I've been reading alot of reactions and discussions of Bob Dylan's autobirography... has anyone read it? i haven't, yet, but i need to. The big thing is that one of his albums is based on Chekov... i'm thinking 'Blood on the Tracks', since he said its one people think is autobirographical.

Does anyone else care? If you're not all Dylan fans, you have some listening to do

I'll definitely read it at some point.

i don't usually get audiobooks, but this one is read by Sean Penn... maybe i'll get both.

hmmm

no. then i can't set my Dylan albums to play in chronological order as i read the book, like i can with a print one

But the book is not in chronological order, so you'd probably have to play the albums in a different order to stay true to the spirit of the book.

Fair enough... then i'd do that.

i make soundtracks for books sometimes now. its fun and easy

Here's what I wrote about the book on another site the week it came out:

For those who are curious about what Dylan covers (or perhaps how he leaves things out), Chronicles I is a very interesting approach toward examining his life. It is not a straightforward autobiography or a detailed focus on a particular period in his life. Instead, I found a very close kinship to Gabriel García Márquez's memoir (again, like Dylan, the first of a planned three) Living to Tell It/Vivir Para Contarla in that the main focus of the book is not on the author, but instead on the supporting cast around that made things happen.

Dylan's book has an interesting flow to it. He jumps, skips, and just flows with his personal recollection of people in such a way that you almost get this sense that he's having a conversation with himself to remind himself of how he got into this fine mess. He starts with his early days in New York in 1961 and the closing section begins with his childhood in the 1950s. In-between are his experiences with the so-called Dylanologists who made his life a living hell in the late 60s and early 70s, as well as his career revival during the Oh Mercy sessions.

He does confirm some widely suspected rumors: He was indeed married to a gospel/soul singer during the 1980s and that he did actively consider retirement in 1987. But don't expect this to be a confessional type of memoir. He's describing what stimulated him, not what shamed him, although there are moments where he discusses problems he was having in his life.

In terms of time period covered, there are large gaps left to be covered in future volumes. So only a sentence on the motorcycle accident (it did lay him up for a while), nothing on the switch to electric, nothing on his divorce or Blood on the Tracks, and nothing on his 1978 conversation to evangelical Christianity. There are, however, plenty of references to the books and authors he had read or met and how they influenced his style, as well as stories of other singers and how they helped him during the early days.

If I had to describe this book in just a few words (knowing that it would be warped and twisted in places), I would say that it reminded me of the characters in his 1965-1966 albums. They just flow in and out of his life, affecting him in ways that even Dylan himself is uncertain of how to describe.

So if you are a fan or just merely curious about Bob Dylan the person or songwriter, I do recommend this almost 300 page book. It made for a fast but very enjoyable read.

I guess nobody else is obsessed with one of the 20th century's best poets 'cause, i dunno, Neil hasn't reprinted his lyrics in a comic yet (though Moore did use some in 'Watchmen'), but i got the book... i'm about 2/3 of the way through it. It rambles, and jumps around, and skips in time-- one moment Dylan's a young guy in New York, the next he's married and famous and holed up in Woodstock. He's very well-read, and he seems to like describing certain scenes (a recording session in New Orleans; a meeting with the poet Archibald McLeish) in photographic detail. He's also got a very mythic style. Take his description of my fave author:
"James Joyce seemed like the most arrogant man who ever lived, had both his eyes wide open and great faculty of speech, but what he say, I know not what." He describes everybody this way, like they're legendary figures (even the few that aren't). Its good. It dosen't tell me alot, but its nice to read, an odd way of writing thats interesting, that should be spoken aloud.
Not as good as his records, but a bit better then 'Masked and Anonymous'

Oh yea, one more thing-- early on, he mentions a stack of unrecorded Woody Guthrie songs that he could have recorded, but didn't. He does note that Billy Bragg and Wilco recorded them 40 years later, but he dosen't state that the album is called 'Mermaid Avenue'. Its a very good album-- very fun to listen to-- and anyone curious should check it out.