Laulujen lunnaat

Bob Dylan kirjoittaa:

People think that fame and riches translate into power, that it brings glory and honor and happiness. Maybe it does, but sometimes it doesn't. I found myself stuck in Woodstock, vulnerable and with a family to protect. If you looked in the press, though, you saw me being portrayed as anything but that. It was surprising how thick the smoke had become. It seems like the world has always needed a scapegoat — someone to lead the charge against the Roman Empire. But America wasn't the Roman Empire and someone else would have to step up and volunteer. I really was never any more than what I was — a folk musician who gazed into the gray mist with tear-blinded eyes and made up songs that floated in a luminous haze. Now it had blown up in my face and was hanging over me. I wasn't a preacher performing miracles. It would have driven anybody mad. — Bob Dylan, Chronicles

Sitaatti on osa katkelmasta, jonka aikakauslehti Newsweek julkaisee uusimmassa numerossaan. Lehden verkkosivuille koottu paketti sisältää myös äänitiedostoja, joissa näyttelijä Sean Penn lukee otteita muistelmien tekstistä. Viimeistään niistä kuulee, että kyse on merkittävästä teoksesta. Ei informaatiosta, ei juoruilusta, ei skandaalinkärystä, vaan kertomuksesta. Yhden miehen yrityksestä saada lukijansa kuuntelemaan. Kun parhaat kirjoittavat, muutkin näkevät toisin.