Dylan Bio No Puff Piece

by Bob Bembridge in Opinion Posts

Bob Dylan was one little twerp.

Don’t take my word for it.  “The Twerp” was the name given to Dylan by former girlfriend Suze Rotolo and other members of her family, according to Dylan biographer Bob Spitz.  Suze was Dylan’s inspiration for many of his early Greenwich Village songs such as “Don’t Think Twice” and “Boots of Spanish Leather.

Although Dylan: A Biography was published in 1989, and obviously doesn’t have the latest dish on Dylan, it’s worth reading for two reasons. 

Number one reason — This is the first Dylan bio that penetrated the mystery, lies, and exaggerations of the Dylan legend.  Spitz blames Bob Dylan’s “genius for subtle deception” as part of the explanation for the public misperception.   Spitz shows that Dylan told many misleading stories about his life that were repeated as fact by earlier biographers.  Spitz’s bio is the first accurate account of Dylan’s childhood and his early years in Greenwich Village.

Another cause for the absence of hard facts about Dylan’s life was the complicity of journalists like New York Times music writer Robert Shelton, New York Post columnist Al Aronowitz, and Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner.  These journalists, and many others who wrote about Dylan, did not want to offend their subject by writing the truth, thereby cutting themselves off from access to Dylan.

Number two reason – Spitz is a reporter’s reporter.  He appears to have checked and cross-checked facts about his subject, which is unusual for the “soft” journalism practiced by most rock writers.  Spitz, whose 2005 Beatles biography takes the same merciless approach as the Dylan bio, clarifies some of the popular Dylan legends such as his infamous rocking of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and his affair with folksinger Joan Baez.    

Spitz doesn’t downplay Dylan’s genius and talent by a long shot.  However, some of the revelations about Dylan shocked me.  The writer of such uplifting ballads as “Blowing in the Wind” and “Masters of War” was a real little sh*t in his early Village days.  Dylan savaged both friends and fellow musicians, some of whom helped Dylan’s career or gave the vagabond folksinger a place to stay.   

If you’re looking for a good read, and don’t mind the occasional shattered illusion, then I highly recommend Dylan: A Biography.

Next time: A curious little story about Love’s Forever Changes album as related to me by former Love drummer Michael Stuart.