Joni Mitchell calls Bob Dylan a Plagiarist
08-14-2011
- by Dante Alexander, Staff Mumbler
Harsh words about Bob Dylan from Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell began her career like any other artist, playing in bars and nightclubs, and has come a very long way considering that. She has since gained massive popularity, and Rolling Stone Magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest songwriters of all time even ended up featuring her at number 30.

In a recent interview with the Times, Joni Mitchell has given some rather harsh criticisms about fellow performer and songwriter Bob Dylan. In her exact words, "Bob is not authentic at all: He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I."



It should be noted that she quickly changed the subject after this remark. Moving quickly to speaking about how she got her name instead, the surprising criticism receives very little dialogue for explanation.

Commenter have given mixed opinions. Some criticize her for making such a judgement and mock her own music- "what a whiner, I never understood what people heard in her music...just a bunch of disorganized, third rate 'scatting'..." -while others seem to be happy about her taking shots at the legendary singer- "All the 'great' ones lie, cheat and steal. From Bill Gates to Thomas Edison to Bob Dylan. The world is a lie."

But what I feel is most worth noting is how quickly she brushes the subject off and how little she puts into it. She accuses him of things that she makes no effort to back up- and I'm not saying this because I'm a Dylan fan, nor is it because I have anything against Mitchell as I am indifferent to either of them.

In the end, it would have made more sense if she explained herself. She could have said for example, "He's a plagiarist because he copies from artist x or artist y," she could have explained, "everything about him is deception specifically because he's done this or that." But no, instead we are left with a very brief and unclear statement.

Because of her lack of explanation, you really have to wonder if there are actually grounds to her claims, or if the whole thing is only spawned of her own bitterness for Dylan's massive success.



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