PHOTO: Kristijan Ursic, also known as Chris Dylan, photographed during a reflective moment on his folk-inspired artistic journey rooted in faith and music.
A Slovenian Poet and Musician Explores Identity, Faith, and American Folk Traditions Through the Legacy of Bob Dylan
Kristijan Ursic, known as Chris Dylan, recounts his transformative journey from Slovenia to discovering Bob Dylan’s music, revealing how art, spirituality, and travel shaped his identity and lifelong creative mission.
Kristijan Ursic, known artistically as Chris Dylan, is a name that might not echo from the American heartland but sings from the soul of its folk traditions. Born in Slovenia and deeply inspired by the music of Bob Dylan, Ursic has woven a unique artistic identity that bridges continents and cultures. Describing himself as the “lost folk-rock music child of America,” he has turned his life into a spiritual and musical journey shaped by the poetic rhythms of American folk and the metaphysical spirit of storytelling.
From the hills of Slovenia to the concert halls of Italy, Ursic’s personal narrative is one of artistic awakening and inner transformation. His book captures a pilgrimage of the heart—one that reaches a peak during his first Bob Dylan concert in Bologna. For Ursic, this wasn’t just a live performance. It was a sacred rite, a personal epiphany in a world where music speaks louder than borders.
Kristijan Ursic brings profound emotional depth and spiritual insight to his work, blending poetic vision with heartfelt musical storytelling that transcends borders.
Reflecting on that night at PalaMalaguti, Ursic describes the concert as “a small part of heaven.” The experience was transformative, echoing Dylan’s own lyrical sentiment: “He not busy being born is busy dying.” That evening, Ursic felt spiritually reborn. “The concert renews you, inside and out,” he recalls. The venue became more than a performance hall—it was a shrine, a place where sins were washed away and clarity was bestowed.
Ursic’s connection to Bob Dylan runs deeper than admiration. It’s existential, almost familial. Quoting Dylan’s autobiography Chronicles: Volume One, Ursic identifies with the feeling of destiny unfolding before his eyes. “I said to myself that I left my home so far away and visited planet Earth in my country, Slovenia,” he explains. “Self carries a secret dream of an American folk musician.”
That dream brought him not only to Dylan’s music but to the people who helped shape Dylan’s world. Ursic recounts a candid conversation with Izzy Young—folk historian and organizer of Dylan’s first major concert. Young warned against imitation, urging Ursic to build his own life. But Ursic held firm: “I and Bob have the same spiritual deals.” It’s a connection he also extends to Woody Guthrie, suggesting a shared lineage of purpose rooted in justice, love, and transcendence.
Sharing the concert experience with his father and a close friend added another layer of meaning. His father, he says, “is like an angel savior for my soul and body,” a steady presence who supported every part of the journey, even initiating conversations in Italian to enrich the experience. It was not just a concert, but a moment of communal healing, familial bonding, and artistic awakening.
The setting—Northern Italy—amplified this sense of magic. For Ursic, the land itself carries spiritual weight. “Italy was always a special country with an important and rich history,” he reflects, likening it to the epic journeys of Dante Alighieri. The country’s blend of history, beauty, and sacred storytelling resonated deeply with his Christian faith and love for all things mystical and romantic.
Yet the journey wasn’t without disillusionment. Ursic admits to feeling invisible amid the crowd, his expectations clashing with reality. “Nobody knows me. This has been painful,” he says, confronting the contrast between inner dreams and outer anonymity. Even so, the revelations he encountered have pushed him further along a path of authenticity, purpose, and faith.
For those unfamiliar with Bob Dylan, Ursic makes a heartfelt plea: attend a concert, even just once. His words are not promotional but devotional. “Everything is peaceful music with full heaven’s sweet sounds… among angels, preachers, godness, goddesses.” The music becomes a portal, an invitation to knock on heaven’s door and step into something divine.
Kristijan Ursic’s story is more than fandom. It’s about identity, exile, dreams, and the universal power of music to transform. Through Dylan’s influence, he has discovered not just a genre, but a calling—to carry forward a legacy of peace, poetry, and spiritual truth in a fractured world.
Source: Reader’s House Interview with Chris Dylan
