Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has said Thaddeus Stevens inspired him.
"Lincoln," the new Steven Spielberg film starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, presents a more positive picture of the 'Old Commoner' than has been previously seen in cinema. In this special series of articles, we take a look back at the life of one of Lancaster's most famous sons. For an index of articles in this series, go here.
One of the most radical songwriters of the 20th century, Bob Dylan, said Stevens inspired him to write some of the most memorable music of our time.
In his 2004 memoir, "Chronicles, Volume One," Dylan said Stevens and the Civil War provided the "template" on which he created his songs.
Dylan said he read Stevens' biography as a young man.
He found that the abolitionist "grew up poor, made a fortune and from then on championed the weak and any other group who wasn't able to fight equally. Stevens had a grim sense of humor, a sharp tongue and a white-hot hatred for the bloated aristocrats of his day."
"Back there America was put on the cross, died and was resurrected," Dylan wrote. "The godawful truth of that would be the all-encompassing template behind everything that I would write."
Jack Brubaker, a Dickinson College graduate, is a columnist and investigative reporter who has worked 36 years for Lancaster Newspapers. He and his wife, Christine, live in Manor Township. They have two children. His email address is jbrubaker@lnpnews.com.
