TITLE: Bob Dylan: Outlaw Blues
AUTHOR: Spencer Leigh
PUBLISHER: McNidder And Grace
Another Bob Dylan book! Critics might question … but fans will retort, Why not? Diligent, overwhelming and detailed research by author Spencer Leigh has resulted in this outstanding tribute to the work and life of Bob Dylan, one of the most influential singer-songwriters of our time.
This biography coincides with Dylan entering his 80th year (Dylan celebrated his 79th birthday on 24th May 2020) and the surprising release of three brilliant new singles and a double album, 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' which will be Dylan’s first record of original songs since 'Tempest' (2012).
Spencer Leigh, music biographer extraordinaire, provides us with a detailed insight into Dylan’s incredible, incomparable music, his tremendous never-ending tour performances plus his private life and skilfully scrutinises how it all interconnects. From humble beginnings in Minnesota to the world renown superstar he is today, Spencer draws us into Dylan’s world, traversing Highway 61 and Route 66 whilst recollecting Dylan’s quote to Sam Shepard (Esquire magazine, 1987), ‘You always know who you are. I just don’t know who I’m gonna become.’ Spencer provides us with a wealth of information, not only about Dylan but about the performers of the '50s and '60s such as The Andrews Sisters and Bobby Vee, filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and their connections to Dylan’s place of birth, Minnesota. He describes Dylan’s early life and how it influenced his songs and his poetry. He records how Dylan writes directly about Hibbing on the liner notes for The Times They Are A-Changin’ and also in his sardonic poem, ‘My Life In A Stolen Moment’ (1962). Additionally, the main character in his book, Tarantula (1965), talks about making a Faustian pact to escape. Spencer cites that, “Even when you hate somewhere, something or someone, it can have a bearing on what you write and Bob Dylan is living proof of that”.
Conflicting information about Dylan, such as an old driving licence reproduced on a collage on the cover of the first volume of 'The Bootleg Series' (1991) stating Bob’s date of birth as 11th May 1941, (he was born 13 days later) and also giving his adult height as 5 foot 11 inches, when he is three inches shorter, all adds to the intrigue surrounding Dylan and his mystique. Dylan’s long and illustrious career is the envy of the musical world. After breaking through the folk scene of New York in the early sixties he found national and then international fame as the voice of the protest movement. Spencer cites Dylan’s influences as being John Steinbeck after reading his novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1955), singers, Johnnie Ray, Hank Williams, Elvis, Little Richard and of course, Woody Guthrie and American actors, James Dean and Marlon Brando. Probably Dylan’s passion for motorbikes ignited after seeing Brando in 'The Wild One' as he got his first Harley Davidson bike in 1956. Dylan’s first guitar was from a Sears-Roebuck catalogue, but he replaced it with a solid-body Surpo costing $60. He met two musicians, LeRoy Hoikkala and Monte Edwardson at the Erickson Music Centre, Hibbing and in October 1956, they became The Golden Chords, so-called because of LeRoy’s gold-coloured drum kit and so Dylan’s musical voyage began.
As well as Dylan’s heritage and family background we are treated to a Woody Guthrie biography, recollections from The Liverpool folk group The Spinners and Greenwich Village, lower Manhattan nostalgia and memories. Dylan hadn’t released anything new in eight years and then in the past three months, three new songs have come along in quick succession. First, 'Murder Most Foul', a 17-minute long composition addressing the assassination of JFK, then the Anne Frank-referencing, 'I Contain Multitudes', followed by 'False Prophet'. All have been received with universal acclaim with fans looking forward to the release of Dylan’s new album, 'Rough And Rowdy Ways' on 19th June.
Since he was young, Dylan has had the phrase, ‘Voice of a Generation’ assigned to him, almost like an albatross around his neck. But he has always been a superb master of rhyme and has always appreciated poets who produce the best rhymes. As he has said himself, he is a man of many contradictions and a man of many moods and he has, throughout his life and career, engaged in all kinds of mythological and spirited biographical fabrication.
This in-depth account of Dylan will fascinate both Dylan fans and his critics as it captivates the reader from its first paragraph. It chronicles new information and captivating views from both the author and his interviewees. It is a true tale of the Nobel prize-winner which could easily pass for creative fiction. It is enlightening and informative and thoroughly investigated and cross-referenced. Spencer’s breadth of information is exhaustive and makes for compelling reading. He walks us through Dylan’s life with ease, relating wide-ranging anecdotes and unfolding fascinating information. Enough words cannot be written about Bob Dylan, the songwriter, poet, guitarist, pianist, vocalist, harmonica-playing enigma and considering all he has gone through in his life, some might say, Dylan’s greatest achievement could be in reaching his 80th birthday.
Spencer has managed to capture the life and career of the diverse paradox which is Bob Dylan in a meticulous account which is both thought-provoking and captivating. This insightful biography compliments Spencer’s previous catalogue of written works on artists of popular music and includes a list of interviewees, a Bob Dylan Bibliography, a Bob Dylan US and UK Discography, The Band US and UK Discography plus a list of tribute albums and cover versions. It is a must for all Dylan devotees.
Reviewer - Anne Pritchard
on - 11/6/20
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