[INFP] INFP Cubed

[Fecal McAngry]

Was listening to the much underrated 1989 Dylan album OH MERCY at work today, and while some of the songs are for the ages--"Most Of The Time," "Shooting Star," and "Man In The Long Black Coat"--I was really struck by this one; it explores a theme that is almost never touched on in song, and one that is so quintessentially INFP...

YouTube - Oh Mercy - 07 What Good Am I? (Bob Dylan)

What good am I
if I'm like all the rest
If I just turn away
when I see how you're dressed
If I shut myself off
so I can't hear you cry
What good am I?

What good am I
if I know and don't do
If I see and don't say
if I look right through you
If I turn a deaf ear
to the thunderin' sky
What good am I?

What good am I
while you softly weep
And I hear in my head
what you say in your sleep
And I freeze in the moment
like the rest who don't try
What good am I?

What good am I then
to others and me
If I've had every chance
and yet still fail to see
If my hands tied
must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why
and where must I have been

What good am I
if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face
of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back
while you silently die
What good am I?

 

[purplesunset]

Was Dylan really INFP? I saw an interview with Dylan which showed something that could either support it, or completely dismantle it.

Someone in the audience asked him about a picture he took for one of his album covers. The audience member said something along these lines:

"I know that you are a deep artist. Can you explain to us the meaning that this album picture has for you? It is obviously meant to be symbolic, what is it symbolic of?"

Then Dylan looked at the guy and said something like, "Uh, dude, it's just a freakin' picture. I wasn't really paying much attention to it." And then it was a bit of an awkward moment.

----------------------------------------------------------

Now this struck me because on one hand, it could show that he's an INFP. I find that I am often painfully awkward when trying to discuss my compositions with people in real life. The words I speak are dead, and lifeless compared to what the music makes me feel inside, hence there is popular saying:

"talking about music is like dancing about architecture."

It just shows how awkward artists can often be when it comes to discussing their work. Sometimes the fan is able to be more eloquent on the subject than the artist himself.



On the other hand, it could show that he's not INFP. Either interpretation works, but I'm more inclined to go with the former one (that he just has difficulty talking about his art, like many artists).


P.S. I do agree that the lyrics show quintessential INFP idealism. It's about what he aspires to be, in my opinion,and thus he chastises himself for being apathetic in the scenarios depicted in the song.

 

[matilda]

more ennea 9 than INFP

 

[Fecal McAngry]

Was Dylan really INFP? I saw an interview with Dylan which showed something that could either support it, or completely dismantle it.

Someone in the audience asked him about a picture he took for one of his album covers. The audience member said something along these lines:

"I know that you are a deep artist. Can you explain to us the meaning that this album picture has for you? It is obviously meant to be symbolic, what is it symbolic of?"

Then Dylan looked at the guy and said something like, "Uh, dude, it's just a freakin' picture. I wasn't really paying much attention to it." And then it was a bit of an awkward moment.

----------------------------------------------------------

Now this struck me because on one hand, it could show that he's an INFP. I find that I am often painfully awkward when trying to discuss my compositions with people in real life. The words I speak are dead, and lifeless compared to what the music makes me feel inside, hence there is popular saying:

"talking about music is like dancing about architecture."

It just shows how awkward artists can often be when it comes to discussing their work. Sometimes the fan is able to be more eloquent on the subject than the artist himself.



On the other hand, it could show that he's not INFP. Either interpretation works, but I'm more inclined to go with the former one (that he just has difficulty talking about his art, like many artists).


P.S. I do agree that the lyrics show quintessential INFP idealism. It's about what he aspires to be, in my opinion,and thus he chastises himself for being apathetic in the scenarios depicted in the song.

Bob is an INFP. In the 1960s, he had a very difficult time with both the press and public for reasons that can be a bit difficult to understand from a modern perspective. Essentially, Bob was viewed as a messianic oracle by many, as a "spokesman" for "his generation," as "the answer" to whatever the question was. Ad nauseam. At one time, a professional "Dylanologist" was sorting through his trash trying to find answers to whatever made Bob tick. His lyrics were subject to the most absurd scrutiny and misinterpretation possible...

 

[purplesunset]

Bob is an INFP. In the 1960s, he had a very difficult time with both the press and public for reasons that can be a bit difficult to understand from a modern perspective. Essentially, Bob was viewed as a messianic oracle by many, as a "spokesman" for "his generation," as "the answer" to whatever the question was. Ad nauseam. At one time, a professional "Dylanologist" was sorting through his trash trying to find answers to whatever made Bob tick. His lyrics were subject to the most absurd scrutiny and misinterpretation possible...

That makes sense. I did get the impression that Dylan was annoyed with the audience throughout the interview especially when someone called his music "folk rock." He vehemently resisted that label.