Bob Dylan has been attacked over his gigs in China last week after he had to submit his set list to Communist Party authorities for approval. The ruling party deemed several of his songs unacceptable and censored his planned performance of ‘Blowing In The Wind’ off 1962’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and ‘Desolation Row’ off 1965’s Highway 61 Revisited.
While many fans and critics are up in arms over the famously outspoken musician agreeing to be censored, they’re further upset over his silence at the treatment of dissident artist Ai Weiwei. Weiwei was carted off by officials as he was about to board a flight at Beijing Airport the weekend before last. Many are disappointed by the strident protest singer’s mute response. “Back in the day, if he had been in Ai’s shoes, he [Dylan] would have expected someone to speak up for him,” said a spokesman for Human Rights Watch. “What does he have to lose?”
