Swell Season's Glen Hansard Owes His Career to Bob Dylan

Posted on Sep 1st 2010 8:00AM by Ashley Iasimone
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Conor Masterson

From his busking days to his current success, Swell Season and Frames frontman Glen Hansard has had his fair share of connections to Bob Dylan. In recent years, the Swell Season has covered Dylan's 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' for the 'I'm Not There' film soundtrack, and the Frames had the opportunity to open for Dylan in 2007. But for Hansard, there is one discernible memory that comes to mind when it comes to Dylan: the moment the folk legend inspired him to be a musician.

"I was about 5 years old, and my mother, who was a big fan, gathered us all into the TV [room]. We had just gotten a TV," Hansard tells Spinner. "We watched the video for 'Homesick Subterranean Blues' in black and white. My mother was like, 'Here he is! He's the best!'"

His mother may have been the original Dylan enthusiast of the family, but it was Hansard who was really affected.

"That was more or less the time when I decided to be a singer in a band," he says. "Everyone in my family sang. My uncle sang, my brother sang, my mother and my father sang. But seeing Dylan on the television that day was just like, 'Whoa.' That was way before music videos were something that you saw. It was amazing to see. It's a very clear memory."

When Hansard was a bit older, the brother of his girlfriend at the time encouraged him to delve further into Dylan's discography, setting off a lifelong admiration.

"He gave me some tapes," Hansard says. "That was really when I went deep into Dylan and became obsessed. Once you become a fan, he sort of eclipses everything. It's almost like you can't listen to anything else for years."

Hansard is currently on the road with the Swell Season in support of their latest release, 'Strict Joy,' and he is also set to tour with the Frames this fall.

Watch the Swell Season Cover Bob Dylan's 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere'