First Joe Exotic, now Bob Dylan—say what you want about MGK, but the man’s got range.
It’s easy to think of Bob Dylan as some lofty presence towering far above all-too-human impulses like the internet. Indeed, the 83-year-old singer-songwriter makes himself scarce on social media, often only using his Instagram to promote upcoming live shows. This week, however, the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer began posting a series of clips from old movies. Then, he inexplicably shared a live performance from MGK, the rapper-turned-pop-punk-artist-turned-country singer formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly.
Videos by American Songwriter
Offering no explanation, the footage shows MGK performing an acoustic set at the Park Ave CDs store in Orlando, Florida. The video appears to be from the Cleveland artist’s rap days, which ended with 2019’s Hotel Diablo.
Bob Dylan Fans React to MGK Clip
After Bob Dylan (or whomever runs the account on his behalf) shared the MGK clip, fans were understandably bemused. “Bob respectfully what the f— is this,” one Instagram user commented.
Others simply went along, with one adding, “Honestly you know what? Hell yeah Bob.”
Stil another pointed out that Dylan “went from posting a 1940s black and white movie to this in less than two hours. a man of culture.”
Even MGK himself weighed in. “you having a phone is so rad,” wrote the artist born Colson Baker.
And that sentiment wasn’t unique to MGK, or that particular post. “BOBS GOT THE IPAD BACK,” one fan commented on Dylan’s previous post, a clip from the 1946 black-and-white film The Best Years of Our Lives.
[RELATED: Bob Dylan Said This Artist “Validated Everything” About His Career, Here’s Why]
“There Must Be Another Bob Dylan”
While Bob Dylan fans scramble to uncover the meaning behind his posting a clip of MGK, the “Lonely Road” singer is simply taking it as a sign.
“I’m in my conversation pit in my house and having a discussion about, ‘Is this the right thing or the direction for this album?’ I’m questioning it, right?” MGK said in a video posted to his Instagram Stories Wednesday (Feb. 26.)
He continued, “Then, in the same breath that I’m questioning it, somebody goes, ‘Bob Dylan just posted a video of you.’ I’m like, ‘There must be another Bob Dylan.’”
Immediately, MGK headed to the folk-rock icon’s Instagram page, where he discovered it was true.
“He’s just the originator of doing everything opposite of what people wanted him to do, randomly posting a video of me back in the day rapping in a vinyl shop,” the former rapper said. “I’m like, ‘What the f—, dude?’
“Trust the signs, man,” he concluded. “I’m so grateful.”
Featured image By Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images