Definitely Dylan

Stories, myths, and narratives – as the Bob Dylan Center opened this May, another Bob Dylan exhibition was coming to a close. What stories are these two Dylan museums telling & what do they reveal about how Bob Dylan wants to be seen?

In part two of this series on the crafting of Bob Dylan's legacy, we take a look at the stories told by two very different museums dedicated to Bob Dylan's work: the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK, and the Retrospectrum exhibition of Dylan's visual art. Laura interviews the curators of the BDC, Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, and talks about how Dylan the Painter has become part of the Dylan Myth.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation.

Watch my Florida paper on Time in Dylan’s music, paintings, and Shadow Kingdom here.

Here’s the article “In His Own Words: Why Bob Dylan Paints”.

Find out more about the Bob Dylan Center here.

The Retrospectrum catalogue (£85) is available here.

Read Rebecca Slaman’s review of Retrospectrum here.

For more information, see http://definitelydylan.com/

This is the first of two conversations about the crafting of Bob Dylan’s legacy.

My guest is freelance writer Rebecca Slaman. Follow Rebecca on Twitter: @ithrewtheglass.

The version of “Desolation Row” is from 12 April, 2009 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. You can watch it in full along with others from that year here.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation.

For more information, see http://definitelydylan.com/.

The pandemic forced Bob Dylan to take a two year break from performing live. Now he’s back and he’s embarked on the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour.

I was lucky to be able to fly from London to Washington, DC to catch the last show of the year on 2nd December, 2021.

In this episode, I’m giving you my thoughts on the performances, the setlist, and how this tour relates to the latest album and Shadow Kingdom.

You can listen to the whole concert here.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation.

For more information, see http://definitelydylan.com/.

In this episode, Laura considers Shadow Kingdom in the context of Bob Dylan’s career and what it tells us about the artist at 80 years old. We’ll touch on Dylan’s relationship with the past, the language of dreams, and we’ll find out what all of this has to do with Shakespeare.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation.

For more information, see http://definitelydylan.com/.

Alma Har’el talking about dreams is from this i-D video.

Bob Dylan’s Nobel lecture

Music: Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, Midsummer night's dream overture

For this episode, we’re going to take a little break from the series on Rough And Rowdy Ways!

I want to take you on a journey towards the heart of one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs of all time: “Most Of The Time” from Dylan’s 1989 album Oh Mercy. Deceptively simple, this song about pain and denial is wonderfully subtle in its development of the singer’s feelings, while also playing with the listener’s expectations. In other words: it’s a masterclass in songwriting. So let’s find out why and how it works!

I hope you enjoy this closer look at one particular Dylan song. Let me know if you enjoy this episode and what other songs you’d like me to take a close look at!

Here’s the link to the Daniel Lanois interview compilation I mention in the episode.

If you are in a position to support my work, you can do that over on Patreon, where you also find the exclusive companion extra to this episode, in which we talk about the recording process of the song, the production, and its shortlived incarnation onstage! Thank you!

Original theme music and sound design for this episode by Robert Chaney

In Chapter 2 of Definitely Dylan’s mini series on Bob Dylan’s Rough And Rowdy Ways, Laura discusses the myth and mystery of creation in “My Own Version Of You” and “Mother Of Muses”.What insight can these very different songs give us into the creative process of the songwriter? How do they portray the creator’s role in society? And what does any of this have to do with the Nobel medal?

Here's the radio episode in which we discuss Bob Dylan’s borrowings from Billy “The Kid” Emerson’s song “If Loving Is Believing” for Dylan’s “False Prophet”.

Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon, where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and more content.

If you want to buy me a symbolic coffee to support my work, go to buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan

For more info, please visit the Definitely Dylan website.

Don’t forget to follow the show on Twitter and Instagram.

Get your own “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” t-shirt, or the “I Contain Multitudes” tote bag in the shop!

On the 19th of June, 2020, Bob Dylan released his 39th studio album, Rough And Rowdy Ways, his first collection of original songs in eight years.

In the first chapter of this Definitely Dylan mini-series, Laura begins her exploration of the new album by going back to Dylan’s 2016 Nobel win. What’s the difference between songs and literature? Who’s the secret hero of Rough And Rowdy Ways? And what does Homer have to do with all this? Listen to find out!

Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon, where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and more content.

If you want to buy me a symbolic coffee to support my work, go to buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan

For more info, please visit the Definitely Dylan website.

Don’t forget to follow the show on Twitter and Instagram.

Get your own “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” t-shirt, or the “I Contain Multitudes” tote bag in the shop!

This month, the Australian, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Emma Swift releases her album of Bob Dylan cover songs, Blonde On The Tracks.

In our conversation, Emma tells me about the story behind the album, how she came up with the song selection, the advantages of singing Dylan as a woman, and the autobiographical dimension of cover songs.

You can listen to and order your copy of Blonde On The Tracks on the Emma Swift bandcamp page, or from the record store of your choice. Be sure to also check out the music videos for I Contain Multitudes, Queen Jane Approximately, and You’re a Big Girl Now.

Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon, where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and more content.

Get your Definitely Dylan merch: The “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” t-shirt, and the “I Contain Multitudes” tote bag

On Friday 19 June, Bob Dylan releases Rough and Rowdy Ways, his first album of original songs in eight years. Here's all the info you need to know to bring you up to speed on the whats, the whys, and the whos.

Here is the link to the Dylan interview with Douglas Brinkley in the New York Times.

Definitely Dylan is now on Patreon, where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and more content.

You can purchase the album here.

And if you’d like to buy your “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” t-shirt or the “I Contain Multitudes” tote bag, you can do that here. All proceeds from the shop during the month of June will be donated to Black Lives Matter. Thank you!

On the 17 April, Bob Dylan released his second surprise song in one month, "I Contain Multitudes". Borrowing more than just the title from Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself", Bob Dylan paints a vivid modern portrait of a country divided.

For more info, please visit the Definitely Dylan website.

Don’t forget to follow the show on Twitter and Instagram.

Definitely Dylan is on Patreon, where you can support my work and get access to bonus episodes and more content.

Get your own “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” t-shirt in the shop!