[Julie Steiner]

John, my own point about truth had to do with the vocal performance, not the poetry itself.

I'm sure we've all endured performances of Shakespeare's plays that were not to our personal taste--in part because we weren't convinced that the words and situations were being brought to life in an authentic way. (Emotionally authentic, that is--I'm able to swallow some modernized versions hook, line, and sinker, even though the actors are dressed as Nazis or whatever, while still spouting Elizabethan dialogue.)

But whether or not I enjoy Dylan's voice shouldn't be a reflection on his lyrics' merit as poetry, just as the number of really horribly over-acted "To be or not to be" recitations I've heard should have no bearing on whether that should be judged a great soliloquy.