7 revelations from a rare Bob Dylan interview
— -- Bob Dylan gave a rare interview about his life and career, sharing stories about Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and more.
In a Q&A with author Bill Flanagan that is posted on Dylan's website, the legendary singer-songwriter, who has a new three-disc album coming out later this month, praised Amy Winehouse and confirmed that an Elvis collaboration was in the works before his death.
Here are some of the interview's biggest revelations:
Sinatra
Before performing a TV tribute to Sinatra, Dylan, along with Bruce Springsteen, attended a dinner at Sinatra's home.
"He was funny, we were standing out on his patio at night and he said to me, 'You and me, pal, we got blue eyes, we’re from up there,' and he pointed to the stars," Dylan recalled. "'These other bums are from down here.' I remember thinking that he might be right."
Winehouse
Dylan commented on music and artists that he's enjoyed lately, citing "Willie Nelson and Norah Jones’ album with Wynton Marsalis, the Ray Charles tribute record," and adding, "I liked Amy Winehouse’s last record."
Asked if he was a fan of Winehouse, he said, "Yeah, absolutely. She was the last real individualist around."
Elvis
Asked about the rumor that he and George Harrison were supposed to do a recording session with Elvis, but the King was a no-show, Dylan corrected the record.
"He did show up, it was us that didn’t," he said.
'Bonnie and Clyde'
Imagine Dylan as Clyde opposite Faye Dunaway in "Bonnie and Clyde." At least, Warren Beatty, who produced the 1967 film and ended up starring in it, could, but his offer of the role never reached Dylan.
"The offer was sent to my manager’s office and we weren’t speaking; we had had a falling out. I didn’t get any mail or offers that were sent there," Dylan said, adding that he had no regrets about missing out on love scenes with Dunaway.
Joan Baez
Dylan was more effusive about former love and folk singer Baez.
"She was something else, almost too much to take," he said. "Her voice was like that of a siren from off some Greek island. Just the sound of it could put you into a spell. She was an enchantress. You’d have to get yourself strapped to the mast like Odysseus and plug up your ears so you wouldn’t hear her. She’d make you forget who you were."
John Wayne
Dylan also described meeting Wayne in 1966.
"The Duke, I met him on a battleship in Hawaii where he was filming a movie, he and Burgess Meredith," he said. "One of my former girlfriends was in the movie too, and she told me to come over there; she introduced me to him and he asked me to play some folk songs. I played him 'Buffalo Skinners,' 'Raggle Taggle Gypsy,' and I think 'I’m a Rambler, I’m a Gambler.' He told me if I wanted to I could stick around and be in the movie. He was friendly to me."
His hair
Dylan even explained his wild locks, which he cultivated from the time he started out.
"I was trying to look like Little Richard, my version of Little Richard," he said. "I wanted wild hair, I wanted to be recognized."
