Bob Dylan Talks Amy Winehouse, Leonard Cohen, Much More in Rare, Extensive Interview

[NelsonG]

Bob Dylan doesn’t give many interviews. To make up for lost time, he sat down for a massive Q&A with author Bill Flanagan, which was posted on his website tonight. The piece runs over 8,000 words and covers a wide range of topics. He tells a story about meeting Frank Sinatra and reveals that he watches “I Love Lucy” on his tour bus (“all the time, non-stop”). He casually mentions that he and George Harrison skipped out on a recording session with Elvis Presley. When asked about some recent favorite records, he mentions Iggy Pop’s 2012 album Aprés. Naturally, he also discusses his new triple album of covers, Triplicate, which is out March 31 via Columbia. It’s a fascinating, life-spanning conversation. Find some excerpts below, and definitely read the entire thing here.

On critics calling Triplicate a “nostalgic” album:

Nostalgic? No I wouldn’t say that. It’s not taking a trip down memory lane or longing and yearning for the good old days or fond memories of what’s no more. A song like “Sentimental Journey” is not a way back when song, it doesn’t emulate the past, it’s attainable and down to earth, it’s in the here and now.

On the recent deaths of Muhammad Ali, Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, and Leon Russell:

We were like brothers, we lived on the same street and they all left empty spaces where they used to stand. It’s lonesome without them.

On Amy Winehouse’s music:

I liked Amy Winehouse’s last record.

Were you a fan of hers?

Yeah, absolutely. She was the last real individualist around.

On playing piano at live shows more than guitar:

I play [guitar] at sound checks and at home, but the chemistry is better when I’m at the piano. It changes the dynamics of the band if I play the guitar. Maybe it’s just too tedious to go back and forth from one to the other. I’m strictly a rhythm player anyway. I’m not a solo player and when the piano gets locked in with the steel guitar, it’s like big band orchestrated riffs. That doesn’t happen when I’m playing guitar. When I play guitar it’s a different band.

On his friendship with Ornette Coleman:

I knew Ornette a little bit and we did have a few things in common. He faced a lot of adversity, the critics were against him, other jazz players that were jealous. He was doing something so new, so groundbreaking, they didn’t understand it. It wasn’t unlike the abuse that was thrown at me for doing some of the same kind of things, although with different forms of music.

On growing up in Northern Minnesota:

In the north it’s more hardscrabble. It’s a rugged environment—people lead simple lives, but they lead simple lives in other parts of the country too. People are pretty much the same wherever you go. There is good and bad in most people, doesn’t matter what state you live in. 

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