He was a dissenting voice in the political landscape of the 1960s and that helped to build his folk music career. Now, fifty years later, his politics are still getting him in trouble.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture has to approve all foreign acts from entering the country to perform. And it says no. It has barred the singing star from entering the country. He wanted to perform for the first time on Chinese mainland soil in Shanghai this summer.
The ministry started cracking down after Bjork led a "Tibet, Tibet" chant during a 2008 concert in Shanghai. Now it seems the government has second thoughts and decided it did not want someone of Dylan’s political leanings to have direct access to the Chinese people.
The singer cancelled shows that would have followed two Chinese maintland stops, including planned shows in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. He will be back on stage on May 29 in Athens, Greece to kick off a major European summer tour.