Bob Dylan: The Never Ending Star

Acknowledgements xi

The theoretical bit

Why looking at stardom is important for understanding Dylan. Different approaches to stardom, and the most important bits of the theories. How we hear songs. Whether words or voice are most important. How stardom affects the meaning of songs.

1 Introduction 1

2 Stardom, Authorship and the Meaning of Songs 14

Dylan’s sixties stardom

Dylan’s emergence in the folk revival and the contradictions of being a ‘folk star’. His move into rock, political individualism and the tensions between culture and commerce. Dylan’s withdrawal from the scene in the late sixties. His attempts to reclaim his stardom and their effect on the rest of his career.

Snapshot: The man of the people 49

3 Folk Stardom: Star as Ordinary, Star as Special 52

Snapshot: The chameleon poet 85

4 Rock Stardom: Reconciling Culture and Commerce 88

Snapshot: The retiring father 115

5 Beyond Stardom: Rock History and Canonisation 118

Dylan’s later stardom

Changing social values and Dylan’s problems in the 1980s. Dylan’s attempt to reconstruct the relationship with his audience. An overview of the Never Ending Tour and its key features. Debates about Dylan’s later work. Time Out Of Mind and the changes in Dylan’s stardom since 1997.
Snapshot: The rock legend 149

6 Declining Stardom: Nostalgia and the ‘Death of Rock’ 152

Snapshot: The wandering minstrel 183

7 Redefining Stardom: The Never Ending Tour 186

Snapshot: The soul of previous times 229

8 Never Ending Stardom: Dylan after Time Out Of Mind 232

Notes 277

Bibliography 287

List of Interviews 295

Copyright Acknowledgements 299

Index 304