Who Is That Man?: In Search of the Real Bob Dylan

Description

Few American artists are as important, beloved and endlessly examined as Bob Dylan, yet he remains something of an enigma. This kaleidoscopic biography, full of the voices of Dylan's family, friends, and fellow travellers through the 60s, offers an entirely fresh narrative perspective, fusing rock star bio with an examination of the music and the zeitgeist that he so mysteriously captured. For almost half a century, Bob Dylan has been a primary catalyst in rock's shifting sensibilities. He has starred in and been the subject of major films; his work is taught in over 200 college courses; and few American artists are as important, beloved, and endlessly examined as he is. Yet, he remains something of an enigma. Who, we ask, is the "real" Bob Dylan? Is he Bobby Zimmerman yearning to escape Hibbing, Minnesota, or the Woody Guthrie wannabe spending the 1960s playing Greenwich Village haunts? The protest poet, the Factory fixture, or the born-again Christian denying the powers of prophecy everyone attributes to him? The events of his life alone do not tell us all we want to know. Now, David Dalton, author, screenwriter, journalist, and founding editor of Rolling Stone, paints a revealing portrait of the rock icon that will be a must-have for his legions of fans. Guided by Dalton's masterful hand, this book will follow Dylan's imaginative life, integrating actual events from his life, Dylan's words, and those of the people who know him most intimately. Drawing upon extensive interviews with Dylan's friends, family, and fellow eyewitnesses to the zeitgeist-including Joan Baez, Keith Richards, Bobby Neuwirth, Kris Kristofferson, Suze Rotolo, Clive Davis, Tom Petty, and others-this book will provide a new perspective on the man, the myth, and the musical era that forged them both.

DAVID DALTON is a New York Times-bestselling author, founding editor of Rolling Stone, recipient of the Columbia School of Journalism Award, and winner of the Ralph J. Gleason Best Rock Book of the Year award for Faithfull. He has written some twenty-odd books, including biographies of James Dean, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Sid Vicious, the Rolling Stones, and, in 2009, a critically acclaimed biography of Andy Warhol, Pop. Dalton is the coauthor (with Jonathan Cott) of Get Back, the only book ever commissioned by the Beatles. He lives in upstate New York with his family and an assortment of llamas, horses, sheep, and a pig named Tiny (hint, he isn't).

[Dalton's] attempts at exposing, debunking, and celebrating the essence of Robert Zimmerman's Dylanness, and vice versa, make for an intriguing, often amusing, vision quest. Dylan's quirks, kinks, and inscrutability are fascinating fodder for endless interpretations. Dalton is entitled to his, and they're the opposite of dull.--Robin Finn, The New York Times Book Review Addictive reading... This approach would have crumbled in lesser hands, but Dalton does a stunningly good job.--Publishers Weekly, starred review All David Dalton's books are wonderful, but Who Is That Man? is especially insightful, funny, and beautifully written.--Marianne Faithfull Dalton's crazy poetic prose first caught my eye in Rolling Stone back in the day. Have loved his writing ever since. Oh yeaah!--Steven Tyler For all of the shelf-busting Dylan literature that's out there, it's rare that you find a book in which the music is discussed as adroitly as any aspect of the life... Dalton is a penetrating critic.--Colin Fleming, Washington Post Mr. Dalton, a founding editor of Rolling Stone, dates back so far in Dylan watching that he was all but present at the creation. He writes not just about Mr. Dylan but about what it's like to have lived in close psychic and musical proximity to him for so long.--Janet Maslin, The New York Times The first truly hip analysis of the ultimate hipster.--Lenny Kaye The mysteries of Bob Dylan captured in even-handed, never-boring fashion... This lively and literate attempt to read a half-century's worth of brain scans from a literal living legend strikes the right balance between admiration and skepticism.--Kirkus Reviews This is the best Dylan biography that I have ever read, and it kicks most of the others into a cocked hat.--Gonzo Daily