Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters (Musicians in Their Own Words)

Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters (Musicians in Their Own Words)

In a 1969 conversation with  Rolling Stone  editor Jann Wenner, Bob Dylan proclaimed, “I don’t give interviews.” But in truth, he has spoken at length with print publications large and small and with broadcast media around the world, given numerous press conferences, and even answered listeners’ questions on call-in radio shows. Dylan can be as evasive and abstruse as he is witty; he can also be cranky and sarcastic. But in the right moments, he offers candid, revealing commentary about his groundbreaking music and creative process. These engrossing provide glimpses into the mind of one of the most important performers and songwriters of the last hundred years.  Dylan on Dylan  is an authoritative, chronologically arranged anthology of interviews, speeches, and press conferences, as well as excerpts from more than eighty additional Q&As spanning Dylan’s entire career—from 1961 through 2016. The majority have not been previously anthologized and some have never before appeared in print. The material comes from renowned media outlets like  Rolling Stone  and TV's 60 Minutes  and from obscure periodicals like  Minnesota Daily , a student newspaper at Dylan’s alma mater. Interviewers include some of the top writers of our time, such as Jonathan Lethem, Douglas Brinkley, and Mikal Gilmore, as well as musicians like Pete Seeger and Happy Traum. Introductions put each piece in context and, in many cases, include the interviewer’s reminiscences about the encounter.  Selected as one of the six best books of 2018: "Crackles with a kind of demonic energy...These interviews sing, and they offer plenty of American music...There's also humility, even sweetness." --Cass R. Sunstein, Bloomberg "A major addition to the ever-increasing library about America's greatest bard. There is never a moment when Dylan is dull or mundane. This book crackles and pops with wisdom for the ages." --Douglas Brinkley, CNN commentator and author of The Wilderness Warrior, The Great Deluge, and Cronkite "Readers can dip into the collection at any page and be royally entertained . . . a must for all Dylan fans." --June Sawyers, Booklist (starred review) "Assembled chronologically from his first encounters with the press to his most recent, this remarkable compendium allows readers to join Dylan on one of the most compelling creative journeys of our time, one that forever shaped the arc of popular songwriting. His brilliance shines through in these interviews and encounters; so does his wit and love of humor, reverence for songs and songwriting, and, perhaps most surprising, genuine humility." --Paul Zollo, author of Songwriters on Songwriting Jeff Burger  is the editor of  Springsteen on Springsteen ,  Lennon on Lennon , and  Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen . He has contributed to  Barron’s ,  Family Circle ,  GQ , the  Los Angeles Times ,  Reader’s Digest , and more than 75 other magazines, newspapers and books. He lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. His website is byjeffburger.com.