When Woody Guthrie passed away and punched his ticket for an eternal legacy, he passed the torch to Bob Dylan. Thanks to his constant praise of Guthrie and his songs “Song To Woody” and “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie,” Dylan did not take the torch in vain. Rather, it was through consistent admiration and acknowledgment of influence that cemented Guthrie’s legacy into Dylan’s work itself.
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The moment that seemingly incited Dylan to carry Guthrie with him for the remainder of his career was when he met him in New York City for the first time. The meeting allegedly transpired on January 29, 1961, just five days after Dylan made it to New York. It seems one of Dylan’s first things on the docket was to meet the man who made him. So, he did, as he waltzed into Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey and spoke with Woody Guthrie while he was recovering from Huntington’s disease.
Guthrie’s Message to a Spry and Hungry Bob Dylan
Even though Guthrie didn’t die until 1967, the meeting between him and Dylan had a profound undertone that would make it seem he passed shortly after. Nevertheless, the meeting still meant the world to both of them. Especially for Dylan, as this seemed like a rite of passage for the then 19-year-old songwriter.
Most of what was said between those hospital walls only now lives in the confines of Dylan’s mind. However, there are numerous pieces of the conversation to be confirmed true. Well, at least true in the eyes of Dylan, and you know how his truth weirdly aligns with honest fiction. Regardless, after Guthrie played for Dylan and vice-versa, Gurthie allegedly told Dylan, “Kid, don’t worry about writing songs; work on your singing,” per Folk Works.
Whether or not Guthrie meant what he said or was jabbing Dylan for his nasally vocals, doesn’t matter. It’s the first part of the advice that subliminally shows Guthrie’s realization the times are changing, and that he is no longer the voice of a generation. That being so, Guthrie’s comment seemingly set up one of the last things he would tell Bob Dylan rather appropriately. According to The Guardian, Guthrie wrote in a card to Dylan, “I ain’t dead yet.”
Thanks to Bob Dylan’s tenacity and Woody Guthrie’s advice, this moment seems straight out of a novel or a folk story. However, that is how the two seemed to live their lives—In a fictiously honest state that breads timeless stories full of artistic folklore. This interaction between Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie is a defining moment in both their stories, thus, it’s also a defining moment in the story of popular music.
Photo by Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
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