Product Description
Bob Spitz, drawing on hundreds of interviews with Dylan's family, friends, lovers and fellow musicians, presents the true Bob Dylan in a vast array of guises: the early years in Minnesota, when loner and local weirdo Bobby Zimmerman reinvented himself as Bob Dylan; the cataclysm that occurred when he went electric; the mad years, when drugs corrupted his gospel of peace and love; and his flirtations with political causes, various religions and superstardom. Photographs.Amazon.com Review
Writer Bob Spitz, author of Barefoot in Babylon, thestory of the 1969 Woodstock festival, spent years researching BobDylan's life, interviewing people who had known him ranging back tohis earliest days in Hibbing, Minnesota. Spitz did get people to talkon the record, and while his book collects myriad quotes from Dylanassociates, the overall tone of Dylan: A Biography tends toveer toward being unaccountably mean-spirited. The book doesdocument the recollections of some people important in Dylan's life,but it's an uneven read thanks to the persistently negative tone andSpitz's penchant for writing scenes in a hipster style that usuallytends to work against the subject (who is, after all, more than hipenough on his own). --Robert McNamara ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A facinating biography of Bob Dylan
A few months ago, I read Bob Spitz's biography, The Beatles. When the Beatles first came to America in 1964 the one person they wanted to meet was Bob Dylan, who according to Spitz turned them on to marijuana as the Plaza Hotel.I found Spitz's book so entertaining and engrossing that I ordered his biography of Bob Dylan, even though it was published in 1985.

As a teenager growing up in the 1960's, Bob Dylan was one of my great folk heroes. I was also a great fan of Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, Peter Paul and Mary and of course Joan Baez.Bob Spitz's biography of Bob Dylan takes us on the incredible journey as Robert Zimmerman travels to New York to reinvent himself as Bob Dylan.One of the problems of reading a detailed biography of a famous person is that there are risks that as you turn the pages of the book, you may discover unsettling and disturbing facts about the main character.

If you need to perceive Bob Dylan as a kind and empathetic person to enjoy his music, don't read this book.Spitz reports how Bob would use his friends, steal from them and manipulate and abuse the people who loved him.He also examines his genius of writing and performing songs that transformed the music business.I loved the book and while Bob Spitz showed me the dark side of Bob Dylan he also has whetted my appetite to revisit and listen to many of his CDs'.

Spare us.
Mixed metaphors make a mess of this. I am in the publishing business and only hope this writer goes back to his job in the music business as he has no business writing.

bad attitude, great research
Mr. Perle's disclaimer does this book an injustice:Spitz's sequel to the Scaduto and Shelton biographies bears the aspect of a "tabloid-style hatchet job" unmistakably.Nevertheless the amazing quality of Spitz's even-then-still-timely research remains irreducible, and his book cannot be responsibly neglected by scholars of the topic.

As for Perle's claim that "An autobiography by Bob Dylan was also available," well, if only!Won't that be the day!

Spitz' Writing Misunderstood
(This was written for a course assignment.)

Though already ten years old, "Dylan - A Biography" by Bob Spitz is an incredible, often uncomfortable look into singer/songwriter Bob Dylan's life. "Uncomfortable" because Bob Dylan, admired and even idolized by so many,named the spokesman of his generation in the early 1960s, and supposedly aprophet of peace and goodwill, is uncovered as a frequently complete andutter jerk.But at the same time, Spitz writes with an understanding pen. "Dylan" is by no means a tabloid-style hatchet job, Spitz having set out to"unmask the hero."If anything, "Dylan" shows us that Bob Dylan, the man,the myth, is indeed both a man and a myth.He is and always has been ahuman being, and one with his fair share of faults.

Reviews of "Dylan" onthe Internet are rather critical of Spitz, using terms such as"mean-spirited."Due to Spitz having dramatically different reviewsfor his other works, it seems as though these other "Dylan" readers don'twant to face the idea that their icon is not the quintessentialhumanitarian, despite the legend.Spitz interviews and quotes countlesspeople from Dylan's past who give first-hand accounts of his ownmean-spirited dealings with those who've cared about him.In doing so onefeels foolish thinking of Dylan as among the world's greatesthumanitarians.

Lack of personal knowledge created the void that "Dylan"was hoped to fill.Two topics in particular were eagerly awaited to beexpounded on.These included Dylan's mid-1960s & life-alteringmotorcycle accident and Dylan's flirtation with Christianity, followed byhis return to Judaism.Neither topic was satisfactorily covered, though itappears that the second part of the latter simply occured after the bookwas published a decade ago.As for the first topic, it appears due to theless-than-heavy emphasis and the implication that the accident was notnearly as serious as the public was lead to believe that it is for thisthat the topic was given little concentration.

The 550 pages that make upthe main text of the book, including the prologue, chapters, and epilogue,certainly comprise a work that is significantly longer than easier-readalternatives for the topic, but it was hoped that the book would live up toits promise.At the bottom of the cover is a quote from esteemed writerGreil Marcus, "No other book captures it so well, understands so well..."Anautobiography by Bob Dylan was also available, but to get the objectivestory, it is best to stay away from such self-promotion.In the author'snotes preceding the prologue, Spitz writes that he was offered exclusiveinterviews with Dylan as well as access to countless treasures includingphotographs in return for allowing Dylan control over the final manuscript. Based on Dylan's notorious history of publicizing half-truths and outrightlies about himself, Spitz refused.

"Dylan" is a recommendedread.

This book rocks
This Bob Dylan book by Bob Spitz i felt was quite intrigueing. I have always wanted to learn more on Bob Dylan and this book, i felt really expressed a lot of his thoughts and how his has lived his entire life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Sharp Edge of an Hasaidic Education
Definitely one for the affiacondo. Needless to add, the thesis is based on Dylan/Zimmerman's Jewishness, which is incontestable. How much his immersion in its outlook translates into his work is, of course, contestable, be it intutitive or conscious. Pickering insists on its informing base. It would greatly help if you had a briefing in Hasaidic lore, which I don't, nor was encouraged to by reading Pickering's text. Still, it puts a whole new light on Dylan's musings and made me listen differently to,'John Wesley Harding' for instance. The blurry black and white photos were worth the price of the magazine, back then and its now a certifiable collector/completist's item.

Good photos, some good articles
I had to add a few comments after reading the other review from 1999.I bought this book just after it came out.While I was open to Mr. Pickering's opinions about the importance of the Judaism on Dylan's work, I was put off by his condescension.In fact, I often felt he was using Dylan to make arrogant remarks about issues important to him rather than to Dylan or his fans.
On the other hand, I loved the pictures; most are b&w.Most are from the 1974 tour, but included are earlier photos, some rare photos of the benefit concert Dylan did with Phil Ochs, even a high school photo. There are some reprints of articles by better writers.It's worth a look if Dylan is of particular interest to you.

Dissapointing
I expected commentary on Dylan's lyrics from a Jewish perspective; there is certainly plenty to say on the issue.Unfortunately, this book offered only a blow by blow of a Dylan concert tour, interspersed with drawings ofEin Sof and random quotes from the Kabalah, Elie Wiesel, and Walt Whitmanof all people.Great if you want to know every detail of a Dylan tour;otherwise not much use. ... Read more

Product Description
Bob Dylan's contribution to popular music is immeasurable. Venerated as rock's one true genius, Dylan is considered responsible for introducing a new range of topics and new lyrical complexity into popular music. Without Bob Dylan, rock critic Dave Marsh once claimed, there would be no popular music as we understand it today.

As such an exalted figure, Dylan has been the subject of countless books and intricate scholarship considering various dimensions of both the man and his music. This book places new emphasis on Dylan as a rock star. Whatever else Dylan is, he is a star - iconic, charismatic, legendary, enigmatic. No one else in popular music has maintained such star status for so long a period of time.

Showing how theories of stardom can help us understand both Bob Dylan and the history of rock music, Lee Marshall provides new insight into how Dylan's songs acquire meaning and affects his relationship with his fans, his critics and the recording industry. Marshall discusses Dylan's emergence as a star in the folk revival (the "spokesman for a generation") and the formative role that Dylan plays in creating a new type of music - rock - and a new type of star. Bringing the book right up to date, he also sheds new light on how Dylan's later career has been shaped by his earlier star image and how Dylan repeatedly tried to throw off the limitations and responsibilities of his stardom.

The book concludes by considering the revival of Dylan over the past ten years and how Dylan's stardom has developed in a way that contains, but is not overshadowed by, his achievements in the 1960s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Powerful Analysis of Bob's Stardom
I've read more than 30 Bob books, and this is among the best.

Intellectual yet accessible, this sociological analysis of what made and continues to make Bob a star is an insightful look into how Dylan's stardom changed over the course of his career and how the social context and his audience facilitated and inhibited his stardom. One thing I truly appreciate about this book is that it does not stop in 1966!

Lee Marshall divides the book into seven major chapters separated by bulleted snapshots of the major events in Dylan's life:

(1) Introduction - Here he looks at stardom as a social system with distinctive functions and characteristics, and identifies those things that make a rock star unique. In other words, he lays out the conceptual framework he will use to analyze Dylan's career.
(2) Stardom, Authorship and the Meaning of Songs - In this chapter he argues that attempts to understand the meaning of Bob's songs through textual analysis or biographical inference are limiting. He argues that how the reader, listener, or audience generates meaning is what really matters. This meaning changes as the social context changes and as the individual's experience with the music deepens. This is especially true for Dylan, whose expression of the music continues to evolve. It's not just the words; it's also the voice, the personality, the music...everything that shapes our feelings and the meanings we construct.
(3) Folk Stardom - Dylan became a star during the second folk revival in this country, at a time when youth were deeply concerned about the possibility of nuclear holocaust, the Vietnam war, and civil rights. Dylan found a way to powerfully express the collective consciousness of the time and developed an image as a political leader (whether he wanted to or not). He broke from the union collectivist notions of the traditional folk movement to "empathetic individualism" - a "belief that only by developing one's individual self-awareness could one change society." He told tales to create an image of an everyman figure, reinforcing the sense that an ordinary person with talent (specialness) can become a star with some luck and hard work. He was ordinary and special.
(4) Rock Stardom - When Dylan went electric, he outraged folk purists who viewed him as "selling out" or going commercial. Marshall asserts that "rock did not exist before Dylan's shift to electric music" - pretty audacious of him! He's referring to the ideology of rock, not the musical structure. He argues that Dylan changed the way songs were written, rock was criticized, and what fans were seeking. He was cool, confident, and authentic. He was "an individual who rejects politics in favour of inner-consciousness yet still manages to be political; an artist who follows his own unique vision regardless of the consequences yet found new audiences and commercial success; a self-conscious artist speaking for no one except his own self yet upheld as the leader of a youth movement." He was a perfect ideological fit for the times.
(5) Beyond Stardom - Dylan's work was canonized after the 1966 World Tour and motorcycle accident in much the same way Marilyn Monroe and James Dean were canonized after their deaths. Fortunately for us, Dylan didn't have to die. As Marshall points out, the idealization of Dylan that occurred in his silence, also contributed to a post-sixties image of a star who never quite lives up to expectations.
(6) Declining Stardom - When Dylan returned to the public in the 1970s, his work was overshadowed by the mythological past and by social changes. His meaning was as a "living legend" and interpreted in nostalgic terms. In the early 1980s, with the release of the gospel albums, his image became increasingly unclear. Meanwhile, the music industry began seeing declining record sales, and looked for major sellers like Michael Jackson's Thriller, which sold 47 million copies worldwide. MTV emerged to help construct star-images. Bob's albums were rarely big sellers, and pop videos never were his medium. Neither of these trends served him well. Dylan seemed out of sync with this new world. As Dylan sang, "But it's like I'm stuck inside a painting / That's hanging in the Louvre. / My throat starts to tickle and my nose itches / But I know that I can't move." Marshall suggests that Dylan developed a deliberate strategy to get out of being a legend - The Never Ending Tour (NET).
(7) Redefining Stardom - The NET (from June 1988 to now) was intended to "transform his relationship with his audience." The audience who came to see the legend wanted to hear familiar songs, and wanted them to sound the way they remembered them. He wanted an audience that was there to engage with the music now. In his first 22 years, Dylan performed 525 concerts, an average of 34.5 per year. In the first 18 years of the NET, he played 1909 shows, averaging 100 per year. While some still show up to see the legend, more keep coming back to engage with the music. His fans are now multi-generational and often attend multiple shows, due to their variety. Less than 50% of the songs are from 1961-66. He finally has the audience he deserves.
(8) Never Ending Stardom - Time Out of Mind and Dylan's hospitalization in 1997 changed things once again. The themes of Time Out of Mind - constant movement, having nothing to say, and aging and mortality - were in sync with his transformed star-image. Many international and national awards followed, including an Oscar for Things Have Changed. His next two albums - Love & Theft and Modern Times - were critically acclaimed and commercially successful. These three albums integrate the rich traditions of American roots music in a way that makes them timeless. Chronicles, No Direction Home, and Theme Time Radio all show a "wise man offering an omiscient view of history." He has managed to find endlessly creative ways of renewing the past.

This is an insightful look at an amazing star. Can't wait for the next concert...
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home - The SoundtrackChronicles: Volume One (Chronicles)Bob Dylan: The Drawn Blank SeriesTime Out of Mind"Love and Theft"Modern Times (Special Limited Edition)

The most interesting book in years
Lee Marshall's is the most interesting book i read about Dylan in years.
Anyway, regiarding to the comments above, I don't think jg wanted to say that Dylan should be an example as lifestyle... he just said that the christian period is underestimated. I agree with this, in terms of art quality, but even in the book terms of stardom construction/de-construction.
In some way Dylan conversion was partly a research for the immortality of his work and strictly connected with the GOSPEL tradition. TIMHO.
Many others important aspects in this book are absent, but nobody can be omnicomprehensive in such a vast matter. BD is really bigger than life.

Bruno
Rome IT

A comment on the commentator
My reaction to the "Christian" reviewer is that a few Dylan freaks or phobes or supporters or whatever they decided to be called project their particular feelings onto Dylan.They don't know Dylan, they just want to believe they do and everything they write is colored by these suppositions. If we all agree that Dylan's music and poetry is superb we can then agree to disagree about him as a person. His lifestyle is not something I would point to as an example of a happy, fulfilled life. To me he appears chronically dissatisfied and that may be my projection.However to confuse the Dylan character and personality with his work is to do just that.They are not the same but Dylan has hidden his true self or displayed it in various guises. Do we know him, hardly. Do we want to, that is a different question.

genius, pure genius
this book is like a punch in the face. you won't forget it for a long time. i read it in just a few days. the book is especially reccomended for anyone who loves bob and his work. i have read many dylan books. this one is absolutely brilliant. Marshall's analysis of dylan and his career is apocalyptic. he puts dylan's career in perspective in so many ways. dylan's importance to the world cannot be overstated. i have no doubt that his prophet status will continue to grow throughout time. the only critique i will make is with Marshall's inability to analyze the importance of dylan's christian music. he never really deals with it. i strongly reccomend that anyone reading this book also reads Stephen Webb's book, From Highway 61 to Saved. i think that people don't understand dylan's christianity. they think that bob abandoned his free-spirited creative artistry for rigid christian dogma. it is not true. when bob embraced god he acknowledged the source of his artistry. in god, bob found universal truth that liberated him completely from the emptiness that haunted him and it gave birth to his truest understanding of life and of himself. god saved bob. bob has always tried to use that power to save us. i think that people can't see this because it can't be understood as an outsider. The power of faith in god and Christ cannot be appreciated as an observer. bob's artistry has always been tied to faith in a higher power and he took it to the next level. one other point i would make concerns bob's "comeback" starting with his pericarditis and the release of Time Out of Mind. When bob got sick people stopped taking him for granted because they were faced with the reality of his mortality. it's like giving awards to artists when they get old to make sure that they understand how much they are appreciated and loved before the opportunity is missed. This type of public appreciation is sincere but it was somewhat contrived and long over-due. Dylan's greatness has always been evident to the true-believer and he would have continued to produce sublime and important work without the recognition that he got. As long as i'm on a soap box about my favorite subject, this scenario reminds me of the standing ovation that bob got when he sang his christian music at the grammy awards many years ago. I think alot of people were clapping for the wrong reasons. I think that they were happy that bob had accepted Christ and in essence their side had won an important endorsement. They were not celebrating bob's joy at finding
the love and truth that he had always been looking for. i was struck by the schism and shallowness of the moment. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes 13 of his greatest hits, specially arranged for fingerstyle guitarists at all levels. Titles include Buckets Of Rain, Just Like A Woman, Simple Twist of Fate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

It is a waist of money
Lyrics are not included.
Jerry Willard's transcriptions are easy to play.
Sadly, his transcriptions bare little resemblance to the songs.
To make Dylan sound hollow without heart or soul is sad.

Disappointing
I bought this book after having learnt 'Don't Think Twice' from a magazine and was very disappointed with the transcriptions.'Don't think twice' was a very poor representation; even a averageguitarist would be able to see it was quite far off the recorded version.Another problem was the lack of good songs - Fantasic fingerpicking pieces were missed out:'Spanish Boots', 'Girl from north country', 'One too many mornings', etc did not feature.Also no words were included.

Accurate and Complete
I recently purchased this book and was quite impressed with the quality of the transciptions contained within. They very accurate andcomplete. As a guitarists and a serious Bob Dylan fan I know how hard it can be to findaccurate Tablature for Bob Dylan and Mr. Willard has compiled an excellentcollection of some of the lesser well-known Dylan tunes. ... Read more

Product Description
In a tour de force of lyrical theory, Joshua Clover boldly reimagines how we understand both pop music and its social context in a vibrant exploration of a year famously described as "the end of history." Amid the historic overturnings of 1989, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, pop music also experienced striking changes. Vividly conjuring cultural sensations and events, Clover tracks the emergence of seemingly disconnected phenomena--from grunge to acid house to gangsta rap--asking if "perhaps pop had been biding its time until 1989 came along to make sense of its sensibility." His analysis deftly moves among varied artists and genres including Public Enemy, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, De La Soul, The KLF, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, U2, Jesus Jones, the Scorpions, George Michael, Madonna, Roxette, and others. This elegantly written work, deliberately mirroring history as dialectical and ongoing, summons forth a new understanding of how "history had come out to meet pop as something more than a fairytale, or something less. A truth, a way of being." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"I am not smashing together the high and the low just because I can"
"1989" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Clover's book interview ran here as the cover feature on February 24, 2010. ... Read more

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This is a remarkably fresh piece of Dylan scholarship, focusing on the profound impact that his Midwestern roots have had on his songs, politics, and prophetic character. In the 1966 "Playboy" interview, Dylan said, 'I'm North Dakota-Minnesota-Midwestern...I speak that way. I'm from someplace called Iron Range. My brains and feelings have come from there'. ... Read more

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LP RECORD ... Read more