Bob Dylan has shared the pros and cons of aging in a written piece tied to Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
With the president turning 80 on Sunday, the New York Times asked several prominent octogenarians, including Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro, Art Garfunkel and Dylan, who is 85, to weigh in on the best and worst things about the milestone birthday.
“The best thing 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,” Dylan penned about turning 80. “You don’t chase the parade anymore. You’re an old king from some vanished country. You’re harder to programme.”
On the downside, however, “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,” Dylan wrote.
Unlike the other participants in the op-ed, Dylan did not provide any advice for Trump specifically. Noted Trump critic Robert De Niro did not hold back.
“The president doesn’t listen to advice. He surrounds himself with feckless clowns who keep their positions by supporting his every whim. If I were able to pierce the shell of cruelty, greed, corruption and stupidity for one piece of advice… I would advise him to get some good advice from good people, and follow it.”
Gloria Steinem also shared some simple birthday advice: “Resign.”
