By now you know that Bob Dylan, the original voice of the counterculture, is appearing in Victoria’s Secret TV ads. And by now you’re probably over it — if you even cared in the first place. There’s been a lot of reaction to Dylan’s latest career move, ranging from dismay to bewilderment to denial. But at the bottom of most of the public reaction is resignation to the idea that hawking unmentionables is part of celebrity.

Isn’t it absurd, even, to think that a pop star wouldn’t appear in commercials?

Deflated fans should “lighten up,” The Boston Globe suggested in an editorial last Wednesday, April 14. “It’s only underwear.”  

Acoustic troubadour, amplified rocker, countercultural icon, born-again Christian, Old Testament prophet, wizened folk archivist — Dylan’s career has been the essence of versatility …

A ladies’ underwear ad cannot possibly define this cultural chameleon. And if one looks closely at the well-lined face staring into the camera, there seems to be just the hint of a smirk at the whole silly sell. Dylan’s public should share the laugh, and the music, with a satisfied mind.

For troubled fans trying to reconcile their idea of Dylan with the dirty old man they saw cavorting with model Adriana Lima (the commercial premiered earlier this month during American Idol), it’s comforting to think that Bobby might just be joking. As a couple of recent articles point out, when Dylan was asked in 1965 what he’d consider selling out for, he responded, “ladies undergarments.” But considering that he licensed “The Times They are a-Changing” to the Bank of Montreal in 1996 and played a gig for Applied Materials (“the world’s largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry”), it seems unlikely that he’s just goofin’ around.

(Of course, the best explanation is that it’s springtime and Dylan wanted to hang out with beautiful women in Vienna (where the commercial was shot). Let’s be honest — it would be a tough invitation to turn down. For a chicken-legged 62-year-old with creepy facial hair, even more so).

We’ll never know what he was thinking when he accepted that invitation, but it doesn’t really matter. Whether he did it for money or as a joke, for Dylan fans, this latest transgression isn’t funny, it’s sad.

If there was any doubt that he’d abandoned whatever he was trying to do in the 60s and 70s, that things had changed, his 2000 single, Things Have Changed, should have been a hint:

This place ain’t doing me any good
I’m in the wrong town, I should be in Hollywood
***
Only a fool in here would think he’s got anything to prove.
Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff too
***
People are crazy, times are strange
***
I used to care, but things have changed

It’s too bad, but you can’t really blame Dylan for not wanting to be the voice of the counterculture anymore. If selling underwear is where he’s at right now, what can you do?

What’s distressing is that there’s no one to replace him. Selling out has become something to be pursued, rather than something to be avoided at the cost of one’s soul. Now that we’ve lost Dylan, who’s gonna stick it to the man? Worse, is there still such a thing as the counterculture?

henrypb