Dylan Tells All In New Memoir ‘Chronicles, Volume One’
Bob Dylan‘s early years have been philosophized, criticized, idolized and dissected in hundreds of books, but on October 12th, Simon & Schuster will release Dylan’s own account, Chronicles: Volume One. “[It] will be published in the form of articles,” Dylan has said of the 304 page book. “The point of departure will be the different songs. I’ve noticed that it’s a good way of remembering things from the past.” The book is just one of a handful of new retrospectives that promise firsthand revelations from Dylan himself.
The Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time: Bob Dylan: Chronicles, Volume One
A documentary by Martin Scorsese will air early next year, featuring portions of Dylan’s first on-camera interview in twenty years. A source close to the singer-songwriter says the film includes outtakes from Don’t Look Back as well as footage from the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The premiere of the documentary will coincide with a CD containing live renditions and never-before-released original songs.
On November 19th, Seattle’s Experience Music Project will open “Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966,” a massive exhibit spanning his teen years in Minnesota up to the recording of his 1966 masterpiece, Blonde on Blonde. “It’s gonna blow people’s minds,” says EMP director Bob Santelli. The interactive exhibit will pack a decade’s worth of memorabilia into 3,000 square feet and feature artifacts such as a book report Dylan wrote about The Grapes of Wrath and his beat-up copy of Woody Guthrie’s autobiography, Bound for Glory.
But that’s not all. On October 12th, Simon & Schuster will also release Lyrics: 1962-2001, a book containing the words to nearly every song that Dylan has written. A compendium of lyrics released in 1973 contained additional prose and drawings by the songwriter; but those will not be included. “It’s a 600-page book,” says the Dylan source. “It’s an arm-buster.”
This story is from the September 30, 2004 issue of Rolling Stone.