Definitely Dylan

Latest Episodes:

Mixing Up the Medicine: an "Inside-Out Biography" Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Laura talks to Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, the authors of Mixing Up the Medicine, the 600 page “inside-out biography” that tells the story of Bob Dylan’s career through pieces from the Bob Dylan Archive.

Buy the book at your local bookshop (or check it out at your local library – it’s unfortunately pretty pricey).

Music by Robert Chaney.

You can listen to the full Beatles bootleg of “Thingymubob”/”Maureen” here.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

Bob Dylan & The Heartbreakers at Farm Aid '23 with Rebecca Slaman Sep 26, 2023

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In this episode Laura talks to writer and friend of the pod Rebecca Slaman about Bob Dylan’s surprise appearance at this year’s Farm Aid, where we played a short set with the Heartbreakers.

Here’s a fun fact I only figured out after the episode was finished: the song that preceded Dylan’s remarks about American farmers during Live Aid was in fact The Ballad of Hollis Brown!

I erroneously said that Stan Lynch was on the drums, but it was actually Steve Ferrone.

Make sure you subscribe to Rebecca’s Substack!

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

"Dear Bob": Sinéad O'Connor's Letters to Bob Dylan Sep 16, 2023

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In this episode, Laura welcomes back Harry Hew for a conversation about Sinéad O’Connor’s open letters to Bob Dylan.

A quick note – after converting to Islam in 2018, she adopted the name Shuhada’ Sadaquat, but since she continued to work under her birth name, we refer to her as Sinéad O’Connor in this episode.

Head over here to read all the letters Sinéad O’Connor wrote to Bob Dylan.

Thank you to Thérèse Mullan for her voice acting as Sinéad.

Theme music and sound design by Robert Chaney.

Check out the Creative Arts Psychotherapy YouTube channel Harry mentioned.

Also do yourself a favour and watch Harry’s excellent presentation on Bob Dylan’s sense of humour here.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

Robbie Robertson's Legacy with Harry Hew Aug 22, 2023

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In the light of Robbie Robertson's recent passing, I really wanted to have a conversation about this artist whose life not just ran alongside Dylan's a decade, but converged for crucial periods of both their careers. So I asked the biggest The Band fan I know, my Canadian friend Harry Hew, to jump on a call and talk to me.

One note: I make a reference to "Dominique", and thought I should clarify that I'm talking about Dominique Robertson, Robbie's first wife. I'm referring to an incident that occurred after an inebriated Richard Manuel asked to drive the Robertson's new Mustang, and then lost control over the car, which ended up sideways in a ditch.

Follow Harry Hew on Twitter!

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

"Oh Mama!": Women & Dylan with Rebecca Slaman Aug 06, 2023

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In this episode, Laura and Rebecca talk about the ladies, babies, mamas, girls, and many many queens that inhabit Bob Dylan’s songs.

Subscribe to Rebecca’s Substack, and watch her Tulsa paper here.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

"Her heart blood did flow": Bob Dylan's Murder Ballads of the Early 1960s May 17, 2023

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TW: murder, suicide, racial violence

When Bob Dylan began his career, murder ballads were having a bit of a moment. In this episode, we’ll look into the influence these songs had on the young artist, and how they inspired a particular subset of his own early songs.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

"Make You Feel My Love": The Song Dylan Fans Love to Hate Mar 24, 2023

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No other Bob Dylan song has provoked such a diverse range of responses as "Make You Feel My Love". Initially dismissed by reviewers as a failure, it has since grown into a wildly successful pop hit. It's the song that's loved by the masses, but hated by Dylan purists. Perhaps what's at the heart of this fundamental disagreement is a different question altogether: is this a banal love song, or does it have a deeper, perhaps even darker meaning?

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

Thanks to Craig Danuloff from the Dylan.FM podcast for initially inviting me to speak about this topic, this episode partly draws on the talk I gave at his online event last year.

Graley Herren’s book Dreams and Dialogues in Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" is available here.

An Even Closer Look at "Fragments" with The Popular Show Feb 16, 2023

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Laura and James A. Smith from The Popular Show have a late night conversation about the Bootleg Series and Time Out of Mind

Watch the video of our conversation on Patreon, where you can also show your support for the podcast, or you can make a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

Consider supporting The Popular Show at patreon.com/thepopularpod.

A Closer Look at: "Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions" Jan 28, 2023

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Laura and Robert talk about Bob Dylan's new Bootleg Series, what it tells us about Time Out of Mind, and whether or not accordions can be sexy.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation at buymeacoffee.com/definitelydylan.

Graley Herren’s book Dreams and Dialogues in Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" is available here.

Listen to the interview with Mark Howard on the Dylan.fm podcast.

For more information, see definitelydylan.com

Infinity Goes Up On Trial – A Tale Of Two Bob Dylan Museums Sep 07, 2022

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Stories, myths, and narratives – as the Bob Dylan Center opened this May, another Bob Dylan exhibition was coming to a close. What stories are these two Dylan museums telling & what do they reveal about how Bob Dylan wants to be seen?

In part two of this series on the crafting of Bob Dylan's legacy, we take a look at the stories told by two very different museums dedicated to Bob Dylan's work: the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, OK, and the Retrospectrum exhibition of Dylan's visual art. Laura interviews the curators of the BDC, Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, and talks about how Dylan the Painter has become part of the Dylan Myth.

You can support Definitely Dylan on Patreon or with a one-off donation.

Watch my Florida paper on Time in Dylan’s music, paintings, and Shadow Kingdom here.

Here’s the article “In His Own Words: Why Bob Dylan Paints”.

Find out more about the Bob Dylan Center here.

The Retrospectrum catalogue (£85) is available here.

Read Rebecca Slaman’s review of Retrospectrum here.

For more information, see http://definitelydylan.com/