personal/professional history "An old soul"—something Jakob Dylan has been described as many times. But he'll readily admit that he doesn't know what that means. Perhaps, in his case, it's the sense about him that he had a grasp of who he was much earlier in life than most people—or at least, who he didn't want to be. As a result, this may be why fans and critics alike continue to recognize an honesty in his songs and words. Not an easy accomplishment in a business that routinely asks artists to morph themselves into something that might sell more records. That's not to say that there haven't been misteps and wrong turns along the way. And of course, there was always the large shadow of his father's unapproachable achievements to step out from. But it didn't take long for Jakob to realize that music was powerful and inspiring to him. It wasn't until later that he would understand the obstacles involved in pursuing his passion. Born in 1969, Jakob was the youngest child of Sara Lowndes and legendary rock poet Bob Dylan. Three years later the family moved from New York City's Greenwich Village to California. Although he grew up and attended school in Los Angeles, it's his father's birthplace of Minnesota that still holds special meaning for him. "I've spent most of my time in Los Angeles," Jakob says, "but it's not a hometown for anybody. It belongs to everybody and doesn't really have its own personality. Minnesota, I've spent a lot of time there. It's as close to roots that I have. I've gone there almost every year since I was 3 or 4 years old." (star tribune 11.24.00). Jakob remembers the family going to see numerous live shows at Minneapolis's historic Orpheum Theatre. He took particular interest in one local singer/songwriter—The Replacements' Paul Westerberg. "I was drawn to the songs."I thought it was fascinating that you had this ragamuffin clown group, yet these songs were seeping through that were really stunning. Like '16 Blue,' 'Androgynous,' 'My Favorite Thing.' I found it very interesting that he didn't want to admit that he liked writing songs or that he might be good. He also seemed to be the last guy who could rock as hard as anybody could in a band—much more so than what groups are doing today. At the same time his stuff wasn't overtly macho." (star tribune 11.24.00) Growing up with easy access to some of the most influencial names in rock allowed Jakob a never-ending supply of musical inspiration, both live and recorded. But like most kids, he wanted to find music he could call his own. "'I think there's a real need for any 12-year-old to discover their own music—something that's their little secret." (Telegraph 10.7.00) "I found the music that was played around the house very daunting… Very old, dusty kinds of records and music that were often terrifying… The music of Lightnin' Hopkins and Hank Williams. This music was not just for entertainment. It was for learning." (LA Times 9.17.00) Although he was intrigued with the traditional records his father played, he could better relate to the music his older brothers were listening to… especially one particular group: "I found a connection when I first started listening to the Clash, because they knew that [traditional] kind of music too. They weren't just kids who'd picked up an electric guitar in the Seventies and started imitating Marc Bolan or something." (Telegraph 10.7.00) Still unsure of his own musical choices, he watched his father for unspoken clues of approval: "Those signals were subtle, Jakob says, "but loud—speaking volumes with low decibels. I wanted bread crumbs to get where I was going. And I didn't want to ask. I wanted to figure out some part of it for myself, in some way feel like a different generation." (Rolling Stone 00) "The Clash were both popular with other kids and still had something valuable to say," Jakob says. "When Dad took us to see them at the Santa Monica Civic, I took it as vindication that I was right about the band. That's when I first asked for my own electric guitar." (LA Times) The show had a memorable effect on Jakob. It was physical, dangerous, sweaty—even bloody. The audience was drawn in mentally and physically. Jakob had never seen, nor felt anything like it—and he was inspired. At 14 he received a 1953 Fender Telecaster, the kind of guitar that heroes like Joe Strummer played. He began to closely watch his favorite artists for insight. "I just wanted to know how they got so damn good. Who did they listen to? What were their influences? So you just follow those paths. And it was different from people just colouring their hair and jumping around and begging for the camera to love them." (Telegraph 10.7.00) In addition,the family often went out on tour with Bob. Jakob could often be found quietly observing from behind the amps. Watching and learning led to further insights including a growing appreciation for the commitment and hard work involved in what these artists produced. He also decided that being a solo artist like his father did not appeal to him—he wanted to be part of a band. "I liked the gang mentality that some of those groups had, and I've always wanted to be surrounded by that sort of camaraderie.'" (Telegraph 10.7.00) It wasn't long before Jakob began taking guitar lessons with local producer and music teacher Mark Nine, who also taught music to Jakob's friend Danny Sidlow. Eventually Danny and his brother Phillip formed a band and began writing their own songs. 'Trash Matinee', as they were called, was made up of the Sidlow brothers, drummer Matt Gillis and guitarist, Tobi Miller—a childhood friend of Jakob's and eventual co-founder of The Wallflowers. With support from Mark Nine, the group went into the studio to make their first recording. Seventeen year-old Jakob received his first taste of studio recording when he was asked to play guitar on one of the tracks . Mark Nine remembers: "Jakob came in as a favor to Danny and played guitar on 'What do I Know' as he had done on the original four track demo which was recorded in the Sidlows' bedroom. In true Dylan style, Jakob wore dark sunglasses and, with his guitar strapped on, proceeded to casually lean against the wall while playing." (Tales From the Underworld) Jakob also received a collaborative writing credit for the song, 'Just a Boy', on the same EP. Eventually Jakob became involved in his own band. They called themselves The Bootheels and in true garage band style they transformed Tobi's mother's garage into their headquarters/rehearsal space. The band consisted of friends Luther Russell on vocals and bass, Jakob Dylan on guitar, Tobi Miller on guitar and Aaron Brooks on drums. Luther wrote most of the material, although Jakob co-wrote a number of songs. Luther remembers Jakob's preference to stay out of the spotlight: "He was shy back then and didn't care to sing, though we encouraged him quite a bit." When the band began to get the occasional gig in West Hollywood, the nuisance factor of being a son of Bob Dylan in a band began to get in the way. In an attempt to foil curious onlookers, the band changed their name to "Livestock" when they played out. It didn't always work as Luther explains: "At our few shows, Dylan freaks used to ask me if I was Bob Dylan's son and I would say "Yes", with Jake lurking behind me." (The Wallflowers Network 01) Although he wasn't disuaded from pursuing his passions, his parents treated the idea with caution. "It's a ridiculous job. It's 99.999 per cent fruitless and ineffective. It's ruthless. It's emotionally damaging to a lot of people; they invest their whole lives in it and that becomes what the measure of their self-worth is, and they never realize there's other parts of life. And even if you are successful, how long does that last? People write nasty things about you. It's nothing you'd want your kids to get into. But the act of being interested in the arts was certainly never discouraged in my family." (Telegraph) As high school graduation neared, Jakob was confused about his next steps. He knew that music was powerful to him but was unsure as to whether he could make a career out of it. There could also be no doubt that following in his father's famous footsteps would be a rocky path. "I was 18 and graduating high school and everybody was going to college. I was just trying to fit in, doing what I thought I was supposed to do," Dylan admits. "I had real lousy grades, I was never academically involved at all, but since I thought I had to go to college, my only chance was an art college." (Washington Post 11.26.97) And so, in the Fall of 1988 Jakob Dylan left home to attend Parsons School of Design in New York City to pursue the only other thing that excited him: painting. However, it only took a couple of weeks before he knew he had made a mistake: "I just wanted to see if there was anything else for me... something that was more powerful to me than making music," Dylan says. "As soon as I got there, I knew it was the wrong choice. I wasn't like the other kids that wanted to do it day and night; I didn't have that need." (Washington Post 11.26.97) It was only a few weeks later that he gave up and dropped out. For four months he stayed in New York without telling his parents he'd left school. He took some time to decide what to do next—and he played his guitar. After a phone call to his old friend and band mate Tobi Miller, he made the decision to return to Los Angeles and make a commitment to music. He had begun to write his own songs by this time and singing them himself only seemed natural. Previously he had never looked farther than being a guitar player, a role that allowed the shy teenager to avoid center stage. "In the back of my mind, I always knew I was going to end up gravitating to songwriting," Dylan says, pointing out that he didn't have the dedication to be a great guitar player. "And I didn't want to be just an okay guitar player." (Washington Post 11.26.97)	For more on Jakob Dylan see: Influences Road Notes
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