You've been through all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's books, but how does it feel when he hands you a tome about R. A. Zimmerman?

oh I do have M Gray's ENCYCLOPEDIA, not sure about some of the opinions in that opinionated book

(Wish I had written "as" instead of "when" in the thread title)

... could use an editor, it's true

*ILX could use an editor

BUT from where I'm sitting, so could Bob Dylan!
*rimshot*

Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, mr. snowy?

Somewhat annoying that Heylin has his father's name as Abraham when it seems like it is supposed to be spelled Abram.

Cosing the Encyclopedia by Michael Gray - impressive in range, hilarious in idiosyncrasies. This is how the entry for U2 begins:

Inexplicably successful Irish rock group formed in 1980, fronted by one of the world"s most self-important and vain celebrities, Bono (rhymes with con-oh, rather than with oh-no). By the time Dylan was touring in 1984, more or less anyone could join him on stage, and at the open-air concert at Slane Castle, Irel and, on July 8, 1984, even Bono did, appearing during the encore to offer some shared vocals on "Blowin" in the Wind", undeterred by not knowing any of the words. (Leslie Dowdell also shared the vocals with Dylan and our friend.) This was the last song on the last night of the 1984 European tour. Thus it finished, you might say if you were very rude, not with a bang but with a wanker

I really enjoyed Heylin's book and didn't mind the opinions at all - lots of quotables, if someone can c/p some of the Bloomfield quotes I think that would be fun.

And um... Chronicles vol. 1 is p great?

I think there are too many tangents, not all of them that fascinating, in Sean Wilentz's Bob Dylan in America, but the opening chapters about Dylan's relationship to leftist folk protest and the beats are especially rich and interesting.

Anybody read Ian Bell's two-volume biography?

In Chronicles, he says that Bono suggested that he check out Daniel Lanois, who, along with Eno, helped U2 revamp their studio sound. The Oh Mercy sessions, as described by Dylan, turned out to be somewhat frustrating for artist and producer, which reminds me of the way Luc Sante described Dylan's description, and how it fit with the conflicts in Dylan's work, the way Chronicles and other books---also albums---deal with these conflicts (like creative impulse vs. pressure to Make A Point). Grab a coffee and settle in: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2005/mar/10/i-is-someone-else/

That Luc Sante article is awesome and can also be found in his collection Kill All Your Darlings.

I have Paul Williams' 3 volumes on Dylan's recordings and performances, impressed by it in a way but he always winds up saying 'and this is another example of how amazing Bob Dylan is'

― the pinefox, Sunday, October 4, 2015 10:26 AM (Yesterday)

yeah, i've read a few of paul williams's books and his enthusiasm is endearing but his critical approach basically is just to find different ways to call something "really, really awesome."

anthony scaduto's early-70s biography is a fun read, though it's very dated now. i read all of robert shelton's book back when i was about 15 and it is very, very detailed about the early years, if that's what you want.

marcus's essay on "blind willie mctell" is very good, one of his best pieces of writing i think. i don't like the "like a rolling stone" book or the basement tapes book all that much, dylan kind of brings out the worst in marcus.