The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

Since Bob Dylan's 80th birthday I have been immersed in various BBC radio programmes about His Bobness


He's incredible

I have never read a Bob biog though

Do any of you lovely people have any top tips?

I read Tarantula about 45 years ago, and the first of the Chronicles volumes (giveaway price in one of the music megastores) in the last decade.

Tarantula, from memory, is as factual as anything about Bob can ever be, such are the myths. Chronicles is Bob himself, writing beautifully about the early days, and the debate continues on the relative proportions of fact and embellishment.

In fact, my succinct Chronicles review, posted in September 2012 reads: “Truth or fiction, or a bit of each? Who cares? The text is as evocative of the artist as Visions of Johanna. Bring on the next volume.”

For some reason, I gave it a mere, niggardly, whelming three stars. It was better than that, but obviously I wasn’t.

When your Dylan rabbit hole/warren leads you to examine Woody Guthrie, go no further than Joe Klein’s Woody Guthrie: A Life. I read it in 1990, and it affected me hugely. Woody lived out The Grapes Of Wrath in the 30s.

This will also be worth a look from a more academic/political viewpoint.

https://aberdeenvoice.com/2011/11/cap...

Thanks David


I have read Chronicles and really enjoyed it

A pal suggested Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited by Clinton Heylin

Quite old now but apparently very authoritative. Just wonder if it will be too much detail. I'm more of a casual fan than anything else

Thanks for the Guthrie tip


I have a few of his recordings but am woefully ignorant about him