Hej, Bob: Swedish scientists sneak Dylan lyrics into papers

Bob Dylan working in his sculpture studio.

Bob Dylan works in his Los Angeles studio, where he crafted iron sculptures and gates that have been displayed internationally in art galleries.

Living or working in Bob Dylan’s hometown means you form connections with people for unusual reasons, beyond your control and unrelated to your own ego. Some guy, class of ’59 I think, wrote a thousand songs and got so famous that people in China learn English just to decipher his lyrics (good luck with that, China).

As a Hibbingite, you don’t get to tell people that there are other famous people from Hibbing, people like Gary Puckett or the late frozen food magnate Geno Paulucci, and expect the Dylan fan to give a flying crap. They don’t. And really, if we’re being honest with ourselves, there’s no reason they should.

It’s hard for people in Hibbing, thinking ahead to hunting season or clipping coupons for the next trip to Super One, to fully understand the extent to which Dylan’s work has influenced people around the entire known world.

Case in point, this story of five Swedish scientists who have been sneaking references to Dylan lyrics into academic articles for the last 17 years as part of a contest spanning their entire academic careers.

“I would much rather become famous for my scientific work than for my Bob Dylan quotes… But yes, I am enjoying this.”
~Eddie Weitzburg, one of the Swedish scientists

I get it, Eddie. Hey, I would much rather have been quoted by the New York Times and international news services in half a dozen languages for my writing or radio show, but no. I was born in Hibbing, and work there still. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s Bob Dylan’s hometown.

Comments

  1. Gerry Mantel says

    Want some chemistry? How about this:

    “Boy, those Tech women taste sooooo good … some of them are sweet, and some of them are tart ——– I kinda like the tart ones, myself.”

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