Dan Bern
Overview
Dan Bern is an American guitarist
, singer, songwriter
, novelist and painter. His music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan
, Woody Guthrie
, Bruce Springsteen
, Phil Ochs
and Elvis Costello
.
He is a prolific composer, having written thousands of songs . He also wrote the novel Quitting Science (2004) under the pen name Cunliffe Merriwether and wrote the preface under his own name.
Bern's song "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce, and Dan Blues", from the album Smartie Mine, offers a joking take on this influence, presented in the style of a Guthrie or Dylan talking blues
song, and containing a spoof of a Springsteen song as well.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, novelist and painter. His music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
.
He is a prolific composer, having written thousands of songs . He also wrote the novel Quitting Science (2004) under the pen name Cunliffe Merriwether and wrote the preface under his own name.
Bern's song "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce, and Dan Blues", from the album Smartie Mine, offers a joking take on this influence, presented in the style of a Guthrie or Dylan talking blues
Talking blues
Talking blues is a form of country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict....
song, and containing a spoof of a Springsteen song as well.
Quotations
And I have a dream of a New American Language, one with a little bit more Spanish. I have a dream of a new pop music, that tells the truth with a good beat and some nice harmonies. 
From "New American Language", album of the same name.
Are you gonna follow your soul? Or just the style of the day?
From "Soul", album Fleeting Days.
Stop...Stop what you're doing...Stop what you're doing and breathe.
From "Breathe", album Breathe.
Merkle should have touched second base.
From "Merkle", various live performances.