Bob Dylan's Chrysler Commercial I revere Bob Dylan as much as anyone, perhaps more than 75% of his fans. When I hooked myself to his star, as the expression goes, back in the early 60s I didn’t care what his background was or why he was doing what he was doing -- re-inventing himself. As the story unfolded it became clear that he was a guy who was presenting himself as an original American troubadour: sort of the spirit of the dust bowl and the conscience of America. He, along with others of the time, were the picture of authenticity on the surface. But the truth is folksingers like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott never rambled much further than the corner deli for a bagel and a shmear. If you read Dylan’s Chronicles, Vol. 1 you find that aside from admiring -- and patterning himself after -- the likes of Woody Guthrie he was also a fan of lounge type performers and teen singers. The truth of Dylan is that he was a master songwriter and also a simple guy that appreciated the show biz angle of his profession. He really doesn’t care if his commercialism (and commercials) seems to negate his authenticity. He knows the game and he plays it to his benefit. I don’t see that as a mortal sin like some.   ¶ 8:03 PM