Oh, the times they are A-changin’. Music legend Bob Dylan starred in a TV commercial for Chrysler which aired during the second half of Super Bowl 2014, and now the 72-year-old singer is predictably being called a sell-out. The commercial spot generated a firestorm of controversy in the media, provoking outrage among many of Dylan’s fans. “Young Bob Dylan would vomit in the mouth of old Bob Dylan for making car commercials,” one particularly distraught viewer tweeted, “especially jingoistic ones.”

For some embittered baby-boomers, Dylan’s slick, two-minute commercial for Chrysler destroyed whatever shred of artistic integrity he may have had left. Dylan not only appeared in the even-longer-than-usual Chrysler advert, he also let Chobani yogurt use the song “I Want You” off of his classic album Blonde on Blonde in a separate spot.

“You can’t import the heart and soul of every man and woman working on the line,” Dylan says in the Chrysler ad, the most expensive commercial of Super Bowl XLVIII. “Let Germany brew your beer. Let Switzerland make your watch. Let Asia assemble your phone,” he declares. “We will build your car.”

Understandably, the backlash was swift and merciless. To many disappointed fans, the Chrysler advert was the last straw. Dylan’s makeup was bad enough, but his insipid commercial was discouraging on so many levels. Bob Dylan used to be an icon of the counter-culture. The ad was yet another reminder that there are very few true artists left who aren’t willing to sell out. It’s hard to imagine someone like Neil Young, Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen following suit – although Neil Young and Crazy Horse are scheduled to play in Israel for the first time later this year despite pressure from other artists to boycott that nation. (Thankfully, he later cancelled…probably to impress Daryl Hannah…).

Still, Dylan’s Supporters maintain that the habitually contrary musician is being falsely maligned. They insist the Chrysler ad celebrates America as a car-loving country. “There’s nothing more American than America,” Dylan mumbles over a series of fast-cut, patriotic images. Well, duh. “Detroit made cars, and cars made America.”

That’s all well and good except for one crucial detail. Chrysler is owned by Italian carmaker Fiat S.p.A., one of the most evil corporations on the planet. Fiat acquired 100% control of Chrysler in January, setting the stage for the Italian carmaker to become one of the biggest players in the auto industry. The $4.35 billion deal was a major victory in the company’s effort to transform itself from an unprofitable regional player into a global powerhouse.

Some pundits condemned him, while others applauded the spot as one of Dylan’s first outwardly political statements in years. A Bloomberg report argued that endorsing American-made cars is a “perfect representation of Dylan’s nostalgia” for many Americans. Besides, they point out that most of Fiat-Chrysler’s manufacturing operations are still located in the United States.

That may be true, but all of the company’s profits remain in Italy.

To be fair, Dylan has been accused of selling out for more than fifty years, beginning in 1962 when he signed a major recording contract with Columbia Records. At the Newport Folk Festival three years later he was denounced as a traitor to the folk-music cause when he dared to “go electric” with a rock combo.

The following year, while on tour in the U.K., a fan can be heard berating Dylan from the audience: “Judas!” he famously cries. Dylan staggers up to the microphone. “I don’t believe you,” he coldly retorts. “You’re a liar.” Bob then orders the band to “Play fucking loud!”

That’s how I prefer to remember Bob Dylan: The combative, hopped-up little speed freak who never combed his hair.

Prophetically, when a journalist asked him at a press conference in 1965 which “commercial interests” he’d be willing to sell out to, Dylan jokingly replied, “Ladies’ garments.” The gathered throng burst into riotous laughter. Bob got the last laugh in 2004, however, when he appeared in an advert for Victoria’s Secret, cavorting with model Adriana Lima (wearing skimpy ladies’ garments). In 2007 Dylan was featured in a commercial driving a Cadillac Escalade, which provoked the same adverse response as the Chrysler spot is getting now.

As an artist, on the one hand I understand the need to have a steady source of income, but on the other hand I’d have to agree with Bill Hicks on this: any performer who allows their work to be used in advertising is “for now and all eternity removed from the artistic roll call.”

The act of “selling out” requires compromising one’s artistic integrity in exchange for personal enrichment. Sadly, there aren’t many artists left who can afford not to do that. In my day, the worst thing somebody could do was sell out. Now, it’s a fundamental act of economic survival. My, how times have changed.