Back during his so-called “Jesus Years” – a time many Jewish music fans regard with disdain and would sooner forget – Bob Dylan sang, “You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy, you may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,” on his Grammy Award-winning tune “Gotta Serve Somebody.”
No, the “Timmy” reference wasn’t directed toward Timothée Chalamet, the Jewish actor nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the folk-rock icon in the film “A Complete Unknown.” (In fact, Chalamet wouldn’t be born for another 16 years when “Gotta Serve Somebody” came out in ‘79.) But “Zimmy” is a clear reference to Dylan’s surname from birth, Zimmerman.
He’s also known as Shabtai Zisl ben Avraham — as well as the “Bard of Hibbing, Minnesota,” and the spokesman of his generation — and America has been experiencing a recurring case of “Dylan Fever” ever since “A Complete Unknown” hit screens last December. (Case in point: Esquire’s most recent issue features a cover with a ‘60s-era Dylan and the headline, “Shapeshifter: The Never-Ending Enigma of Bob Dylan.”)
More than six decades after a 20-year-old, babyfaced Midwestern kid formerly known as Robert Allen Zimmerman first pulled into Greenwich Village with a guitar slung over his shoulder and Woody Guthrie on his mind, the planet is still trying to figure out who exactly Bob Dylan is.
There are countless biographies about Dylan out there, arguably rivaling the volumes of tomes examining the Bible, Shakespeare and even The Beatles. To help guide you on your own personal “Mr. Tambourine Man” journey, Jmore offers seven of our favorite Dylan bios to help you mix up the medicine and get a better understanding of what makes the 83-year-old Nobel Prize winner tick.
May he be “Forever Young.”
“Chronicles: Volume One,” by Bob Dylan (Simon & Schuster)
Yes, we’re still waiting for “Chronicles: Volume Two.” And yes, to call “Chronicles” a memoir is a bit of a misnomer, since Dylan writes about his life with characteristic imagination and evasiveness, frequently blathering at length about other artists and their lives.
Nonetheless, this 2004 book should be read by every true “Dylanologist” out there wishing to understand how this man’s brain works and to savor his mastery of language and prose. For those insisting on accuracy and complete candor, this might not be the best starting point. But it’s a wonderful resource, much in the spirit of Guthrie’s spellbinding so-called memoir, “Bound for Glory.”
“The Ballad of Bob Dylan: A Portrait” by Daniel Mark Epstein (Harper Perennial)
Written by Epstein, a Baltimore author, historian, biographer and poet, this book offers an insightful and nuanced look at Dylan through a close study of the singer-songwriter’s oeuvre and interviews with such folk luminaries as Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Maria Muldaur, John P. Hammond and Tom Paxton. Published in 2011 in honor of Dylan’s 70th birthday, “Ballad” looks at the artist through the lens of four seminal concerts and explores the trajectory from folkie to rock star to poet laureate. A truly wonderful read.
“Positively 4th Street: The Lives of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina,” by David Hajdu (Picador)
True, this is not a straight, full-blown Dylan bio, per se. But it is a highly enjoyable and enlightening account of Dylan’s formative years of coming into the public eye and his recognition as a singular (albeit unconventional) genius. Brilliantly, the book captures the intriguing lives of those surrounding him during those crucial years, including his betrayed part-time lover and musical partner Baez and the largely forgotten, ill-fated Farinas, whose contributions to the folk genre were considerable. At the time of its publishing in 2011, “Positively 4th Street” was hailed by The Washington Post as “one of the best books on music in America,” and we wholeheartedly agree.
“Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night that Split the Sixties,” by Elijah Wald (Dey Street Books)
Naturally, this book is receiving a lot of attention right now due to the fact that “A Complete Known” is partially based on Wald’s account of when our hero flustered his fine-feathered folk followers. But unlike the movie (which in true Hollywood fashion takes a whole slew of liberties with the truth), “Dylan Goes Electric!” presents a comprehensive and unstinting look at what really happened at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25, 1965, when Dylan plugged in and blew minds (and eardrums). Wald expertly explores the cultural, historical and political ramifications of this seminal event in pop music history without resorting to nostalgic or maudlin meanderings. Required reading.
“A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties,” by Suze Rotolo (Crown)
The image is indelibly etched into our minds – a young troubadour strolling down a snowy Greenwich Village thoroughfare with his fetching paramour clutching his arm. A moment frozen in time. But Rotolo, Dylan’s first real romantic relationship, goes beyond the iconic cover of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” – the sophomore album that transformed him into a phenomenon – and delves into what life was like for “Red Diaper babies” during those fabled years in the Big Apple. At all times, Rotolo (who sadly passed away in 2011) remains fairly discreet about their relationship and tries to respect the privacy of her ex-beau. But this book provides a great deal of insight into how Dylan, as a young person and an artist, was informed. Modestly and eloquently, Rotolo makes it clear how she and others influenced the young, spongelike Dylan, and it’s a tale well worth reading.
“The Old, Weird America: The World of Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes,” by Greil Marcus (Picador)
Originally titled “Invisible Republic,” this acclaimed book takes a close look at the infamous 1967 “Basement Tapes” recorded by Dylan and The Band while in seclusion in Woodstock, New York, after his still-mysterious motorcycle accident. In particular, “The Old, Weird America” examines how this lightning-in-a-bottle period was directly (and spiritually) correlated to Harry Smith’s endlessly influential and cryptic “Anthology of American Folk Music.” More than simply another Dylan bio, Marcus takes us on a wild, wacky odyssey to understand the roots and essence of American vernacular music and how Dylan and the Band fit into the whole shebang.
“Time Out of Mind: The Lives of Bob Dylan,” by Ian Bell (Pegasus)
A sequel to his magisterial first Dylan bio, “Once Upon a Time,” Bell picks up the story in the mid-‘70s when Dylan announced his creative and commercial reemergence with such classic albums as “Blood on the Tracks” and “Desire.” The author explores Dylan’s downfall in the late ‘70s, amid personal and professional woes, and immersion into fundamentalist Christianity, his lean ‘80s years, and his (yet another) comeback in the late ‘90s with his Grammy Award-winning album “Time Out of Mind.” Bell also writes (sometimes caustically and dismissively) about Dylan’s so-called “Never-Ending Tour” and subsequent albums that have cemented his reputation as arguably the premier musical artist of our times.
Honorable Mentions: “Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews” by Jonathan Cott, “Bob Dylan: The Essential Album Guide” by Andy Gill, “Behind the Shades” by Clinton Heylin, “Why Bob Dylan Matters” by Richard F. Thomas, “Song and Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan” by Michael Gray, “No Direction Home” by Robert Shelton, “The Bob Dylan Scrapbook: 1956-1966” by Bob Dylan, “Dylan’s Visions of Sin” by Christoper Ricks, “Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine” by Mark Davidson, “Bob Dylan: All the Songs” by Phillipe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, “The Lyrics: 1961-2020” by Bob Dylan, “On the Road with Bob Dylan” by Larry Sloman, “Bob Dylan in America” by Sean Wilentz, “Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan” by Howard Sounes, “A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks” by Andy Gill, “The Double Life of Bob Dylan: A Restless, Hungry Feeling, 1941-1966” by Clinton Heylin, “Dylan & Me: 50 Years of Adventures” by Louie Kemp, “and “Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan” by Scott Marshall with Marica Ford.
Among this year's Jewish nominees are Timothee Chalamet, Adrien Brody and Pikesville native Marc Platt.
In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday, we offer the singer-songwriter's five most Jewish moments.