Dylan on Dylan [Paperback]

Jonathan Cott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2009

'I change during the course of a day. I wake and I'm one person, and when I go to sleep I know for certain I'm somebody else.' Bob Dylan DYLAN ON DYLAN gathers together for the first time twenty-nine of the most significant and revealing conversations with the singer, stretching over forty years from the earliest days of his career in 1962 through to 2004. Among the highlights are the seminal Rolling Stone interviews by Jann Wenner, Jonathan Cott, Kurt Loder and Mikal Gilmore, as well as the legendary 1966 Playboy interview. In-depth and intimate, these interviews cover the gaps left by the Chronicles: Volume 1. Dylan expert Jonathan Cott writes an introduction to this must-have collection of the artist in his own words. 'Edited by Jonathan Cott, one of the original editors of Rolling Stone and arguably the most simpatico writer ever to converse with Mr Dylan, the interview format remains eminently readable ...Mr. Cott identifies the major sea changes in Mr Dylan's life via conversational format, without undue commentary ...Nobody can explain Mr Dylan as well as he, when he cares to do it, can explain himself' The New York Times

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Cott is the author of sixteen books, including Dylan (a biography), and co-wrote The Ballad of John & Yoko. He has been a contributing editor of Rolling Stone magazine since its inception and has written for the New York Times, Parabola, and the New Yorker. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: 101 DISTRIBUTION (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340923148
• ISBN-13: 978-0340923146
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.2 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Collection of Interviews, March 3, 2008

By 

Stephen Borrow (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dylan On Dylan (Hardcover)

Much of Bob Dylan's work is mysterious, but the man lurking behind this famous alias even more so? "Dylan on Dylan" might be as close as we can get to understanding something of what makes this great artist tick, until Bob completes Chronicles, which is obstensibly his autobiography. I think it fair to say that there is a public perception of Bob Dylan as aloof, perhaps even surly at times, but this collection of interviews and some short articles should deepen our appreciation of him. At times he is outrageously funny, insightful, direct and honest. You get the sense of Bob Dylan as the self made artist, uncomfortable with the conformity of institutional learning, and who eschews the over categorizing of his work. He demonstrates a satisfaction with his accomplishments, but seems not to be preoccupied with them. He seems to have been downright uncomfortable with his fame at times, particularly the Woodstock period when so-called fans refused to respect his need for privacy. His humility is palpable throughout, and he comes across as an artist engaged in a process of continual growth and renewal. These interviews are as profoundly interesting as his catalogue of amazing music. A lot of the credit belongs, of course, to the brilliant line up of interviewers, each of whom were able to draw something special out of Bob. "Dylan on Dylan" will, I predict, become a classic of the genre.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dylan Revealed (Mostly) In His Own Words, June 9, 2009

By 

Glenn Gallagher "scholarly bureaucrat" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dylan on Dylan (Paperback)

Bob Dylan once wrote "Nothing is revealed", and he appears to try to live up to that saying in each of the interviews selected here. Actually, bits and pieces of the man, the motives, the poetry, the philosophy, and the sheer genius gradually emerge over the course of dozens of interviews given over more than 40 years.

The frustrating thing about being an admirer of Bob Dylan is that the man refuses to acknowledge his own legacy. Bob was very consistent from the beginning, stating more than once, "I just sing and play guitar". Well, that's a little bit like a prophet saying "I just give the occasional lecture". On one level, yes, Mr. Dylan is just a singer and songwriter (and some would claim he's not even really a singer). On another level, Bob has an amazing ability, or perhaps a God-given talent for taking intangible, nebulous thoughts and ideas that may exist only in a subconscious form, and putting these formless ideas into tangible words and music. Bob seems to be able to pick up something in the air, thoughts and feelings that people may not even be able to express themselves, and then he's put it all into a neat and simple package called a song.

I believe Bob Dylan puts down his own talent because he's not consciously aware of how he writes songs. (He certainly appears to be unable or unwilling to interpret the meaning of his own work.) I don't want to read too much into his lyrics, but I think that his songs will stand the test of time in 100, 200, 300 years.

I think an artist like Dylan is like Mozart - who just did what came naturally, and wasn't able to explain just how he was able to compose music that seemed to arrive straight from heaven. Like Mozart, Dylan is probably more of a messenger than a songwriter.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Haven't received it yet, January 13, 2011

By 

Susan M. Settle - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dylan on Dylan (Paperback)

This book is coming from the UK and it is my understanding that it takes longer. I have yet to receive this purchase.