Bob Dylan News and Merchandise Page


Take our Freewheelin' Greenwich Village Walking Tour of Bob Dylan Sights the next time you're in New York City!

Attention New Yorkers:

Dylan Radio Show
Listen to "Positively Dylan"--a weekly radio show on Bob Dylan hosted by Arlene and Bob Levinson on WHPC 90.3 FM Fridays 7-8 pm

Photo Book: Early Dylan by Jim Marshall, etc.

Book: Chronicles by Bob Dylan

CD: Bob Dylan Live at Philharmonic Hall 1964, Bootleg Series

DVD: Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back

BOOK: Bob Dylan Lyrics: 1962-2001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 Bob Dylan News and Articles

 

Dylan's former girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, releases memoir

A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties
by Suze Rotolo
(release date: May 13, 2008)

For the first time ever, Suze Rotolo opens up about her relationship with Bob Dylan back in the early 1960s. They dated for three years from 1961 to 1964. Suze, a liberal political activist, worked for the Congress for Racial Equality in the early 60s and inspired Dylan to start writing protest songs. The first protest songs that Dylan wrote himself appeared on his second album [The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)] in which Suze appeared on the cover with him. The cover of her book (shown below left) shows an alternate shot during that photo session.

Dylan and Suze lived together on "Positively 4th street" in Greenwich Village in a small two-room apartment that was just around the block from where this famous album cover photo was taken. During the summer of 1962, Suze went to study abroad in Italy and Dylan was lonely without her. He wrote "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "Tomorrow is a Long Time" inspired by her absence.

Bob and Suze broke up in 1964 when Dylan got involved with Joan Baez. They had a bitter breakup and Dylan wrote a song "Ballad in Plain D" [on "Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)] about the breakup in which he insulted Suze's sister who he never got along with. He later apologized for writing that song.

You can visit the site of the Freewheelin' album cover, Dylan and Suze's apartment and much more in the Freewheelin' Greenwich Village Walking Tour of Bob Dylan Sights the next time you're in New York City!

 

Dylan Photographers: Daniel Kramer and John Cohen appear at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles

To kick off the last stop of Bob Dylan's American Journey 1956-1966 Exhibit now appearing at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, early Dylan photographers Daniel Kramer and John Cohen gave a presentation on February 10, 2008 discussing "Dylan's Image and Identity".
After the presentation, Mr. Kramer (above) and Mr. Cohen (below) had an autograph signing for their work.
The Skirball Center has many more special events planned relating to Bob Dylan through June 2008 including a rare screening of the never-before-released "Eat the Document".
Visit www.skirball.org for more information.

 

Bob Dylan Exhibit now in Los Angeles at The Skirball Center
through June 8, 2008

Experience Music Project (EMP) has created Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966, an extensive, first-ever exhibit dedicated to exploring a critical and transformational ten-year period in this American music legend's career. Few performers have reached the status of Bob Dylan -- a multi-generational force; his name evokes images and memories of the folk revival, social protest, and the development of rock music as an art form. Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966, curated by EMP's Ann Powers, captures a singular artist as he made history in the throes of social change taking place around the country. The exhibit will include extensive material from the Bob Dylan Archives, EMP's own collection, as well artifacts from private collectors from around the world.

"This is the first time a nationally recognized cultural institution has taken on the telling of Bob Dylan's story," said Matt Ellis of the Dylan Archives. "We are very pleased that Experience Music Project, one of the most innovative music museums in the world, has taken on this important project."

"It's an honor for Experience Music Project to create a major exhibition that's focused on one of the most significant artists of the 20th century and to have the opportunity to work closely with the Dylan Archives to develop it," said Robert Santelli, EMP's Director of Museum Programs. "It's practically impossible to think of popular or roots music in the past forty years without the name Bob Dylan prominently coming to mind. Dylan's sweeping influence on both American music and culture makes him the ideal artist to explore in a major music exhibition."

Dylan's lyrics and music encompasses a wide palette of influences ranging from Delta and Chicago Blues; Beat poetry; the Bible; Shakespeare; Southern work songs and Scots ballads. His work serves as a key link in the chain connecting these sources to the many contemporary singer-songwriters for whom Dylan is a main influence. Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966 follows him from the industrial town of Hibbing, Minnesota, where he was born Robert Zimmerman, through his debut in the Greenwich Village folk revival, into his massive fame as the man who "electrified" contemporary songwriting, and ends with the making of three of rock's greatest works: Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde.

The exhibit will showcase handwritten letters and lyrics and musical instruments as well as capture Dylan's interest in Americana -- playing off classic imagery that he has mined in his music: the railroad, the highway, and the carnival. Rock and folk's greatest visual chroniclers, including D.A. Pennebaker, Daniel Kramer, and John Cohen, will be prominently featured throughout the show.

Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966 will also feature an audio tour and interactive kiosks, as well as extensive education materials available to teachers and scholars across the country.

http://www.skirball.org/

 

Tangled Up in Edie:
The truth about Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol's "Factory Girl"
by Trina Yannicos

(posted May 2007)

As a fan of both Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol, I never realized there was such a strong connection between them until I saw the movie "Factory Girl." The movie was released in early 2007, and there had been some buzz about Dylan threatening to sue the producers, The Weinstein Company, for his portrayal in the movie.

The Factory Girl is Edie Sedgwick who became Andy Warhol's muse (a.k.a. "Superstar") in the mid-60s starring in several of his films. Being a newcomer to the lives and careers of Warhol and Dylan, I would have never guessed that their artistic worlds were somehow intertwined. I was fascinated to learn that Edie had a relationship with Dylan, although there are conflicting stories as to the nature of that relationship.

Dylan was worried that his portrayal in the movie suggested that he was the cause of Edie Sedgwick's demise which resulted in drug and alcohol abuse that led to an untimely death at the age of 28. However, the movie, which critics have called superficial in its storytelling, implies that Edie's destruction was caused by many factors, mainly her confusion as to who she was and how to cope with setbacks in her life.

The filmmakers also give the Dylan-type character in the movie the name of "Billy Quinn," I assume to avoid a lawsuit, even though everyone knows he is supposed to be Bob Dylan. In the film, Edie has a passionate, yet brief affair with Billy Quinn. The relationship doesn't last but Billy helps Edie gain confidence and stand up to Andy Warhol, who she believes is not treating her with the respect or financial compensation that she deserves.

The movie just covers the tip of the iceberg, and motivated me to learn more details about Edie and Dylan's relationship. Obviously, the movie distorted and rearranged some facts to suit its purpose, but it turns out that the huge fact that was left out was that Bob Dylan's friend and road manager, Bobby Neuwirth, was really the one that had a long, passionate affair with Edie.

Edie actually met Dylan and Neuwirth in December 1964-- a few month before she met Andy Warhol. At the time Dylan was living with future wife Sara Lowndes at the Chelsea Hotel, yet still involved with Joan Baez, as evident in the movie "Don't Look Back," filmed in England from April 30 - May 10, 1965. Edie maintained a friendship with the two Bobs as she got involved with Andy Warhol and his films between March 1965 and Feb. 1966.

Between Dylan, Neuwirth and Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman, they had all convinced Edie that she should stop working for Andy Warhol and do a major film co-starring with Bob Dylan. Many believe that Edie had a crush on Dylan, and may have had a brief affair with him. She seemed to hope that their relationship would grow while working on a movie together, which is why she was so devastated when she apparently found out from Warhol during an argument at the Gingerman Restaurant in February 1966 (a scene portrayed in "Factory Girl") that Dylan had secretly gotten married to Sara in November 1965.

Bob Dylan, who Warhol admired, actually visited the Factory in January 1966 and did two Screen Tests (#82 and #83). You can see excerpts at http://www.stunned.org/weblog/2007/02/bob_dylans_screen_test.html

Andy Warhol filmed hundreds of artists and personalities for his "Screen Tests" between early 1964 and November 1966. These events are documented in the book, "Andy Warhol's Screen Tests" by Callie Angell of the Andy Warhol Film Project (Whitney Museum of American Art). As a token of gratitude for doing the Screen Test, Warhol gave Dylan a gift of his silver Elvis painting. You can see a photo of Dylan at the Factory here: http://www.warholstars.org/x/lp1/bd1nf65.jpg

Dylan and Neuwirth strongly encouraged Edie to leave the Factory in late 1965. She finally did in early 1966. Edie's departure left Andy Warhol feeling betrayed not only by Edie, but by Bob Dylan as well. Warhol's scorn turned up in a few films which included a satire of a harmonica-playing Dylan lookalike in "More Milk Yvette" (1965), a spoof called the "Bob Dylan Story" (1966), and the repeated playing of a Dylan song at the wrong speed in "Imitation of Christ" (1967).

Unfortunately for Edie, the prospect of a movie with Dylan never came to be. In one of Edie's most famous Warhol films, "Poor Little Rich Girl" released in June 1965, it now seems ironic that you hear "It Ain't Me Babe" by Dylan playing in the background.

Edie's interest in Dylan was no doubt fueled by the attention she received from him. Bob Dylan's album Blonde on Blonde was released on May 16, 1966. One of the women featured on the inner sleeve was Edie Sedgwick. Some of the songs were rumored to be about Edie, including "Just Like a Woman" and "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat".

While Edie held the attention in 1965 of two of the most influential artists of the '60s-- Dylan and Warhol-- within a year they had both moved on without her. Warhol replaced footage of Edie in the movie "Chelsea Girls" with singer, Nico, who had known Dylan in Europe and had been brought over from London by Albert Grossman. Nico went on to sing in Warhol's group, The Velvet Underground. Meanwhile Dylan began a family life with Sara and retreated to Woodstock, New York.

After Edie left the Factory, she became more dependent on drugs and her relationship with Bobby Neuwirth ended in 1967 because of her drug use. When Edie died in 1971 from an apparent drug overdose, Andy Warhol barely acknowledged that he had known her. He obviously never got over her supposed "betrayal."

While Andy Warhol's films were avante-garde in nature and unappealing to a mainstream audience, the one thing that was evident was Edie's charm and beauty. On film, she seemed like a happy, carefree young woman who loved life-- the prototype modern girl. However, this could not be further from the truth.

Unfortunately, as evident in the film "Ciao Manhattan" released in 1972, where she plays a fictional character based on her life story, Edie cannot deny the sadness and desperation she kept hidden under the facade of Warhol's "Superstar" any longer.

Although her life was cut tragically short, Edie's spirit and charm live on in the work of two artists who, in spite of their diverging style and attitudes, had more in common than most people realize.

[Editor's Note: You can read more about Sedgwick in the books, "Edie: American Girl" by Jean Stein and George Plimpton and "Edie: Factory Girl" by Nat Finklestein and David Dalton.

You may have trouble finding a copy of Edie's movies to watch since only a few of Warhol's films are available on DVD. This is because Andy Warhol withdrew his films from public circulation in the 1970s. In 1984, he gave his films to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, just three years before he died in 1987. You can see photos from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA at http://www.rockandrolltours.com/rocktravel.htm#warholmuseum]

 

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': Bob Dylan Musical

(Fall 2006)

Movin' Out creator Twyla Tharp directs and choreographs a new musical set to the music of the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The Times They Are A-Changin' opened on Broadway on October 26, 2006. After negative reviews, it closed on November 19, 2006.

The Times They Are A-Changin' is "set within a low-rent traveling circus run by Capt. Arab (Sesma), whose wagon hasn't moved from its location in some time &emdash; though not by lack of effort from his ragtag band of clowns and performers," reads a show description. "One such performer is the animal trainer Cleo (Colella), a young woman exploited by Capt. Arab and loved by his son, Coyote (Arden). Coyote longs for a world outside the confines of the family business, and as the circus show plays out, he must decide whether to flee or stay, and if he does stay, how to inspire change within the troupe."

http://www.timestheyareachangin.com/

 

Dylan Days takes bold steps for 2006 celebration
(February 15, 2006)

HIBBING, MN Bob Dylan turns 65 this year and his northeastern Minnesota hometown is celebrating with an exciting lineup of Dylan Days arts and entertainment activities from May 24 - 27.

In 2006, Dylan Days features a concert reuniting the band that played on Dylan's critically-acclaimed masterpiece album "Blood on the Tracks." In addition, organizers will hold a special screening of "Tangled Up In Bob," a nationally-renowned film celebrating Dylan's early influences in Hibbing. As always, classic Dylan Days events will be back, such as literary night, the Bobby Zimmerman bus tour of Hibbing, the Bob Dylan singer-songwriter contest and community displays and tributes throughout the week.

"Dylan Days is a tribute to Bob Dylan, but it is also a tribute to the arts and their power to make life better in a community," said Aaron J. Brown, Dylan Days spokesperson. "All our events are accessible and designed to celebrate the possibility that a misunderstood kid from a small, Midwestern town can touch the world with words and music."

After four years of growth as part of the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce, Dylan Days has spun into a non-profit group that seeks to enhance the arts community in Northern Minnesota in addition to conducting the annual event. Dylan Arts Celebration works with many community partners, including the schools, the city, the Chamber of Commerce and other artistic groups.

See http://www.dylandays.com for an updated schedule of events and other information about Dylan Days 2006.

Link for information on the Hibbing Public Library Bob Dylan collection

 

Bob Dylan will host a new radio show exclusively for XM Satellite Radio
(December 2005)

The weekly hour-long music show will feature an eclectic mix of music hand-selected by Dylan. In addition, Dylan will offer regular commentary on music and other topics, host and interview special guests including other artists and will take emails from XM subscribers. The show will debut in March 2006 on XM's deep album rock channel Deep Tracks (XM channel 40).

"Songs and music have always inspired me. A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mic," said Dylan. "It'll be as exciting for me as it is for XM."

Bob Dylan is one of music's most enduring performers. He has released more than 44 albums containing more than 600 songs that have been covered by more than 2,000 different artists ranging from The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and Guns N' Roses to Duke Ellington, Garth Brooks, Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine. His last two albums have been critical and popular successes with 1997's Time Out Of Mind garnering three GRAMMY(R) Awards, including Album Of The Year. In 2001, he won an Academy Award(R) and a Golden Globe(R) for the song "Things Have Changed." In 2004 his best selling memoir, Chronicles Volume 1, spent 19 weeks on the New York Times' Bestseller List.

For the past eighteen years Mr. Dylan has been a mainstay on the concert stage performing over a hundred shows a year around the globe.

"Bob Dylan epitomizes the American music experience and his unflagging integrity and vision defines everything we hope for XM to be," said Lee Abrams, Chief Creative Officer, XM Satellite Radio. "It is an honor to count Bob Dylan among the members of the XM artist family, and is further testimony of XM's commitment to create original music programming that makes a difference."

http://www.xmradio.com

NOTE: You can listen to XM radio (including Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio show) for FREE through AOL Radio

 

Martin Scorsese's biography of Bob Dylan:
"No Direction Home: Bob Dylan"
Airing on PBS Monday, September 26, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET and Tuesday, September 27, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET

This exclusive biography of the man who helped define a generation is directed by a great American storyteller, Martin Scorsese. The two-part film focuses on the singer-songwriter's life and music from 1961-66 and features previously unreleased footage from Dylan's groundbreaking live concerts, studio recording sessions, outtakes and interviews with Allen Ginsberg, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Maria Muldaur, Dave Van Ronk and many others. For the first time on camera, Dylan talks openly and extensively about this critical period in his career, detailing the journey from his birthplace in Hibbing, Minnesota, to Greenwich Village, New York, where he became the a critical part of a musical and cultural upheaval whose effects are still felt today.

No Direction Home DVD

No Direction Home CD Soundtrack

Starbucks to Release CD of Dylan Bootlegs

Associated Press--Jun 28, 10:06 AM (ET)

Starbucks Coffee Co. has reached a deal to produce and exclusively release a CD of 10 Dylan recordings from New York's Gaslight Cafe in 1962, when he was just finding himself as a songwriter. The Gaslight, in Greenwich Village, was a focal point of the folk revival in the early '60s.

"Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962" will be available at Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada on Aug. 30. It includes the earliest known recordings of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," as well as folk standards "Barbara Allen" and "The Cuckoo."

Fans have circulated bootlegs of Dylan's Gaslight performances over the years, but these are the first to be professionally produced and remastered, Starbucks said Tuesday.

The CD's release will coincide with the release of director Martin Scorsese's feature-length film about Dylan, "No Direction Home." Starbucks will also sell the two-CD soundtrack for the movie, though the soundtrack will be available through other stores.

Take a DVD tour of Bob Dylan's New York

Come on a virtual walking tour journey through Bob Dylan's life and times on the streets of New York City, from Cafe Wha to Carnegie Hall, from Positively Fourth Street to the Lower East Side, from Forest Hills Stadium to The Bitter End. Learn about the people and locations in New York which were significant in shaping Bob Dylan's life and career throughout the 1960s and beyond.

Bob Dylan Travel sites

Hibbing, Minnesota Festival
http://www.dylandays.com

Hibbing Public Library Bob Dylan collection

Tangled Up in Bob:
Searching for Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews (Hardcover)
by Jonathan Cott

 

Bob Dylan Scrapbook, 1956-66

Bob Dylan and Philosophy:
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Thinking)

 

Like a Rolling Stone:
Bob Dylan at the Crossroads

Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina

The Mayor of Macdougal Street:
A Memoir (Paperback)
by Dave Van Ronk

CD: Modern Times
(Special Edition with DVD)

For current Bob Dylan tour dates,
visit bobdylan.com