Five bands that Bob Dylan hates

One of the most important figures in contemporary music is Bob Dylan. He is a singer-songwriter who has significantly impacted the rock community. His songs have become recognizable and legendary over the course of his six-decade career, frequently acting as the soundtrack for entire generations.

Dylan frequently uses poetry in his lyrics to explore themes of love, sorrow, and social transformation. His music has received accolades for its intricate lyrics and capacity to encapsulate a generation. He has been a leader in social movements and encourages his audience to consider their position in it.

Not only that, but Bob has also criticized many other bands and singers. When that occurs, it is almost always extremely noteworthy and never mundane. He is not a man of hatred, but he is also not a man who worships heroes. This indicates that Dylan has disliked The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the past, but not necessarily that he does so now. It is clear from the comments below that the master obviously had a particular preference for how things are done, regardless of whether his distaste was momentary or permanent.

Bands Bob Dylan Hated

The Beatles

Bob Dylan has publicly expressed his admiration for the Beatles numerous times over the years. He has cited them as a major influence in his own musical journey. But there is also a page to look forward to.

During his interview with Rober Shelton for No Direction Home. He said, “The Beatles are accepted, and you’ve got to accept them for what they do. They play songs like ‘Michelle’ and ‘Yesterday’, a lot of smoothness there, Yeah, it’s the thing to do, to tell all the teeny boppers ‘I dig The Beatles’, and you sing a song like ‘Yesterday’ or ‘Michelle’. Hey God knows, it’s such a cop-out, man, both of those songs. […] There are millions of songs like ‘Michelle and ‘Yesterday’ being written in Tin Pan Alley. He was only momentarily irritated because he believed that songs like “Fourth Time Around” were imitations of him. He added, “What is this? It’s me Bob. [Lennon’s] doing me. Even Sonny & Cher are doing me, but, fucking hell, I invented it”.

Simon & Garfunkel

The two famously had nothing to say to one another during their awkward and cagey encounter the week before Simon & Garfunkel were slated to perform at Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich Village.

According to Far Out Magazine, When the time for the performance came, Dylan crept to the end of the bar with the critic Robert Shelton. As a hush fell and their performance started, Dylan started laughing at what was meant to be a spiritual moment. The band continued to play while casting a scathing gaze in his direction, but the laughter persisted and the entire club screamed in unison. Shelton clarified that the meeting the week prior was tense enough to raise the possibility that Dylan was scoffing on purpose, even though he claimed the chuckles were just a matter of bad timing. He explained, “an encounter typical of New York’s paranoia and instant rivalries.”

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin’s manager Peter Grant once approached the star in 1974 at a Los Angeles show and extended a hand and announced, “Hello Bob, I’m Peter Grant, I manage Led Zeppelin.” The handshake was subsequently rejected by Dylan, who continued to speak with unerring wit and contempt and said, “Do I come to you with my problems?”

Despite their hilarious argument, Dylan has maintained a nice relationship with the rest of Led Zeppelin, at least. They merely arrived at a moment when Dylan was worried that rock ‘n’ roll was losing its magnificent diversity and becoming ethnically divided between white British rock and black soul.

The Rolling Stones

Dylan seems to have been less outspoken about the competition than many of his contemporaries, who saw The Rolling Stones as a challenger to the folk music culture he was a member of. The Rolling Stones are not hated by Bob Dylan today, but he has in the past. He may have said, “The Rolling Stones are truly the greatest rock and roll band in the world and always will be.” But he also said, “I love Mick Jagger. I mean, I go back a long ways with him, and I always wish him the best, But to see him jumping around like he does — I don’t give a shit in what age, from Altamont to RFK Stadium — you don’t have to do that, man.”

Kiss

As he was performing at the University of Arizona, the crowd grew weary of hearing him only sing songs that glorified Christ and started to demand some hits. Dylan was furious and believed that things had changed for the worst. He screamed angrily “If you want rock ‘n’ roll, you can go see KISS and rock ‘n’ roll all the way down to the pit.”