Bob Dylan reflects on the best and worst parts about being in your 80s

Now Playing

Monday, June 15, 2026 at 1:30 PM

Bob Dylan performs as part of a double bill with Neil Young at Hyde Park on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for ABA)

Bob Dylan turned 85 in May, and in a new opinion piece for The New York Times he reflects on the best and worst things about being an octogenarian.

The article was tied to President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday Sunday, although Dylan doesn’t mention Trump.

Dylan notes that the best part about being 80 “is that you outlive the clocks that have been chasing you.”

“It’s freedom from that lie that anything was ever under control,” he writes. “You don’t chase the parade anymore. You’re an old king from some vanished country. You’re harder to program. You’re not rushing to become anything and you’re not haunted by things that you did.”

He adds, “You’re haunted by how little of it really mattered in the way you thought it would.”

As for the worst things about being 80, Dylan notes, “The old fire in your heart still tells you to do this and that, but your body says we already did it. Also, nothing surprises you. It sounds like a luxury but it’s not, and also you’ve run out of illusions.”

"The really worst part about being 80 is that you find, at last, you’ve got an understanding of something that might have altered everything in the past, had it come at a time when something could still be altered,” he continues. "When you’re young you think that time moves forward. At 80 you know that it doesn’t, it stands still. We’re the ones that move.”

But turning 85 hasn’t slowed Dylan down. He’s currently on a North American tour that hits Santa Barbara on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at BobDylan.com.