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It was over seven years ago that we learned of 'Bob Dylan's Secret Archives' from The New York Times, and just over a year since the Bob Dylan Center opened those archives up to visitors in Tulsa OK. On the anniversary, we sat down in Tulsa with Center Director Steven Jenkins to talk about the Center, the first year and the future.

Steve arrived just a bit before the Center's opening, and has been the public face and driving internal and external force every since. We talked about the successes the Center has had in it's first year, and dive into many issues about membership benefits, managing the expectations of super fans, delivering an experience that covers a topic and high and wide as Dylan to both casual and serious fans at the same time, and the plans and possibilities they hold for the future of the Bob Dylan Center.

There is an Extended Version of this episode available. Details below.

If you've been to the Dylan Center, you know it's not your typical museum - they've managed to build a facility that exposes Dylan content from many different directions without feeling either limited or chaotic. It's interesting to hear how the minds driving the Center are thinking in terms of goals, next steps, and the responsibility of holding and hosting an asset as big and important as The Bob Dylan Archives.

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When Bob Dylan returned as a solo acoustic recording artist in the early 90's, many were surprised. A lot of folks thought they would never again hear Bob alone with a guitar. But few thought if they did, the playing would be described as "magnificent, skilled, exciting" guitar work - as it was called by today's guest.

While it's often noted that Dylan's lyrics aren't meant to stand alone on the page, the music that accompanies them just doesn't get as much attention or discussion as those famously over-analyzed lyrics. Music is harder to write about, and very few have managed to do it well and to make their ideas accessible to all of us listeners who lack our own musical knowledge, experience, and even vocabulary.

>> There is an Extended Version and Video of this episode available. Details below.<<

Eyolf Østrem is a Norwegian Musicologist and Dylan fan who has taken on that challenge. For years at DylanChords.com and more recently at Dylanology.substack.com he has taken to transcribing and explaining the musical side of Bob Dylan. He recently turned his magnifying glass and microscope and keyboard onto Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong - perfect timing for us.

His recent series of posts (links below) dive in deep and explain through examples the new methods and inventive / expressive ways that Dylan makes the sounds that make these albums so enjoyable and compelling. Recently he joined us to share more of his thoughts on that exact topic.

It turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, that Dylan is just as compelling and idiosyncratic - as well as accomplished and effective - with his guitar as he is with his pen. Listen as Eyolf explain it to us in ways that can offer new things to listen for and new ways to enjoy 90's acoustic Dylan.

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THE EXTENDED EDITION

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either:

FREE WEEKLY BOB DYLAN NEWSLETTER

FM PODCAST NETWORK 

We're a proud member of The FM Podcast Network along with PodDylan - The Dylantantes - The Bob Dylan Primer - and more.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Drop us a note at [email protected].

The World Gone Wrong album cover stands out amongst all the Dylan covers - Bob has a top hat on, the colors are vibrant, and he has a detached look that doesn't exude the confidence you find on all of his other covers. The picture was taken during the filming of a video for Blood In My Eyes, and it's one of dozens of amazing photographs taken by Ana Maria Vélez Wood.

Ana Maria is a professional dancer, choreographer, and an accomplished singer-songwriter, and someone who always takes photographs. Friend Dave Stewart knew that, so when Dylan called for an impromptu video Dave call Ana Maria to take the still photographs.

There is an Extended Version of this episode - and a video version with photographs. Details below.

The result was the album cover, but also a series of amazing photos later displayed in Sweden and London at Gallery Exhibitions called 'Blood In My Eyes'. You can see many of these photos on Ana Maria's website.

We talk about the shoot, working with Dylan and Dave, the exhibitions, and how the photos have been received by Dylan fans for the 30 years since the shoot.

LINKS:

THE EXTENDED EDITION

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either:

FREE WEEKLY BOB DYLAN NEWSLETTER

FM PODCAST NETWORK 

We're a proud member of The FM Podcast Network along with PodDylan - The Dylantantes - The Bob Dylan Primer - and more.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Drop us a note at [email protected].

In the third book in the Troubadour Tales series, Keith Miles and his co-authors take us on a tour through Dylan's Minnesota homeland via a series of short stories about the homes he lived in, the girls he dated, the places he went, the people he knew, and the events of his life.

Like the previous books about London and New York, the book is tour guide that can be used from the comfort of your home or in a backpack during a visit. You'll learn about every spot where something historic - at least in Bob Dylan terms - happened.

Keith is a long time fan who runs the Dylan Room at London’s Troubadour Club. He wrote this book along with Paul Metsa, Ed Newman, Marc Percansky and Matt Steichein plus there are contributions from Linda Whiteside and Kevin Odegard.

There is an Extended Version of this episode - and a Video version - available. Details below.

We talk about Keith's string of recent books, how these Troubadour Tales books target a somewhat different reader than many modern Dylan books, the relationship Dylan has with Minnesota and the one Minnesota seems to have with Bob Dylan, and more. Of course we also talk about many of the stories and pictures you'll find in this great new book.

PS: Martin Mull is responsible for the quote: "Writing About Music is like Dancing to Architecture".

LINKS:

THE EXTENDED EDITION

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either:

FREE WEEKLY BOB DYLAN NEWSLETTER

FM PODCAST NETWORK 

We're a proud member of The FM Podcast Network along with PodDylan - The Dylantantes - The Bob Dylan Primer - and more.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Drop us a note at [email protected]

Bob Dylan knew - and often played - most of the songs he covered on Good As I Been To You for his entire professional life. In this episode we examine the original versions of these songs (there are always more than a few) and other interesting covers that have been done since Dylan's 1992 release.

There is an Extended Version of this episode available. Details below.

Joining is Ray Padgett, who runs the Flagging Down The Double E's newsletter and is a cover-songs expert via his coversongs.com website and book. In this episode we listen to many of the specific early songs & versions that Dylan probably based his takes on, and Ray shares interesting other cover versions of these songs.

We've made playlists of the songs from this episode - and more - for Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal. See the links below. Give these a listen, then go back and listen to Good As I Been To You with fresh ears.

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PLAYLISTS:

THE EXTENDED EDITION

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either:

FREE WEEKLY BOB DYLAN NEWSLETTER

FM PODCAST NETWORK 

We're a proud member of The FM Podcast Network along with PodDylan - The Dylantantes - The Bob Dylan Primer - and more.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Drop us a note at [email protected].

Michael Gray invented analysis and criticism of Bob Dylan songs with the 1972/3 release of Song & Dance Man. And over the last 50 years and through two major updates of that book, he has remained one of our best and most eloquent of the Dylan scholars.

In this episode we talk about the Good As I Been To You / World Gone Wrong chapter from Song & Dance Man III. The discussion is centered around quotes from the book, I read them and Michael reacts and expounds on his thoughts. We cover 10 of the album's 13 songs.

What you'll hear, in the excerpts in in Michaels comments, is a masterclass on Bob Dylan criticism and analysis.

>> There is a much longer version, and video, of this episode available. Details below.<<

THE EXTENDED EDITION

To listen to the Extended and Bonus Episodes of our shows you can either:

FREE WEEKLY BOB DYLAN NEWSLETTER

FM PODCAST NETWORK 

We're a proud member of The FM Podcast Network along with PodDylan - The Dylantantes - The Bob Dylan Primer - and more.

LINKS:

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Drop us a note at [email protected].