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nattynatchan's review against another edition
5.0
Dylan is an amazing prose writer, and this autobiography (or more like a series of musings and vignettes) is as poetic as any of his musical works. his portrayal of the suffocating pressure of societal labels is profoundly tender and heartfelt; his claim to be "never any more than what I was - a folk musician who gazed into the gray mist with tear-blinded eyes and made up songs that floated in a luminous haze" just hits at something so intimately universal.
his stream-of-consciousness depictions of American landscapes also hit home even though I've never been to any of them. my favourite is of New Orleans:
"The ghosts race towards the light, you can almost hear the heavy breathing spirits, all determined to get somewhere. New Orleans, unlike a lot of those places you go back to and that don't have the magic anymore, still has got it. Night can swallow you up, yet none of it touches you. Around any corner, there's a promise of something daring and ideal and things are just getting going. There's something obscenely joyful behind every door, either that or somebody crying with their head in their hands. A lazy rhythm looms in the dreamy air and the atmosphere pulsates with bygone duels, past-life romance, comrades requesting comrades to aid them in some way. You can't see it, but you know it's here. Somebody is always sinking. Everyone seems to be from some very old Southern families. Either that or a foreigner. I like the way it is.
There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans better. There's a thousand different angles at any moment. At any time you could run into a ritual honoring some vaguely known queen. Bluebloods, titled persons like crazy drunks, lean weakly against the walls and drag themselves through the gutter. Even they seem to have insights you might want to listen to. No action seems inappropriate here. The city is one very long poem. Gardens full of pansies, pink petunias, opiates. Flower-bedecked shrines, white myrtles, bougainvillea and purple oleander stimulate your senses, make you feel cool and clear inside."
if you love a loose, Kerouacian beat (hehe) in your writing, or Americana written in beautiful prose, then this autobiography is for you :D one of my best reads this year by far!
his stream-of-consciousness depictions of American landscapes also hit home even though I've never been to any of them. my favourite is of New Orleans:
"The ghosts race towards the light, you can almost hear the heavy breathing spirits, all determined to get somewhere. New Orleans, unlike a lot of those places you go back to and that don't have the magic anymore, still has got it. Night can swallow you up, yet none of it touches you. Around any corner, there's a promise of something daring and ideal and things are just getting going. There's something obscenely joyful behind every door, either that or somebody crying with their head in their hands. A lazy rhythm looms in the dreamy air and the atmosphere pulsates with bygone duels, past-life romance, comrades requesting comrades to aid them in some way. You can't see it, but you know it's here. Somebody is always sinking. Everyone seems to be from some very old Southern families. Either that or a foreigner. I like the way it is.
There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans better. There's a thousand different angles at any moment. At any time you could run into a ritual honoring some vaguely known queen. Bluebloods, titled persons like crazy drunks, lean weakly against the walls and drag themselves through the gutter. Even they seem to have insights you might want to listen to. No action seems inappropriate here. The city is one very long poem. Gardens full of pansies, pink petunias, opiates. Flower-bedecked shrines, white myrtles, bougainvillea and purple oleander stimulate your senses, make you feel cool and clear inside."
if you love a loose, Kerouacian beat (hehe) in your writing, or Americana written in beautiful prose, then this autobiography is for you :D one of my best reads this year by far!
stuporfly's review against another edition
4.0
I bought the fucking thing when it first hit stores, but I've still not gotten round to reading it.
ericfheiman's review against another edition
3.0
Who knew Bob (along with Patti Smith) would be such a good memoirist? That said, the book's jumpy timeline, though very Dylanesque, makes it hard to build up a lot of narrative force. Plus the more contemporary vignettes (i.e. the making of the middling record Oh Mercy and his late 1980s creative block) aren't as arresting as the stories of his early years as a struggling folk singer trying to find a voice. Flaws aside, if you're in any way a Dylan fan, this is a must-read.
tommyhousworth's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of folks complained that this wasn't a straight bio/memoir from Dylan, but has Bob ever 'aimed to please'? No, he does his thing. In this case, he vents a bit about being turned into a counterculture icon, when all he wanted to do was write and sing songs. His dedication to being with his family and raising his son at what might've been the height of his career is admirable.
Most enjoyable was a passage about New Orleans that is as brilliant as any of his lyrical writing. The book-on-CD is read by Sean Penn, and to hear him read this section, in particular, is pretty exhilarating.
I still don't have any insight into how Bob writes his songs, or what he thinks of most of his musical peers, but I got to see a side of him never exposed onstage or in film. For that, this book is worth picking up, at least if Dylan fascinates you as he does me.
Most enjoyable was a passage about New Orleans that is as brilliant as any of his lyrical writing. The book-on-CD is read by Sean Penn, and to hear him read this section, in particular, is pretty exhilarating.
I still don't have any insight into how Bob writes his songs, or what he thinks of most of his musical peers, but I got to see a side of him never exposed onstage or in film. For that, this book is worth picking up, at least if Dylan fascinates you as he does me.
josh_paul's review against another edition
3.0
Worth reading only if you are obsessed with Bob Dylan.
tittypete's review against another edition
4.0
Fast and fun. Kind of a historical stream of consciousness from the lips of Dylan himself. Found myself underlining a lot of names of musicians, books and songs to look up afterwards. Provides a select group of glimpses into a long career. If there's ever a vol. 2 I'd be interested.
kathrynlze's review against another edition
4.0
“Big ass truths wrapped in the hard shell of nonsensical abstraction- themes that flew through the air with the greatest sense of ease”