Earlier today on Facebook and on his website, Bruce Springsteen released exclusive statements from his new book, Born to Run that showed how much recent Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan influenced his life as a musician. In the book, Springsteen calls Dylan "the father of my country," saying that albums such as Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing it all Back Home were "the first time I can remember being exposed to a truthful vision of the place I lived."
Springsteen, who has become a voice for his fellow Americans himself, writes that as a boy, it was Dylan's music that supported him through his years as a young American. He writes, "Bob pointed true north and served as a beacon to assist you in making your way through the new wilderness America had become. He planted a flag, wrote the songs, sang the words that were essential to the times, to the emotional and spiritual survival of so many young Americans at that moment."
Considering how the turbulent political times in America are effecting all of us right now, it seems as though Dylan's Nobel win is as good a reason as any to tune back in to his music and let Dylan lead us all through the wilderness once more. You can read the full excerpt from Springsteen's book on his website. The full book, Born to Run, is also available now.