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Lot Essay
The significance of Bob Dylan's hand-written responses to the questionnaire in this lot can only be appreciated when the history of this songwriter's remarkable influence is taken into consideration - in the words of Miles ...No entertainer's words have been so studied, analysed, interpreted and discussed as those of Bob Dylan...He has been called the spokesman of his generation and for millions of people his music can single-handedly sum up growing up in the Sixties. His songs paralleled the general direction of the youth movement: beginning with the Greenwich Village folk revival through the protests against the Vietnam war, a growing experimentation with drugs and finally the charm of rural life.. As Miles remarked Though he has been making records since 1961 he has given surprisingly few interviews. After his crash in 1966 he remained out of sight for eighteen months and between 1969 and 1975 he only granted one major interview...
Although Dylan gave a number of interviews in Britain during his 1965 tour, he rarely provided orthodox or revealing answers to questions about his songwriting and creativity. This questionnaire reveals that he was prepared to answer such questions seriously in the right circumstances; however, the fact that he neglected to return the questionnaire to the sender may have indicated some reticence on his behalf to be quoted in public, even in a student magazine.
The remainder of the items in this lot offer fascinating sidelights on what was a key period in Dylan's career. His 1965 UK tour was his last series of concerts as a solo acoustic performer. He had already begun to record electric rock music in America, and was now determined to perform with a band in public, against the wishes of many of his fans. Besides this pressure, which briefly led him to consider retiring from the music business, Dylan was locked into a heavy work schedule; was leading an unhealthy lifestyle; and was involved in a decaying personal relationship with folksinger Joan Baez, who accompanied him to Europe. Their relationship effectively ended during the tour.
Around 22nd May 1965, Dylan was taken seriously ill with what was described as a stomach virus, which required him to be attended by nurses at his hotel, and subsequently hospitalised. After not being allowed to see him at the Savoy Hotel, Joan Baez visited him in hospital, where she was greeted by Dylan's future wife Sara Lownds - the first time she became aware of her rival's existence. In this context the get-well notes from Baez and her mother, written just before this discovery, are particularly poignant.
The postcard from British folksinger Donovan illustrates another theme of the 1965 tour, as Dylan and Donovan were portrayed in the press as rivals for the folk 'crown'. As documented in the film Don't Look Back, the two men did eventually meet, in uneasy circumstances, after which Donovan seems to have shied away from attending Dylan's London concerts.
During his time in Britain, Dylan staged one abortive recording session with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. The session soon dissolved into chaos, and nothing taped that day has ever been released, but Dylan's recording manager Tom Wilson was still invoiced for the band's services.
Actress and would-be singer Nico was one of a number of women who joined Dylan's entourage during the tour. Her handwritten note alludes to the fact that Dylan had promised to write some material for her. In the event, he gave her a song he had already composed, I'll Keep It With Mine. Nico made a brief attempt at pop stardom in Britain, before moving to New York and joining the Velvet Underground.
Although Dylan gave a number of interviews in Britain during his 1965 tour, he rarely provided orthodox or revealing answers to questions about his songwriting and creativity. This questionnaire reveals that he was prepared to answer such questions seriously in the right circumstances; however, the fact that he neglected to return the questionnaire to the sender may have indicated some reticence on his behalf to be quoted in public, even in a student magazine.
The remainder of the items in this lot offer fascinating sidelights on what was a key period in Dylan's career. His 1965 UK tour was his last series of concerts as a solo acoustic performer. He had already begun to record electric rock music in America, and was now determined to perform with a band in public, against the wishes of many of his fans. Besides this pressure, which briefly led him to consider retiring from the music business, Dylan was locked into a heavy work schedule; was leading an unhealthy lifestyle; and was involved in a decaying personal relationship with folksinger Joan Baez, who accompanied him to Europe. Their relationship effectively ended during the tour.
Around 22nd May 1965, Dylan was taken seriously ill with what was described as a stomach virus, which required him to be attended by nurses at his hotel, and subsequently hospitalised. After not being allowed to see him at the Savoy Hotel, Joan Baez visited him in hospital, where she was greeted by Dylan's future wife Sara Lownds - the first time she became aware of her rival's existence. In this context the get-well notes from Baez and her mother, written just before this discovery, are particularly poignant.
The postcard from British folksinger Donovan illustrates another theme of the 1965 tour, as Dylan and Donovan were portrayed in the press as rivals for the folk 'crown'. As documented in the film Don't Look Back, the two men did eventually meet, in uneasy circumstances, after which Donovan seems to have shied away from attending Dylan's London concerts.
During his time in Britain, Dylan staged one abortive recording session with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. The session soon dissolved into chaos, and nothing taped that day has ever been released, but Dylan's recording manager Tom Wilson was still invoiced for the band's services.
Actress and would-be singer Nico was one of a number of women who joined Dylan's entourage during the tour. Her handwritten note alludes to the fact that Dylan had promised to write some material for her. In the event, he gave her a song he had already composed, I'll Keep It With Mine. Nico made a brief attempt at pop stardom in Britain, before moving to New York and joining the Velvet Underground.