And as I recall from people I've spoken to (note my city) and things I've read, Dylan was an annoying little pest, always hanging around, always playing his "cowboy songs", always glomming ideas from others, always trying to drum up gigs. He was relentless, and he was a person who studied hard. He STILL has the sensibility of a musicologist. And I believe what broke him into fast track fame was that miraculous song, "Blowin' in the Wind".

And once he achieved fame, he learned what most learn: that part kind of sucks. Everybody wants something from you. And how he responded to all that attention really informed the rest of his career.

But I think he would be the first person to praise and acknowledge his own influences. He's pretty humble, even skeptical, about his own impact.

So, let's start a band called The Tread Drifters.

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman