We are not fans of Bob Dylan here at Beacon of Speech, not at all. We believe he is the most overrated musician of the past 75 years.
But what is happening to him today is fundamentally wrong.
A woman, now 68, claims Dylan molested her multiple times at the Chelsea Hotel in New York in April and May of 1965 when she was 12.
In the #MeToo Era, you are not supposed to question the victim. But in this specific case:
On April 26, 1965 Bob Dylan arrived in London. He didn’t return to the United States until June 2nd. - Showbiz 411
Dylan wasn't playing obscure venues, he was recorded, on film, for the documentary Don't Look Back. Dylan's movements at that time were not only well documented in England, but supported by such things as flight records.
So websites such as CNN and Rolling Stone, who LOVE Bob Dylan, are reporting these accusations without doing their due diligence as reporters. They are using salacious accusations to troll for clicks.
All the while, smaller websites are forced to point out such sticky wickets as facts. Another point to be made is the accuser waited almost 60 years to bring these charges to light. But only waited 6 months after Dylan sold his catalog for $300 Million.
Now I assumed Bob Dylan made good money, but I always pictured his finances like Ralph Nader's, a subtle millionaire. Once Dylan sold his catalog, though, he went from making good money to F-U Money. The timing of the charges smells like someone looking for settlement cash.
And since we're talking about the seedy Chelsea Hotel, not somewhere like the Ritz Carlton, anyone ever consider that a 12 year old girl was tricked by someone CLAIMING to be Bob Dylan?
For a story that can be discredited with just a cursory amount of journalism, like Dylan strenuously denying the accusations and the fact that he was on another continent, this story is remarkably persistent.
At my last job, we weren't allowed to have a radio or TV in the break room, but we had album covers on the walls. I often sat next to the Highway 61 album while I ate lunch.
I was a fan of a few of Dylan's covers:
By Ministry....
By Jimi....
By Axl.....
By Hole.....
By the Byrds....
Personally, I think it would be great irony if Bob Dylan sued Rolling Stone for a nine-figured amount for defamation. You know, the same magazine that worshiped at the Dylan alter for 50 years.