The relationship between musical titans Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell stands as one of folk and rock history’s most fascinating and often perplexing dynamics. Contemporaries who reshaped the singer-songwriter landscape, their interactions oscillated between mutual influence and sharp critique. Understanding this complex connection involves navigating a history marked by initial inspiration, public disagreements, and deeply personal anecdotes, revealing a unique rivalry intertwined with grudging respect.
Early Influence: Dylan’s Impact on Mitchell
Joni Mitchell readily acknowledged Bob Dylan’s formative influence on her own artistic development. Before releasing her debut album, she heard Dylan’s 1965 single, ‘Positively 4th Street’. The experience was transformative. “I thought ‘Oh my God, you can write about anything in songs’,” Mitchell recalled, calling it “a revelation.” This realization prompted a significant shift in her approach to songwriting.
Initially, Mitchell felt her early work was rooted in “fantasy,” often drawing from traditional folk themes. Dylan’s example, however, encouraged a move towards more personal and introspective material. “I started scraping my own soul more and more and got more humanity in it,” she explained. This shift towards confessional songwriting, she noted, initially unsettled some male contemporaries, comparing the reaction to the stir caused when Dylan himself went electric. Mitchell believed her deeply personal style eventually influenced others to write more from their own experiences.
Shifting Tides: Mitchell’s Criticism Begins
Despite acknowledging Dylan’s initial impact, Mitchell’s public comments about him took a notably critical turn over the years. In a 2010 interview, she delivered a scathing assessment when a comparison was made between them. “We are like night and day, [Dylan] and I,” she stated bluntly. “Bob is not authentic at all. He’s a plagiarist, and his name and voice are fake. Everything about Bob is a deception.” This sharp critique stood in stark contrast to her earlier admiration, prompting questions about the change in her perspective.
Even when her opinion appeared to soften slightly in 2013, admitting she “liked a lot of his songs,” the praise came with significant caveats. Mitchell added: “Musically, [Dylan’s] not very gifted; he’s borrowed his voice from old hillbillies. He’s got a lot of borrowed things. He’s not a great guitar player. He’s invented a character to deliver his songs … it’s a mask of sorts.” Her comments consistently questioned Dylan’s originality and musical prowess.
Key Incidents Fueling the Tension
Several specific incidents likely contributed to the friction between the two artists. One notable moment occurred at a party hosted by David Geffen, head of Elektra/Asylum Records and Mitchell’s former boyfriend. Mitchell played a preview of her upcoming 1974 album, Court and Spark, for the guests, including Dylan. Mid-listen, Dylan reportedly fell asleep – a less than flattering review delivered publicly.
Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell onstage during the Rolling Thunder Revue tour, highlighting their complex professional relationship.
Despite this, Mitchell joined Dylan’s famed Rolling Thunder Revue tour the following year. While the tour was a creative success, accounts suggest Dylan could be enigmatic. Playwright Sam Shepard, also on the tour and who Mitchell briefly dated (inspiring her song ‘Coyote’), observed in his tour log, “Dylan has invented himself… He’s made himself up from scratch… Dylan is an invention of his own mind.” Whether Mitchell’s personal experiences on the tour colored her view of Dylan remains speculative. However, her most pointedly personal criticism stemmed directly from performing alongside him during this period. In Brian Hinton’s biography Both Sides Now, Mitchell recounted an unpleasant on-stage experience: “On the third night they stuck Bob at the mic with me and he never brushes his teeth, so his breath was like right in my face.”
Later Reflections and Dylan’s Silence
Throughout Mitchell’s public critiques and shifting opinions, Bob Dylan has largely remained silent on the matter regarding Joni Mitchell. His invitation for her to join the high-profile Rolling Thunder Revue suggests a degree of professional respect. However, finding public comments, whether complimentary or critical, made by Dylan specifically about Mitchell is difficult. His reticence leaves much of the “feud” narrative shaped primarily by Mitchell’s perspective.
Conclusion
The dynamic between Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell remains a complex tapestry woven with threads of influence, competition, and personal animosity. Mitchell saw Dylan as a catalyst for her own artistic evolution yet later challenged his authenticity and musical gifts. Specific incidents, from perceived slights to uncomfortably close performance quarters, added personal dimensions to their professional relationship. While Dylan remained largely quiet, Mitchell’s outspokenness created a narrative of a peculiar, one-sided feud. Regardless of the personal friction, both artists stand as monumental figures whose work profoundly shaped modern music, existing as essential, if sometimes discordant, notes in the same rich musical history.
