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Overview
Dylan on Dylan is an authoritative, chronologically arranged anthology of interviews, speeches, and press conferences, as well as excerpts from more than eighty additional Q&As spanning Dylan's entire career—from 1961 through 2016. The majority have not been previously anthologized and some have never before appeared in print. The material comes from renowned media outlets like Rolling Stone and TV's 60 Minutes and from obscure periodicals like Minnesota Daily, a student newspaper at Dylan's alma mater. Interviewers include some of the top writers of our time, such as Jonathan Lethem, Douglas Brinkley, and Mikal Gilmore, as well as musicians like Pete Seeger and Happy Traum. Introductions put each piece in context and, in many cases, include the interviewer's reminiscences about the encounter.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780912777443 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Chicago Review Press, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 05/01/2018 |
| Series: | Musicians in Their Own Words |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 560 |
| Sales rank: | 751,525 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
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Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
IZZY YOUNG'S NOTEBOOK
Izzy Young | October 20, 1961–March 14, 1962| The Fiddler Now Upspoke (UK)
Bob Dylan dropped out of the University of Minnesota in May 1960, around his nineteenth birthday. The following winter, he traveled to New York, where he began playing Greenwich Village clubs. Only about nine months later, famed producer John Hammond signed him to Columbia Records.
By then, Greenwich Village's Folklore Center had become a gathering place for Dylan and other leaders of the burgeoning folk-music movement. Izzy Young, who had founded the operation in 1957, apparently sensed that he was a witness to a historical moment, particularly regarding Dylan, because he kept a notebook where he recorded much of what the fledgling artist had to say to him. To my knowledge, only brief excerpts from the following material have ever been printed in any widely circulated publication.
The first notebook entry here dates from October 20, 1961 — probably just weeks after the Hammond signing — when the artist was still five months away from release of his debut LP. The entry, which was used in the program for Dylan's Izzy Young–produced Carnegie Hall concert on November 4, 1961, opens with two paragraphs by the diarist. All the rest of the notes — which are today preserved in the Library of Congress — consist of Young's transcription of Dylan's comments, which the singer reportedly checked for accuracy. (Some clarifying words from Young are in parentheses; a few from me are in brackets.)
In his 2004 memoir, Chronicles, Volume One, Dylan wrote that Young would "ask me questions about myself like, where it was that I grew up and how did I get interested in folk music, where I discovered it, stuff like that. He'd then write about me in his diary. I couldn't imagine why. His questions were annoying, but I liked him because he was gracious to me and I tried to be considerate and forthcoming. I was very careful when talking to outsiders, but Izzy was okay and I answered him in plain talk."
"Plain talk" notwithstanding, some of Dylan's comments sound disjointed, some of his references are unclear, some of his lines seem more like notes than exact quotes, and some of the things he told Young are questionable or clearly false (such as the bit at the beginning about being raised in Gallup, New Mexico, and traveling with carnivals from age fourteen, a tale he spun for multiple early interviewers). Still, this is a rare window into Dylan's thoughts and life in a time before practically anyone knew his name — a time when he could recall recently knocking on record company doors, saying, "Howdy, I've written some songs," and being turned away. — Ed.
October 20, 1961
Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941. He was raised in Gallup, NM and before he came to New York earlier this year, he lived in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Kansas. He started playing carnivals at the age of fourteen, accompanying himself on guitar and piano. He picked up harmonica about two years ago.
The University of Minnesota gave him a scholarship. He went there for some five months, attended a dozen lectures and then left. He learned many blues songs from a Chicago street singer named Arvella Gray. He also met a singer — Mance Lipscomb — from the Brazos River country of Texas, through a grandson that sang rock and roll. He listened a lot to Lipscomb and he heard Woody Guthrie's album of Dust Bowl ballads in South Dakota. In fact Bob Dylan has sung old jazz songs, sentimental cowboy songs and Top 40 hit parade stuff. He was always interested in singers and didn't know the term "folk music" until he came to New York.
[In the remainder of Young's notebook entries, he is quoting Dylan, who is mostly referred to in the first person. — Ed.]
It has to be called a name so they called it folk music. Very few people sing that way and it's being taken over by people who don't sing that way. It's all right but don't call it folk music. Stuff I do is nearer to folk music. Now I don't want to make a lot of money, want to get along. I want to reach more people and have a chance to sing the kind of music I sing. People have to be ready and have seen me once already. People often say first time that it isn't folk music. My songs aren't easy to listen to. My favorite singers are Dave Van Ronk, Jack Elliott, Peter Stampfel, Jim Kweskin and Rick von Schmidt. I can offer songs that tell something of this America, no foreign songs. The songs of this land that aren't offered over TV and radio and very few records.
Groups are easy to be in. I've always learned the hard way. I will now, too. I dress the way I do because I want to dress this way and not because it is cheaper or easier.
I started writing my songs about four or five years ago. First song was to Brigitte Bardot, for piano. Thought if I wrote the song I'd sing it to her one day. Never met her. I've written some Hillbilly songs that Carl Perkins from Nashville sings. I write talking blues on topical things. California Brown-Eyed Baby has caught on. Noel Stookey [aka Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul, and Mary — Ed.] gave me the idea for the Bear Mountain Song [aka "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" — Ed.] and I wrote it overnight but I wasn't there. Never sing it the same way twice because I never wrote it down.
No one is really influencing me now — but actually everything does. Can't think of anyone in particular now.
October 23, 1961
Played piano with Bobby Vee — would have been a millionaire if I'd stayed with him. Played piano Michigan Northwest to Montana. Sang for one dollar a day at Café Wha? [an experience recounted in "Talkin' New York" on Dylan's debut LP — Ed.], playing piano with Fred Neil. Bored stiff. It was warm and stayed a whole winter. Went to see Raisin in the Sun — Lou Gossett was in it. Dead Man's Hand or Aces and Eights. I believe in them. Believe in cards. Play a lot of cards. It's time to cash in when you get Aces and Eights. The other things I believe in are logical — the length of one's hair — less hair on the head more hair inside the head & vice versa. Crew cut all hair cluttering around the brain. Let my hair grow long to be wise and free to think. I have no religion. Tried a bunch of different religions. Churches are divided. Can't make up their minds neither can I. Never seen a God — can't say till I see one ...
Got a free ride to NY — came to see Woody Guthrie — Came to the Folklore Center. Girl playing with banjo (Toni Mendell). O God, this is it, this is NY. Everyone's playing banjo faster than I've been playing guitar. Couldn't really play with them. Used to see Woody whenever I had enough money. Met him once before in California before I was really playing — think Jack Elliott was with him. I think [banjo player] Billy Faier was there, too. I was in Carmel, California — doing nothing. During the summer, Woody impressed me. Always made a point to see him again. Wrote a song to Woody in February of this year. ["Song to Woody," which appears on Dylan's first album. — Ed.] Was going to sing all Woody songs — Jack [Elliott] and Cisco [Houston] came out. Woody carries the paper I wrote the song on. Woody likes to hear his own songs. Woody likes my songs.
Haven't sung anything really funny. Woody doesn't like Joan Baez, or the Kingston Trio — Baez for her voice is too pretty and Trio because they can't be understood.
Sort of like NY, don't know really. I like to walk around, just walk around. Like to ride motorcycle — was a racer in North and South Dakota — Minnesota.
First guitar I had, strings were 2 inches away from the board — had a flat pick but couldn't play it. Got a Martin for a present. 6 or 7 years. No one ever taught me to play guitar or harmonica, or piano. Used to play sort of boogy woogyish type of stuff, played with rock n' roll songs. Never knew the names of the songs, but 12 bar blues, played along with them. A few coffee houses refused to let me play when I came to NY. Bob Shelton helped by writing an article ["Bob Dylan: A Distinctive Folk Song Stylist," published September 29, 1961, in the New York Times. — Ed.] — talked around — someone from Elektra came down but nothing happened. Bob Shelton been like a friend for a long time. Friends are pretty hard to come by in NY. Dave Van Ronk has helped me along in card games because he's always losing. I've been with Jack [Elliott] — we have an Island upstate NY — we saw the Island out in the lake — we named the Island Delliott Isle and swam back. Jack hasn't taught me any songs. Jack doesn't know that many songs. He's had lots of chances. I went out to the Gleasons [New Jersey couple Bob and Sidsel Gleason, at whose home Dylan made some early recordings. — Ed.] and stayed out there for a while in East Orange. They have a lot of tapes — his [Dylan's] VD songs. [A reference to songs on early Minneapolis tapes, such as "VD Blues," "VD Waltz," and "VD City." — Ed.] Learned a bunch of those — sung them to Woody. Should get the rest from Harold Leventhal. [Leventhal, a music manager, produced Dylan's concert at New York's Town Hall in April 1963. — Ed.]
Met Jesse Fuller in Denver at the Exodus. I was playing in a stripper place. The Gilded Garter. Central City, a little mining town. Came down to Denver 2 summers ago — Jesse was playing downstairs. Upstairs was Don Crawford. Learned the way he does songs — mixed his style in with mine at the time. Before that there was a farmhand in Sioux Falls, S.D., who played the autoharp. Picked up his way of singing (Wilbur, never knew his last name).
Cowboy styles I learned from real cowboys. Can't remember their names. Met some in Cheyenne [Wyoming]. Cowboys nowadays go to Cowboy movies and sit there and criticize. Wear their hat this way or that — pick up their way of walking from the movie. Some of them. In Central City, Denver — the Tropics — played 20 minutes, strippers worked for 40 minutes with rock n' roll band. I'd play for 20 minutes again. Never stopped. One night I was about ready to strip myself. Only lasted a week and a half. Worst place I ever played. A full drag.
I have different ideas about folk music now. There's been no one around to cut records like the old Leadbelly, Houston & Guthrie. There are young people that are singing like that, but are being held back by commercial singers. People who have radio programs don't play. Jim Kweskin, Luke Faust aren't appreciated by enough people. Folkways is the only company that would record such stuff. Released Bill McAdoo's Can't Let Little Children Starve To Death. Liked title of song but hadn't heard it.
Went up to Folkways. I had written some songs. I says "Howdy, I've written some songs. Would you publish some songs" — wouldn't even look at them. I heard Folkways was good. [Sing Out! cofounder] Irwin Silber didn't even talk to me. Never got to see [Folkways founder] Moe Asch. They just about said "Go" and I heard that Sing Out! was supposed to be helpful and friendly. Big heart. Charitable. I thought it was the wrong place and Sing Out! was on the door. Whoever told me that was wrong. It seems ironic I'm on a big label. The article came out on Thursday night — Bruce Langhorne and I backed up by Carolyn Hester. Showed the article to John Hammond — Come in and see me [he said]. I did. And he is recording me. He asked me what I do. I've got about 20 songs I want to record. Some stuff I've written. Some stuff I've discovered and some stuff I stole. That's about it.
Used to see girls from the Bronx, at Chicago, Antioch, with their gutstring guitars, singing Pastures of Plenty, no lipstick, Brotherhood songs. Struck me funny, not clowns, opened up a whole new world of people. I like the NY kind of girl now. Can't remember what the old kind was like. Can always tell a New Yorker out of town — want everyone to know they're from NY. I've seen it happen — first 4 or 5 days people just stare at me. Down South it's bad to say you're from NYC.
We played the new Bill McAdoo recording on Folkways. Gonna Walk And Talk For My Freedom with Pete Seeger on banjo. Beatniks: 10 years ago, a guy would get on a bus with a beard, long sideburns, a hat and people would say "look at the Rabbi". Some guy gets on a bus today. The same people say "look at the Beatnik". Played the Fifth Avenue Hotel for the Kiwanis Club. Got job through [folksinger] Kevin Krown — for no money (I don't like the McAdoo Record). A lot of different acts that night — dressed up like a clown — when someone would sing two clowns would perform. Jack just dropped in. Couldn't hear myself — a clown rolled up to pinch my cheek — kicked him in the nuts and no one saw. Rest of the clowns left me alone. Made Kevin Krown buy me 10 drinks. Met Krown in Denver, came through Chicago — never got back 75 cents owed him but stayed at his place.
OK but don't care for classical music. Don't go for any foreign music. I really like Irish music and Scottish music, too. Colleges are the best audiences, much better than nightclubs. NY is the best place for music.
School [University of Minnesota] was too — lived on the Mississippi River — about 10 feet away under a great bridge. I took some theater course. Said I had to take Science. Average credits is about 12 — you can take 17 to 20. I enrolled with 26 credits. Narrowed it down to 20. Then down to 9. Couldn't even make that. Carnivals and fraternities — so much crap. So much phooey stuff. You might as well get out and live with some other people. A big hoax. Flunked out of anthropology — read a little, went to see the movies. One time I flunked out of English for teacher said I couldn't talk. Poetry we had to read, had to think about it for a long time. Poem should reach as many people as possible. I spent more time in Kansas City about 400 miles away. A girl friend was there. Went to High School in Upper Minnesota (Hibbing) a nothing little town.
Fargo in North Dakota — a lumberjack and mining town. Used to hop train. Big open pit. Lots of strikes there, lots of political stuff, a real mining town.
It's easy to criticize big money makers like Belafonte, Kingston Trio. Stuff he does is really like a popular singer — criticized by Jazz, Folk and Calypso people and he's making all the money. Won't criticize him until he sings one of my songs but then he'll make a lot of money for me. I liked Belafonte on the TV show.
Odetta: her and frustrated show singers — folk music is wide open for good voices. Instead of starting out at the bottom in Opera or Show or Jazz they start at the top in folk music.
Logan English — is one guy that if I don't have to see him — great — but the guy is just, Christ, every time I see him, his failure, singing folk music for there is, still trying. Logan's singing is one big bash of phooey. He's terrible. Lots of people sing simple — but Logan dwells on this — but no better — doesn't have it. Kills him but he sings Jimmie Rodgers — Peter LaFarge is a great songwriter.
Bruce Langhorne is great. Was at a party once, playing. Let me have a guitar, didn't have much fingers. I can't laugh. Read [Woody Guthrie's] Bound for Glory twice. Book should be taught to College kids — his poetry should be taught in English classes.
Got a bad deal from [gospel and folksinger] Brother John Sellers.
Highway 77 — McKinley's bar in Kansas to the 5 Avenue Hotel in NYC.
We put on John Jacob [Niles's] new double record. I like him. Too much. Sort of. Niles is really great. I think he's a genius.
February 1, 1962
Wrote a song the other night Ballad of Emmett Till. After I wrote it someone said another song was written but not like it. I wrote it for CORE [Congress of Racial Equality] — I'm playing it Feb. 23. I think it's the best thing I've ever written. Only song I play with a capo. Stole the melody from Len Chandler — a song he wrote about a Colorado bus driver.
"born a black skinned boy and he was born to die"
"just a reminder to remind your fellow men that this kind of thing still lives today in the ghost robed Klu [sic] Klux Klan"
I bought an apartment cost 350 dollars. Rent is 80 dollars. 161 W. 4 St., c/o Walker. Getting some money from Columbia. I'm supposed to be making all kinds of money. I seem, I don't play guitar if I don't feel like playing. I'd rather get drunk. I hate coffeehouses to play at. People come down to see freaks. Sometimes I'm in a bad mood. I don't like the idea too much. Carnival was different for I was with the same people. Entertainers in coffeehouses just don't have that togetherness.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Dylan on Dylan"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Jeff Burger.
Excerpted by permission of Chicago Review Press Incorporated.
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Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication Page,
Preface | Jeff Burger,
Izzy Young's Notebook | IZZY YOUNG October 20, 1961–March 14, 1962 | The Fiddler Now Upspoke (UK),
Radio Interview | CYNTHIA GOODING Early 1962 | Folksinger's Choice, WBAI-FM (New York),
Conversation | IZZY YOUNG, PETE SEEGER, SIS CUNNINGHAM, AND GIL TURNER May 1962 (recording) | Unaired, WBAI-FM (New York),
A Day with Bob Dylan | JOHN COCKS November 20, 1964 | Kenyon Collegian (Ohio),
Bob Dylan as Bob Dylan | PAUL JAY ROBBINS March and September 1965 (interview) | September 10, 17, and 24, 1965 | Los Angeles Free Press,
Interview | NORA EPHRON AND SUSAN EDMISTON August 1965 (interview) | Publication Unknown,
Playboy Interview: Bob Dylan | NAT HENTOFF Fall 1965 (interview) | March 1966 | Playboy,
Press Conference December 3, 1965 | KQED-TV (San Francisco),
Press Conference December 16, 1965 | Los Angeles,
Radio Conversation | BOB FASS January 26, 1966 | Radio Unnameable, WBAI-FM (New York),
Radio Interview | KLAS BURLING May 1, 1966 | Radio 3 (Sweden),
Conversations with Bob Dylan | JOHN COHEN AND HAPPY TRAUM October/November 1968 | Sing Out!,
Press Conference August 27, 1969 | Isle of Wight, England,
Radio Interview | MARY TRAVERS April 20, 1975 | Mary Travers and Friend, KNX-FM (Los Angeles),
Bob Dylan: "... A Sailing Ship to the Moon" | NEIL HICKEY August 1976 (interview) | March 4, 2015 | Adventures in the Scribblers Trade,
An Interview with Dylan | RANDY ANDERSON February 17, 1978 | Minnesota Daily,
Radio Interview | PAUL VINCENT November 19, 1980 | KMEL-FM (San Francisco),
Radio Interview | PAUL GAMBACCINI June 20, 1981 | Rock On, BBC Radio 1 (UK),
"Jesus, Who's Got Time to Keep Up with the Times?" | MICK BROWN July 1, 1984 | Sunday Times (UK),
Radio Interview | BERT KLEINMAN AND ARTIE MOGULL November 13, 1984 | Westwood One (US),
Radio Interview | BOB COBURN June 17, 1985 | Rockline, KLOS-FM (Los Angeles),
Bob Dylan — After All These Years in the Spotlight, the Elusive Star Is at the Crossroads Again | MIKAL GILMORE October 13, 1985 | Los Angeles Herald-Examiner,
Ask Him Something, and a Sincere Dylan Will Tell You the Truth | DON McLEESE January 26, 1986 | Chicago Sun-Times,
The Invisible Man | DAVID HEPWORTH October 1986 | Q magazine (UK),
Radio Interview | ELLIOT MINTZ May 1991 | Westwood One (US),
Interview | PAUL ZOLLO November 1991 | SongTalk,
Dylan: Jokes, Laughter, and a Series of Dreams | PETER WILMOTH April 3, 1992 | The Age (Australia),
A Midnight Chat with Dylan | JOHN DOLEN September 28, 1995 | SunSentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida),
No Direction Home Outtakes 2000 (interview) | Broadcast Date Unknown | WBAI-FM (New York),
Press Conference July 23, 2001 | Rome,
TV Interview | ED BRADLEY December 5, 2004 | 60 Minutes, CBS (US),
The Genius and Modern Times of Bob Dylan | JONATHAN LETHEM September 7, 2006 | Rolling Stone,
Bob Dylan's Late-Era, Old-Style American Individualism | DOUGLAS BRINKLEY May 14, 2009 | Rolling Stone,
Bob Dylan: The Uncut Interview | ROBERT LOVE February/March 2015 | AARP The Magazine,
Nobel Prize Banquet Speech | BOB DYLAN (presented by Azita Raji) December 10, 2016 | Stockholm, Sweden,
About the Contributors,
About the Editor,
Credits,
Index,