Fans desperate to understand the genius of Bob Dylan famously used to go through his garbage. All they needed to do was listen to the records and be patient. Not only would Dylan write enough music to give himself fully to a careful listener, but he’d add a couple of books too. The fans’ patience is really paying off this week, as the legend and sui generis Nobel Prize winner sits for a great and incredibly revealing (and sure, sometimes maddeningly mysterious) interview with the great rock writer Bill Flanagan. (More on Flanagan in video below.)
Published on BobDylan.com — Dylan always did battle for the rights to own his stuff! — the Flanagan interview comes on the heels of Dylan’s three album release of standards, each 32 minutes long with ten songs — recorded with one of the best bands every put together. Dylan says a lot of amazing things as usual, but here’s a lament, triggered by Flanagan asking about half-hour length of the new records:
“My records were always overloaded on both sides. Too many minutes to be recorded or mastered properly. My songs were too long and didn’t fit the audio format of an LP. The sound was thin and you would have to turn your record player up to nine or ten to hear it well.”
