Patti Smith Will Perform in Bob Dylan's Honor at the Nobel Ceremony

Posted on December 6, 2016

The Nobel Committee announced that Patti Smith will perform Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall" during the Nobel Prize ceremony on December 10th in Stockholm, Sweden. Dylan is the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature this year, but said he will not be attending the event because he has other commitments. However, he has written an acceptance speech, although it has not been announced who will read it for him.

Rolling Stone republished an interview they did with former Vice President and Nobel winner Al Gore in 2000, during his presidential campaign. Gore said that Dylan made an incredible impact on his life saying, "Bob Dylan is my favorite writer, performer and social philosopher." As a young man, Gore said Dylan's music helped inspire his support for the Civil Rights Movement and social justice. He said, "His words really crystallized the best and most powerful currents of social change, a cri de coeur about Jim Crow and segregation and the battles we're still fighting. And it's just one of many great songs that changed our consciousness. To the extent we have made progress, Dylan is sure due his part of the credit for it."

Gore disagrees with the critics who think Dylan should not have been awarded the prize because he doesn't write books. He said, "Some people whose work I also respect have grumbled about Dylan receiving the Nobel. But to me it's pretty simple: His writing has had as much impact as the writing of any other man or woman on the planet. Case closed."