Last Friday, Bob Dylan’s original hand-written lyrics for ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ were put up for auction in Los Angeles, and were expected to be sold for $90,000. The pages were ripped off a notebook used by the songwriter in 1964. The Guardian, which is usually a serious newspaper, published a handwriting analysis of the manuscript by professional handwriting analyst Ruth Myers, and this is what they got:
‘As a writer, his lower-case disconnected script portrays an individual who likes to feel in control of his emotions. He prefers directness, accuracy, exactness and simplicity. The slant of his writing indicates a somewhat poised, cool temperament – he is an observer of life who can be considerate, objective and yet sympathetic. A crusader to the underdog and the oppressed. He can work well under pressure, organize others and can handle crisis situations without losing control.
The writing on this particular lyric indicates dispiritedness and feelings of depression. The pressure of the writing is heavy, sensuous; he absorbs life’s experiences, is strongly opinionated and has staying power to support his goals.
The size of the characters represents good concentration with the ability to focus. It’s a valuable trait for achieving, and a form of mental retreat which can be used as an escape for reflection on the happenings in the world. His rhythm is illustrated by the exact spacing enables him to express himself fluently and he inspires others with his poetic and colorful lyrics; his zest and force attracts and dominates the scene, shown by excessively heavy t-bars.’
I really want to say, yeah, whatever? There is no real science behind such analysis, it’s often qualified of pseudoscience even though people really want to believe there is a strong correlation between personality and the way a ‘b’ or a ‘d’ are formed! For me, it’s a bit like astrology, some ancestral superstition based on false science. Furthermore, excuse me for laughing at someone who claims to decipher Dylan’s personality based on his handwriting when more than 30 books, countless articles and films have been written and made about him! I wonder what was the point of reiterating that Dylan is ‘A crusader to the underdog and the oppressed’, or ‘is strongly opinionated’! Wow big scoop!
I tried a few of these handwriting analysis available online, just for fun, and the results are everything I expected: it’s often flattering, always harmless and about accurate at about 50%. According to one of them, I am ‘smart and intelligent’…. Cool! I am ‘a person who thinks before acting, intelligent and thorough’, ‘a person with a well-organized mind and very responsible’ well, I don’t really know about the organization of my mind, I really doubt at times. Another one told me I was ‘planning ahead’ (a consistency in the result although totally wrong at times), and ‘interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry’. Who isn’t interested by beauty? But I could care less about people’s appearance. I am also ‘diplomatic, objective, and live in the present, a secretive person, gentle, calm, and spiritual’… nice but I am not sure of this spiritual part. And this is where they got it totally wrong: I am ‘self-confident and like to bring attention to myself’, I am ‘an extrovert’? I am a complete introvert person!
I wonder why we still pay attention to these ancestral pseudosciences, especially at a time when everyone uses a computer or an iPhone to write anything. Bob Dylan’s handwriting do not need to be analyzed, he already gave us clues through the hundreds of songs he wrote.