Experiencing Bob Dylan, in reverse

I experienced Bob Dylan in reverse. My journey began at the Outlaw Music Festival on August 3, 2024, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, where I saw him perform at the age of 83.

- V R FEROSE (The author is a technologist based in Silicon Valley who is gently mad about books)

After that, I read Folk Music: A Bob Dylan Biography in 7 Songs by Greil Marcus and met Joan Baez, Dylan's early love. Recently, I watched the biographical film A Complete Unknown before reading Dylan Goes Electric (the book on which the movie is based). I explored the documentaries Don't Look Back and No Direction Home before diving into his music.

I am no expert on Dylan—just one of millions of fans captivated by his enduring magic and unparalleled musical genius. My collection of Bob Dylan memorabilia includes a rare signed photo and his signed books, The Bob Dylan Scrapbook: 1956-1966 and his only work of fiction, Tarantula.

The unorthodox selection of Bob Dylan as the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient—the first songwriter to win—was bound to spark controversy. According to the official citation, he won the prize for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."