Bob’s Story Welcome to the methodical world of our willful Nobel laureate, Bob Dylan. As he noted in his acceptance message, like the dramatist William Shake- speare, Dylan systematically orchestrated the “mundane matters” of his art to achieve his “creative vision and ambitions.” He coordinated his appearance, set design, musical approach, and songwriting in service of specific objec- tives. In fact, Bob started writing songs because he needed something to per- form. Dylan needed a script that complemented his music, costuming, and staging. And just like Shakespeare’s scripts, the results represent internation- ally acclaimed literature. This book presents that award-winning work. Our story begins with biography. Here I examine Dylan’s formative years by focusing on the influences that shaped his unfolding artistry. Assuredly, there is a herd of biographers on Planet Dylan. Leading the way is The New York Times reporter who wrote the review that launched Bob’s career, Robert Shelton. Shelton is the only biographer to spend significant time with Dylan’s family. Other biographers talked with friends, lovers, teachers, classmates, and more however, no other writer befriended the artist’s parents. Conse- quently, he offers insights unavailable elsewhere. Robert Shelton is the bell cow in this herd of biographers. Dylan’s biographers are an interesting crew. Anthony Scaduto wrote the first installment and he gave sources fake names to shield their identities. That’s weird: a book based on unnamed sources from a crime reporter. Clin- ton Heylin not only provides a 700-page biography and a thorough treatment of Dylan’s studio work, he offers a day-by-day account of his life from 1941 to 1995. That’s incredible. Our bell cow had the best access, yet he gener- ated a wildly uneven work that required over 20 years to complete. That Dylan’s official historian (Sean Wilentz) publicly doubted the authenticity of Bob’s autobiography (Chronicles) says everything (during a November 15, 2009, symposium on “The Inventions of Bob Dylan”). There are times when this stuff appears to be a game of “telephone” that feeds upon itself. There’s a lot of shade around Bob’s Story, as agendas leap from every direction so, buyer, beware. We open with Dylan’s family and hometown. Bob was born “Robert Allen Zimmerman” in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 24, 1941, to Abe and Beatty
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