Leveraging X and a cameo by Timothée Chalamet: how Bob Dylan is connecting with Gen Z.
In 1965, Bob Dylan was the epitome of musical style and cool. While his critical and commercial success has varied over the past 60 years, his reputation in the 21st century has grown consistently—a rare feat for an aging artist—culminating in his 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Surprisingly, Bob Dylan has regained his cool, not just with longtime fans but also with younger audiences, many of whom are discovering his music for the first time. He has reconnected with the zeitgeist in unexpected ways for an enigmatic, grouchy octogenarian: actively posting on X while others abandon it, endorsing the biopic *A Complete Unknown*—which celebrates the early years of his career—and acknowledging, in a rare move, that his past might hold as much significance as his present or future.
During his most recent tour, which ended with three November shows at the Royal Albert Hall, Dylan began sharing updates on life on the road and offering cultural commentary, all infused with his signature style.
He reflected on the passing of comedian Bob Newhart in July 2024 at the age of 94 and marked the anniversary of blues-harmonica player Paul Butterfield’s death in 1987, aged 44. Butterfield may have been on his mind due to his performance at the Newport Folk Festival, a key setting in the new Dylan biopic. Responding to a fan’s question about recent films he enjoyed, Dylan recommended starting with the 1927 silent circus melodrama starring Lon Chaney.
