"Dylan Deluxe" Preview - Exclusive Interview!

Nobody was more surprised than je when famed protest singer Bob Dylan dropped in [left, below - Ed.] to th' Isle O' Foam© yestiddy on a worldwide tour to promote the release of Dylan Deluxe, the long awaited legacy edition of his last album for Columbia in '73.

Relaxing poolside whilst [grammar - Ed.] Kreemé served her signature kidney n' rutabaga smoothies, Dylan was keen to put the record straight. It's a lengthy interview, and those of you who free-fall straight down into the comments (hi, Steve!) are going to miss out on possibly the most revealing interview the man ever granted.

BoB That album has been more misunderstood than anything I ever done. Ever. I got so sick at heart ... (shakes head)

IoF© Tell us the story, Bob. From the beginning.

BoB I was born in Duluth, nineteen -

IoF© (cutting in) Not that beginning. Of the album?

BoB Oh! Right. Yeah. It was a kind of fallow period for me. I wasn't writing much. I was in London, England, I remember, and Bowie, David, and me were in his apartment - flat, they call them, did you know that? It's like they have words for everything. Tuppence. That's like a buck. Fifty cents.

(long pause)

IoF© And? Bowie?

BoB Yeah. It was the end of the sixties -

IoF© It was 1973, Bob.

BoB - right. End of the sixties. It was like this fallow period for him too. He wasn't writing much. I don't know who came up with the idea, him or me, but we were suddenly talking about doing covers albums, you know, other peoples' songs. British beer is like soup. Real nutritious. They serve it in hospitals.

IoF© So you both decided to do covers albums?

BoB Right there. We were scribbling lists of songs we wanted to cover. David wanted to do a bunch of show tunes, Judy Garland, Ethel Merman. I was thinking of an American Songbook, standards, some obscure stuff, songs I liked singing in the shower. That was going to be the title - Songs From The Shower, like that Leonard Cohen album, only a double, there were so many. We got real fired up! Back in the states, Columbia weren't keen on the idea. Clive [Davis - Ed.] laughed at me, right there in his office. You can't fucking sing, Bob! Like it was a big joke, him and his asslicking ... asslickers ... I never forgot that. I went ahead anyway, got some musicians together, relaxed sessions, worked through my list. When I delivered the tapes Davis [Clive - Ed.] went, well, nuts, I guess. We fought, literally fought, throwing punches. At one point I hit him with this elk's head he had on the wall, stuffed hunting trophy, like he was this brawny outdoorsy type. He fell back through a glass coffee table, smashed it completely, and held up his hands, whimpering (tremulous, girlish voice) okay, Bob, I'll release it, but it'll be a single album, and you better fucking deliver on the next one or you're all washed up here!

IoF© Wow!

BoB Pathetic. So I did like this finger pistol at him and said there ain't gonna be a next one, Mary.

IoF© Ha ha! But in a sense he had a point, The album was trashed by everybody.

BoB Broke my heart. I was in this position where I couldn't defend it, so I kind of twisted the story, saying Columbia put it out without my knowledge or permission, playing the big evil corporation against the victimised artist card. I got back a little credibility. I lied to myself, I lied to everybody, and I crucified that sweet little album.

IoF© Bowie's Pinups was a success, though.

BoB He released that? 

IoF© Uh ... so, this deluxe edition?

BoB It's pretty close to how I envisaged it, only the title's the same as Davis chose, the fucking genius. Just a bunch of nice tunes, sung when I still had a voice. It's probably my favorite album of mine.

IoF© Thanks for dropping in, Bob!

BoB Thanks for the opportunity to get the truth out there, Farq. It's a weight off my mind. You want to loadup the album up for th' Four Or Five Guys©?

IoF© Gee! That would be swell!