All the Dylan News That's Fit to Print

Today's Art Daily eNews featured Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics to Like A Rolling Stone in its Picture of the Day photo feature near the top of its page. I would open with that photo here except I do not know who owns the copyright, so you'll need to follow this link. The manuscript got a pre-viewing this weekend at Sotheby's, the auction house of record for this potentially record-breaking transaction.

I noticed how the manuscript has been handled with care in plastic sleeves, and undoubtedly with historical documentation. That's what struck me about artifacts I've seen in the possession of other collectors, including a pair of handcuffs once owned by Harry Houdini, and the handwritten lyrics of Dylan's A Simple Twist of Fate.

For what it's worth, Dylan is currently touring the Middle East right now, having performed at the Black Box in Istanbul last Friday night and Thessaloniki in Greece last night. This is the same place where the Apostle Paul founded a church in the first century, to whom he wrote two letters which have been included in the canon of the New Testament. A lot has changed in the world since that time.

In fact, Things Have Changed continues to be Bob's opening number as he proceeds to make his way around the world one more time. 73 years old and still going strong.

One review that I read of the Istanbul show said he was better than ever. The website included two videos with Bob performing Duquesne Whistle off Tempest and Forgetful Heart, one of my favorites from Together Through Life. If you take a listen, you'll hear he has some of that musical lyric quality back in his voice.

The posters for this current show feature an illustration of Dylan that comes close to being a David Bowie image. There's something about "the look" there. Am I right? Doesn't he look like Bowie in this picture?

For what it's worth, this blog doesn't really carry all the Dylan News that's fit to print, just occasional highlights. The two places best suited for avid (rabid?) Dylan fans are ExpectingRain.com and BobLinks.com. The latter details all his concerts, comings and goings, while the latter is a mashup of Dylan news from here, there and everywhere.

As for that handwritten manuscript, the lyrics of Like a Rolling Stone, Forward, the Jewish Daily, is guesstimating that it will sell for $2 million dollars. My Dylanologist friends thought $1.2 million was a little high when the initial estimate was put out there of its value in May. That's a lot of change, and unfortunately I haven't quite saved up that much. What do you think this manuscript will fetch? Should we start a pool?

Meantime, tonight Mr. Dylan will be in Athens. And life is flowing on all around you. Dive in and take a swim.