Quote of the Week: Dylan on Electricity

Bob Dylan said, “Electricity ruined music,” according to filmmaker Larry Charles. Charles told the anecdote during a Q&A session following the July 31, 2003, screening of his new film, Masked & Anonymous, in San Francisco. The film stars Dylan as a musician preparing to perform at a troubled benefit concert. During one of two full days of recording music for the film, Dylan was experiencing difficulty with his band’s equipment, which led to his tart complaint. Charles reported that the legend — who mythically plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, pissing off (apocryphally, some say) the roots-oriented audience — was fully aware of the irony of his statement.