"Elvis might never have been born, but someone else would surely have brought the world rock 'n' roll. No such logic accounts for Bob Dylan. No iron law of history demanded that a would-be Elvis from Hibbing, Minnesota, would swerve through the Greenwich Village folk revival to become the world's first and greatest rock 'n' roll beatnik bard and then—having achieved fame and adoration beyond reckoning—vanish into a folk tradition of his own making." - J. Hoberman
Naturally, a statement like this got my inner alt-historian (and music fan) thinking. What if Bob Dylan, for whatever reason, never had a musical career? What would it mean for the counter-culture of the '60s if there was no "Blowin' in the Wind" or "The Times They Are a-Changin'"? What if he hadn't pioneered the use of electric guitars in concerts? What if there were no Never Ending Tour? The possibilities are endless, so I'd like to get the board's opinion.
Thoughts?