Bob was and is definitely that ..’an observer.’ That ability to reflect and to capture his observations in devastatingly powerful and moving poetical lyrics led to his Nobel prize for Literature. He’s also hard to pin down. He has evolved, mutated, transformed etc etc through many phases and never become ‘bound’ by any of them as far as I can see. Maybe he has more certainties in private ..but in the public sphere there has always been that element of ‘will o the wisp.’
