utter fool.

Dylan’s words for Tom T. Hall were even more despicable. He seemed to doubt Hall’s songwriting expertise on the basis of one entire song: his 1973 country number one “I Love.”

Dylan said: “Now some might say Tom was a great songwriter, and I’m not going to doubt that. At the time, during his interview, I was actually listening to a song of his on the radio in the recording studio. It was called “I Love.” And it was talking about all the things he loves. An everyman song. Trying to connect with people. Trying to make you think he’s just like you and you’re just like him. We all love the same things. We’re all in this together. Tom loves little baby ducks. Slow-moving trains and rain. He loves big pickup trucks and little country streams. Sleep without dreams. Bourbon in a glass. Coffee in a cup. Tomatoes on a vine and onions. Now listen, I’m not every going to disparage another songwriter. I’m not gonna do that. I’m not saying that’s a bad song, I’m just saying it might be a little over-cooked.”

In one sentence Dylan says he’s not going to disparage another songwriter and then does exactly that in the very next sentence.

He would later take another swipe at Hall while praising fellow country songwriter Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down” saying, “That one song blew Tom T. Hall’s world apart. It might have sent him to the crazy house. God forbid he ever heard one of my songs. If ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ rattled Tom’s cage and sent him into the looney bin, my songs surely would have made him blow his brains out.”

This quote not only makes Dylan seem like an asshole, but also an arrogant prick. Maybe he is. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s one of the greatest songwriters that has ever lived. But, I’d like to see something a little more humble from someone being honored as a “Person of the Year.”

Unfortunately few in the music journalism business are calling out Dylan for his ignorant and disrespectful words toward these legends because of who he is, but as fellow legends Haggard and Hall deserve to be defended.

Dylan’s comments about Haggard and Hall made him seem like anything but a person who should be honored as “Person of the Year.” His comments were frankly completely beneath him and made him out to look like a disgruntled, senile fool. It’s truly a shame to see a songwriting legend go after other songwriting legends in the manner in which Dylan did on Friday night and I highly doubt there are many, if any, other legends in the music industry who would do the same. MusicCares should probably vet their honorees a little better from now on before they thoroughly embarrass everybody involved with such disappointing and ignorant rantings and ravings.

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