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Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan

Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-24 11:51:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Howard Sounes
  • ISBN：0857527827
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Summary

'Engagingly written and scrupulously researched' Observer

This new edition of Howard Sounes' classic， definitive biography of Bob Dylan offers a new chapter that brings the story of the legend right up to date for his 80th birthday。 Critically acclaimed， Down the Highway gives the complete picture of the man， the artist and performer。 Meticulously researched and including hundreds of interviews with Dylan's closest associates， it also contains a brand new chapter covering the last ten years of Dylan's life， and the last （and previously unpublished） interview with Dylan's first serious girlfriend。

A compelling， fast-paced and revelatory read， Down the Highway takes the reader on a journey from Dylan's childhood in a Minnesota mining town to the status he enjoys today as the leading poet-troubadour of popular song， and one of the most iconic figures of contemporary culture。

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Reviews

Glen ，

I won this book in a goodreads drawing。A thorough， well written biography of the influential singer， from his childhood in Minnesota to his time with The Travelling Wilburys and beyond。 For a famous person， Dylan was very secretive。 This book attempts to unravel them。Very interesting。

Liz ，

As you may know， I have been reading a lot of books about music and performers， and one name kept coming up when reading about 20th century American music-Bob Dylan。 So， I felt obliged to read something about him （even though I have to admit to not being an aficionado， I admire his writing but generally prefer the cover versions rather than his）。 I thought this was a competent biography without going overboard。 Don’t think it changes my opinion of his music as essential in our culture but have t As you may know， I have been reading a lot of books about music and performers， and one name kept coming up when reading about 20th century American music-Bob Dylan。 So， I felt obliged to read something about him （even though I have to admit to not being an aficionado， I admire his writing but generally prefer the cover versions rather than his）。 I thought this was a competent biography without going overboard。 Don’t think it changes my opinion of his music as essential in our culture but have to admit the way he used people and tossed them aside in his career gives me pause about him as a person。。。。 Am also planning to read Dylan’s Chronicles volume 1， so will see if that changes my opinion of him。 。。。more

Shaun ，

Well written and informative book。 Bob Dylan isn't particularly likable so it is a testament to the writer that the book was still enjoyable reading。 Well written and informative book。 Bob Dylan isn't particularly likable so it is a testament to the writer that the book was still enjoyable reading。 。。。more

Brian Mikołajczyk ，

The story of Bob Dylan， the Jewish born-again Christian from Minnesota is the voice of a generation。 His poetic style of music and confidence in his playing and recording allowed Dylan to persevere through the hardships of loss （of his friends and contemporaries to drugs， alcohol， and suicide） and through his many womanizing episodes。This amazing biography details Bob's life from Minnesota to his rise to fame in Greenwich Village， all the way through the 2010s。 The story of Bob Dylan， the Jewish born-again Christian from Minnesota is the voice of a generation。 His poetic style of music and confidence in his playing and recording allowed Dylan to persevere through the hardships of loss （of his friends and contemporaries to drugs， alcohol， and suicide） and through his many womanizing episodes。This amazing biography details Bob's life from Minnesota to his rise to fame in Greenwich Village， all the way through the 2010s。 。。。more

CC ，

I've been whittling away at some biographies this year and it seemed a shame to pass over Dylan so here we are。 I went into this not knowing much of anything about the man， it isn't my generation at all and I grew up with his son Jakob on the radio instead。 I can't say that he came off as a great person in this book， in fact I felt very much that even the author， an obvious fan， is in thrall to the character Bob Dylan moreso than the man himself。 As characters go though it's an interesting one， I've been whittling away at some biographies this year and it seemed a shame to pass over Dylan so here we are。 I went into this not knowing much of anything about the man， it isn't my generation at all and I grew up with his son Jakob on the radio instead。 I can't say that he came off as a great person in this book， in fact I felt very much that even the author， an obvious fan， is in thrall to the character Bob Dylan moreso than the man himself。 As characters go though it's an interesting one， a self made poet outlaw built brick by brick on seemingly the shoulders of other talented people who were then discarded if they were ever acknowledged at all。 I think what I got most from this biography was an overwhelming glimpse at the loneliness of fame。 Despite all the women and children and accolades， I never got the sense that this is a happy life which in the face of such apparent talent feels very sobering。 。。。more

Боян ，

Боб Дилън - една гигантска поетична и музикална легенда， която се разкрива по един нов и не винаги приятен начин。За феновете - задължителна。

James Hartley ，

Easy to read， gossipy， overview of Dylan's career which suffers in the end， from being more a summary of what he did than an attempt to analyse or examine it。 The problem for any biographer is that Dylan has lived more than one life; he's more than one person， someone making life up as he goes along， and that means anything other than what Sounes has done here is going to be subjective and limited。Revelations， as trumpeted in the book by the author himself， come in the shape of Bob's second wife Easy to read， gossipy， overview of Dylan's career which suffers in the end， from being more a summary of what he did than an attempt to analyse or examine it。 The problem for any biographer is that Dylan has lived more than one life; he's more than one person， someone making life up as he goes along， and that means anything other than what Sounes has done here is going to be subjective and limited。Revelations， as trumpeted in the book by the author himself， come in the shape of Bob's second wife and marriage - which is as gossipy and tabloidy as it gets。 There's nothing revealing or new in any of what for me are the most interesting aspects of the Dylan story - his relationship with Robert Zimmerman， his Woodstock-era rejection of what he'd become， his conversion and his eighties-life， but I guess everyone who's interested in the story has their own favourite parts。In the end， this reads like a good， long article summarising Dylan's life and career。 End of。 。。。more

Elzinus ，

Since I’ve been listening to Dylans songs now for more than 15 years I decided to learn more about this man。 A man whose lyrics echoed trough many events om my life。 From the heartbreak frustration of ending love （Blood on the Tracks - “We’re idiots babe， it’s a wonder we can even feed ourself”） to the life-affirming simplicity of family- and country life in the songs on New Morning。 Build me a cabin in Utah / Marry me a wife， catch rainbow trout / Have a bunch of kids who call me “Pa” / That m Since I’ve been listening to Dylans songs now for more than 15 years I decided to learn more about this man。 A man whose lyrics echoed trough many events om my life。 From the heartbreak frustration of ending love （Blood on the Tracks - “We’re idiots babe， it’s a wonder we can even feed ourself”） to the life-affirming simplicity of family- and country life in the songs on New Morning。 Build me a cabin in Utah / Marry me a wife， catch rainbow trout / Have a bunch of kids who call me “Pa” / That must be what it’s all about / That must be what it’s all about / Bob has lyrics that open your world， at least they do for me。 I knew Bob is a secluded man who rarely gives away anything about is private life。 I chose the biography because it was praised for its research。 Because Bob seems to do most of his talking via his lyrics， Souses research is mainly based on reports from the people around Bob。 The picture that appears is of a highly ambiguous man。 Howard Souses must be praised for avoiding to psychoanalyze to much by providing the reader accounts that praise and criticise against the backdrop of de context Bob was living in。 It seems to be that Bob is a man who has a lust for praise of his work， but avoids being pushed into a corner。 A man who is so good with words in his songs， but seems harsh and antisocial to fellow-musicians （firing them without much notice）， friends （sometimes just ignoring them） and the media。 The only place where he is able to build intimate relationships seems to be with women。 With exception of the beginning of his first marriage （that he didn’t even tell his parents about） he always had a couple of intimate relations: The man in me will hide sometimes to keep from bein’ seen / But that’s just because he doesn’t want to turn into some machine / Took a woman like you / To get through to the man in me （from: Man in me， on New Morning） The never ending touring troubadour is presented in a strict chronological way [1]。 The writing style is not exciting most of the times， but when Souses start talking about the performance of songs while quoting the lines Bob is singing， you know you are listing to a devoted fan。 The dryness of the book was for me a plus， since I suppose that otherwise this would have been another piece of myth creation around Dylan （we can leave that to him）。 Though I really missed pictures of i。e。 Bob， his entourage and tour material to get a better image of his situation。 So if you’re interested in Dylan， the names of supporting artist， some background information about his private life I recommend reading this book。[2] However， if your interested in the cultural context Dylan did raise to fame the book is to much focussed on Dylan’s private situation and I advice you to leave this one closed。 _______________ Footnotes [1] in contrast with Dylans own Cronicals， that jumps back and forth in time constantly。 [2] If you just want to songs to speak for themself， don’t read the book， it does not enrich your listing experience。 。。。more

Zach Higgins ，

It's informative enough， but written with such mediocrity that it's frequently annoying。 Sources are rarely cited， unprofessional speculation of events and shallow commentary on the music， it just wasn't a very good read。 It's great to have the information， but I found myself having difficulty trusting it in some cases simply due to the overall feeling of sloppiness in the book as a whole。 I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to Dylan （try Daniel Mark Epstein）， since it's so flat and in It's informative enough， but written with such mediocrity that it's frequently annoying。 Sources are rarely cited， unprofessional speculation of events and shallow commentary on the music， it just wasn't a very good read。 It's great to have the information， but I found myself having difficulty trusting it in some cases simply due to the overall feeling of sloppiness in the book as a whole。 I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to Dylan （try Daniel Mark Epstein）， since it's so flat and in my opinion questionably researched， but it's fine for the "enthusiast" who already has some sense of Dylan and his history。 。。。more

Salva ，

Me encanta Bob dyland

Andrew ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I thought that this book accomplished what it was set out to。 It was not overtly long or dramatic， and did not get bogged down in superfluous details， which I liked。I was surprised by the sheer volume of friendships that Bob had over the course of his career， and yet， towards middle age， he felt and operated completely alone。

Antti Kauppinen ，

A well-researched and balanced take on Dylan's life and character。 I'd give it four stars， but the last third or so drags a bit too much - Dylan touring here， touring there， having a relationship with this and that woman。 （The narrative arc of a musician's life doesn't tend to be super interesting。） A well-researched and balanced take on Dylan's life and character。 I'd give it four stars， but the last third or so drags a bit too much - Dylan touring here， touring there， having a relationship with this and that woman。 （The narrative arc of a musician's life doesn't tend to be super interesting。） 。。。more

André M。 Treffeisen ，

RAZ would have been a better stage name。

Jim Davidson ，

An excellent biogaphy of Bob DylanThe author has written en excellent biography of singer songwriter Bob Dylan。 The book is readable and the information seems very accurate。 I recommend it highly。

M。 Wild ，

I love biographies。

Cojuja ，

That book was definitely bad。

JW ，

A very well researched life of Dylan。 The author uncovers the details， but at times the book seems to be just a list of details。 The most interesting part is from Dylan's birth through the Rolling Thunder Review。 But then， that was the most interesting part of Dylan's life。 A very well researched life of Dylan。 The author uncovers the details， but at times the book seems to be just a list of details。 The most interesting part is from Dylan's birth through the Rolling Thunder Review。 But then， that was the most interesting part of Dylan's life。 。。。more

Louise ，

I really liked it and recommend it for writers at all levels。

Diane Heath ，

I found this to be very interesting and informative。 I would stop reading and pull up the songs mentioned to listen。I think anyone who enjoys music would be appreciative of this book

Terése ，

3。5

Kristopher Pistole ，

I've been a fan for years but never read a biography until now。 Sounes' book is lengthy and full of about as much detail as one could hope。 Though ，at times it can feel lacking in a lot of linear cohesion。 Parts feel like years get distilled into a few paragraphs in between tours or recording sessions。 But considering Dylan's so private that he was married for five years and no one except those very close to him knew about it， it's about as much detail and truth as one could hope in a biography。 I've been a fan for years but never read a biography until now。 Sounes' book is lengthy and full of about as much detail as one could hope。 Though ，at times it can feel lacking in a lot of linear cohesion。 Parts feel like years get distilled into a few paragraphs in between tours or recording sessions。 But considering Dylan's so private that he was married for five years and no one except those very close to him knew about it， it's about as much detail and truth as one could hope in a biography。 Also， this got me into later Dylan stuff that I'd always failed to dive into。 Desire might be my new favorite Dylan album。 If you listen to the audiobook， be warned the only famous name the reader doesn't mispronounce is Bob Dylan。 。。。more

Reza Kaihani ，

He’s very gifted and he’s a walking encyclopedia of… [philosophy]。

Danielle Page ，

this book is really compelling this book is really compelling 。。。more

Felienne ，

Very long read， I guess this is only enjoyable or interesting if you are really a fan， but since I am， I loved every part of it。 Learned so much about Bob's relationships with Woody Guthrie， his shyness about media， his life with Sarah and wives after that。 But the best discovery from the book is the Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues， a song that I did not know of before！ Very long read， I guess this is only enjoyable or interesting if you are really a fan， but since I am， I loved every part of it。 Learned so much about Bob's relationships with Woody Guthrie， his shyness about media， his life with Sarah and wives after that。 But the best discovery from the book is the Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues， a song that I did not know of before！ 。。。more

Malcom Kane ，

this is an excelent book， i like it and is so interesting :[image error] this is an excelent book， i like it and is so interesting :[image error] 。。。more

Michael Legge ，

Shame he dies in the end。

Eva Alpaslana ，

Grūti lasāma。

Kelly Smith ，

I love Bob Dylan， so I gave it a 4 instead of 3。 I learned a lot of information but was not a fan of the writing and he didn’t really go into depth about a lot of stuff。

KRKO ，

This is an incredible introduction to the life and work of Bob Dylan。 I knew some of his albums before reading this， but going through the book was an absolutely wonderful trip down the road of Dylan's inventive works and often tragic life。The research for this biography was thorough and in-depth （to the point of starting off talking about Dylan's distant ancestors） and goes through each one of his "phases" rather well。 It's the only Dylan bio I've read so it's hard to compare to others， but it This is an incredible introduction to the life and work of Bob Dylan。 I knew some of his albums before reading this， but going through the book was an absolutely wonderful trip down the road of Dylan's inventive works and often tragic life。The research for this biography was thorough and in-depth （to the point of starting off talking about Dylan's distant ancestors） and goes through each one of his "phases" rather well。 It's the only Dylan bio I've read so it's hard to compare to others， but it acted as a great introduction for me to further explore whatever eras of Dylan I may be most interested in。The book seems long but is a breeze to get through， and I recommend also listening to the albums discussed in the book while making your way through it as a means to really understand Dylan's mindset and ideas at various points of his life。The only thing that hinders this book is， at times， the biographer buts his way in a bit too much。 He'll sometimes interject with things along the lines of "。。。and this information has not been published until this book" and it's a bit cheap。 The last chapter was also a bit of a letdown。 Rather than feeling like a conclusion to a cohesive biographical work， it feels more like a rushed Sparksnotes of Dylan's current output without much deep reflection。 Overall， I recommend this book， especially as an introduction to anyone wanting to know more about one of America's greatest living artists。 Dylanologists may prefer other biographies of him， but this is a great place to begin before exploring more of what Dylan's life has to offer （and there's always more）。 。。。more

Michael ，

Mostly read it in the bathroom and my bowels have been flowing nicely。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0