Folk Music: A Bob Dylan Biography in Seven Songs
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- Author：Greil Marcus
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Summary
Acclaimed cultural critic Greil Marcus tells the story of Bob Dylan through the lens of seven penetrating songs
“The most interesting writer on Dylan over the years has been the cultural critic Greil Marcus。 。 。 。 No one alive knows the music that fueled Dylan’s imagination better。 。 。 。 Folk Music 。 。 。 [is an] ingenious book of close listening。”—David Remnick， New Yorker
“Marcus delivers yet another essential work of music journalism。”—Kirkus Reviews （starred review）
“Further elevates Marcus to what he has always been: a supreme artist-critic。”—Hilton Als
Across seven decades， Bob Dylan has been the first singer of American song。 As a writer and performer， he has rewritten the national songbook in a way that comes from his own vision and yet can feel as if it belongs to anyone who might listen。
In Folk Music， Greil Marcus tells Dylan’s story through seven of his most transformative songs。 Marcus’s point of departure is Dylan’s ability to “see myself in others。” Like Dylan’s songs， this book is a work of implicit patriotism and creative skepticism。 It illuminates Dylan’s continuing presence and relevance through his empathy—his imaginative identification with other people。 This is not only a deeply felt telling of the life and times of Bob Dylan but a rich history of American folk songs and the new life they were given as Dylan sat down to write his own。
“The most interesting writer on Dylan over the years has been the cultural critic Greil Marcus。 。 。 。 No one alive knows the music that fueled Dylan’s imagination better。 。 。 。 Folk Music 。 。 。 [is an] ingenious book of close listening。”—David Remnick， New Yorker
“Marcus delivers yet another essential work of music journalism。”—Kirkus Reviews （starred review）
“Further elevates Marcus to what he has always been: a supreme artist-critic。”—Hilton Als
Across seven decades， Bob Dylan has been the first singer of American song。 As a writer and performer， he has rewritten the national songbook in a way that comes from his own vision and yet can feel as if it belongs to anyone who might listen。
In Folk Music， Greil Marcus tells Dylan’s story through seven of his most transformative songs。 Marcus’s point of departure is Dylan’s ability to “see myself in others。” Like Dylan’s songs， this book is a work of implicit patriotism and creative skepticism。 It illuminates Dylan’s continuing presence and relevance through his empathy—his imaginative identification with other people。 This is not only a deeply felt telling of the life and times of Bob Dylan but a rich history of American folk songs and the new life they were given as Dylan sat down to write his own。
Reviews
AnnieM
，
This book is a must read for Dylan and folk music fans。 But let me also say that you don't have to be familiar with all of Dylan's songs （or at least the 7 mentioned in this book） to appreciate Greil Marcus' book。 The songs are really just a springboard to dive into cultural history， other musicians， history of folk music， etc。 He is such an incredible writer that I really enjoyed going along on this journey as he took us down many delightful rabbit holes and brought us back to Dylan。 In this bo This book is a must read for Dylan and folk music fans。 But let me also say that you don't have to be familiar with all of Dylan's songs （or at least the 7 mentioned in this book） to appreciate Greil Marcus' book。 The songs are really just a springboard to dive into cultural history， other musicians， history of folk music， etc。 He is such an incredible writer that I really enjoyed going along on this journey as he took us down many delightful rabbit holes and brought us back to Dylan。 In this book， you also learn about others such as the Seeger family （not just Pete but his dad and siblings Mike and Peggy）。 We also learn about Laurie Anderson's writing of "O Superman" and learn about Karen Dalton who was lost to history until recently when a documentary film was made about her life in 2020。 I appreciated too that Marcus suggests at one point that we listen to the song "Jim Jones" to sense the rhythm of the rocking of a boat。 This is just such an enjoyable read and it will enhance your appreciation of Bob Dylan and music in general。I highly recommend this book。Thank you to Netgalley and Yale University Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Richard
，
If I were forced to cut my Bob Dylan shelf down to the essentials， they would be five。 The Lyrics， Chronicles Vol。1， The Philosophy of Modern Song （all those by the Troubadour himself，） and two volumes by Greil Marcus， to wit: The Old Weird America， and Folk Music。I have a boat load of admiration for Greil Marcus， not only has he listened to， read， and seen more than seems possible for one lifetime， but he's listened， read， and seen deeply， and has written about most of it。 He's a master of conn If I were forced to cut my Bob Dylan shelf down to the essentials， they would be five。 The Lyrics， Chronicles Vol。1， The Philosophy of Modern Song （all those by the Troubadour himself，） and two volumes by Greil Marcus， to wit: The Old Weird America， and Folk Music。I have a boat load of admiration for Greil Marcus， not only has he listened to， read， and seen more than seems possible for one lifetime， but he's listened， read， and seen deeply， and has written about most of it。 He's a master of connections， contingencies， and diversions， and it's a pleasure following him down the obscure paths he chooses to wander。 Both The Old Weird America， and Folk Music may be more about America， and its folk art than the purported subject of Dylan， but that situates Dylan right in the thick of all things Americana， and it's where Dylan in his 60 year public career belongs。This book is not really a biography。 If it is， it leaves a lot of Dylan's life unaccounted for。 But， if it's not a biography what is it？ Maybe a "life collage。" Anyway， that's as close as I can get。I think you have to have an interest in Bob Dylan to like this book， but there's a chance that if your interest is mostly in folk music， and Bob Dylan as part of that you'll get something here。Like I said up above， for me it's essential。 。。。more
Nick
，
More music criticism than biography， strictly speaking， but a curious work all the same。 Marcus includes a wide range of material in his coverage， both from Dylan's body of work and from cultural history。 He pulls it all together in some surprising ways。 More music criticism than biography， strictly speaking， but a curious work all the same。 Marcus includes a wide range of material in his coverage， both from Dylan's body of work and from cultural history。 He pulls it all together in some surprising ways。 。。。more
Mmiller400m
，
I've never claimed to know a whole lot about music。 I have quite an eclectic mix of tastes。 I'm currently in a renewed kick of all things Bob Dylan。 I wanted to learn more about him and his songs and this helped。 I listened to each of the songs as I went through the book。 It's broken into 7 chapters about 7 different songs。 I would have appreciated a little bit more about each song but most of the chapters dealt with their title song only in passing。 I did enjoy learning about other folk singers I've never claimed to know a whole lot about music。 I have quite an eclectic mix of tastes。 I'm currently in a renewed kick of all things Bob Dylan。 I wanted to learn more about him and his songs and this helped。 I listened to each of the songs as I went through the book。 It's broken into 7 chapters about 7 different songs。 I would have appreciated a little bit more about each song but most of the chapters dealt with their title song only in passing。 I did enjoy learning about other folk singers and songs that I didn't know very much about。 Can you believe I didn't know much about Woody Guthrie before reading this book？ I think it's only a matter of time before I fork over the cash to buy the complete Bob Dylan All the Songs book。 。。。more
Adam Parrilli
，
This was a listen most foul。 The first few chapters were meandering， but somewhat interesting and tolerable。 After Desolation Row it was a mess。 Not a fan Greil， not a fan。 The writing is so peripheral to the stated emphasis/premise that I found it to be plundering。
Dominic H
，
The usual limitations - meandering， digressive text to the extent it is mannered and unnecessarily fractured。 The usual strengths - vast knowledge and a golden touch in picking out illuminating arcana。 Not biographical by any definition but I doubt anyone who has read Marcus before would have expected that。
M。 Sarki
，
Greil Marcus has written a long and marvelous study into the history of folk music and how it captivated the mind of Bob Dylan。 It is amazing to me how such a young man， a boy really， could have so much focus and insight into making himself in his time。 More proof of Dylan’s genius。 Please read the rest of my review here:https://rogueliterarysociety。com/f/fo。。。 Greil Marcus has written a long and marvelous study into the history of folk music and how it captivated the mind of Bob Dylan。 It is amazing to me how such a young man， a boy really， could have so much focus and insight into making himself in his time。 More proof of Dylan’s genius。 Please read the rest of my review here:https://rogueliterarysociety。com/f/fo。。。 。。。more
Janelle
，
This is not really a biography， it’s more about how Bob Dylan and his songs fit into the history and traditions of folk music。 It was an enjoyable read。 I’m a fan of Bob Dylan but in no way an expert （either on Dylan or folk）。 The author clearly is and it was interesting to read this sprawling book。 It covers a lot and works as an informative read particularly if you already know the songs。
Mark
，
One stares in awe at Marcus’ ability to gather untold number of disparate threads of the culture we all participate in and wield them with precision to make astounding connections， backing up his various theses about who the real Bob Dylan is。 This “biography” tells us more than any three normal biogs - this is an absolute must for Dylan fans。
Jeff
，
An ironclad law of social organization sez that sub-cultural scenes calcify and must be re-engineered to accommodate dynamism。 Where there's calcification， you'll find a Bohemia; i。e。， a set of axioms or vigils in nostalgia for "when we were good。" It happened at least twice to Bob Dylan。 He leaves the University of Minnesota in December 1960 to visit Woody Guthrie and ends up emerging in the 2nd folk revival Greenwich Village club scene of beat poets， theatrically absurdist comics and boys and An ironclad law of social organization sez that sub-cultural scenes calcify and must be re-engineered to accommodate dynamism。 Where there's calcification， you'll find a Bohemia; i。e。， a set of axioms or vigils in nostalgia for "when we were good。" It happened at least twice to Bob Dylan。 He leaves the University of Minnesota in December 1960 to visit Woody Guthrie and ends up emerging in the 2nd folk revival Greenwich Village club scene of beat poets， theatrically absurdist comics and boys and girls with guitars; that scene calcified by the Kennedy assassination and Dylan dug the rock 'n' roll generation led by the Beatles that would re-engineer it。 Then， in the late Eighties， having written a shock of songs marked by little more than their profound banality （"Every Grain of Sand，" a trope not a single Beat poet was ever in doubt about）， the scenes that had reduced to his tour-life got re-jiggered when he started playing songs from that tradition that is very different from those scenes， however vigilant the scenes are in remembering traditional songs （I certainly recall a 1988 Hannibal Missouri riverside performance of "The Lakes of Pontchartrain。" "Good to be back in my hometown，" the singer greeted our cheering。）。 Here was Dylan the jiggering termite， quaffing the wiring of Alterna-America。 Greil Marcus notes this moment in his Folk Music: A Bob Dylan Biography in Seven Songs， in a chapter celebrating Dylan's 1993 decision to play "Jim Jones，" an old Australian prisoner mutiny ballad， every night of that year's tour。 This was part of that same jiggering so many of us witnessed， and now in a sense Marcus has sanctified it -- in a kind of liturgy culminating in that secular hymn of our post-Assassination Awakening， "Murder Most Foul。" Yes， yes， Marcus' book is a listicle。 So is Dylan's recent book， by the way。 Yale University， Simon & Schuster， doesn't matter， the kids like a list。 So Marcus makes his argument over seven songs that allow his thoughts to follow a poet， Josh Clover's， invocation to "find where all the bodies are buried，" e。g。， where rock critics came in， in a vast white-wash of integration and cultural appropriation that is rock 'n' roll。 Marcus had already written The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs， -- why not a biography？ God knows， the workmanlike Dylan biographies are horrid。 Why not a critical biography？ Let's review。 The Greil Marcus canon on Dylan would be Mystery Train that takes up the America of Dylan's back-up band's first tours; Invisible Republic， a setting of The Basement Tapes into the context of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music; Bob Dylan at the Crossroads， a mailed-in one-off on the Highway 61 Revisted sessions; Bob Dylan， the collection of the pulp head's Dylan daily journalism; and now Folk Music。 So that's five books on Dylan。 Surprise， this is the best。 One of the bodies Elijah Wald came to bury， in his book on the Newport Folk Festival electric music performance of Dylan and his first band， was the rock critic prototype， Paul Nelson， who defended Dylan from his folk wokist cancelors in the pages of Sing Out！ and the Minneapolis-based little magazine Nelson and Jon Pancake started， The Little Sandy Review。 Marcus exhumes the body。 Why？ Marcus acknowledges that The Little Sandy's approach to traditional music was itself whitewashed， though I wouldn't say deeply so; as Nelson's own tastes drifted away from Dylan in the late Sixties and Seventies to other songwriters and to blue grass music （as an A & R guy he signed Mike Seeger to Mercury）， it was at least as sexist as it was whitewashed， and may have had to do with Nelson's insecurity at judging work from which he felt bound-off socially。 He needed no sanction from Ralph Ellison （and later Stanley Crouch） noting how miscegenated American music is to defend Dylan from cultural marxists like Amiri Baraka， who straight-up called Dylan a cultural appropriator in Black Music。 Rather， Marcus wants to get at the force of tradition that spelled the Nelson emphasis on craft， and that separated the run-of-the-mill in a great deal of 2nd Folk Revival product from the "empathy" and endurance of the bohemian Smith curatorial efforts Dylan brings forward。 This requires， perhaps， to Nelson， not obviously， the "buried bodies" of a New Song tradition able to access "They're selling postcards of the hanging，" the minstrel desolation at the center of "Ain't Talkin'，" that select company of listeners cultivated by "Murder Most Foul"'s audience for Wolfman Jack， on the line with the D。J。 at just the deathly moment JFK calls in with his rather long-ish request 。 。 。 list。 Someone up the row from the meagre number of likes I'm sure this journal entry will collect complains that Marcus sees himself as part of this select。 Haven't Dylan fans yet figured out that it were always so？ You didn't become a Bob Dylan fan but if you didn't enter that order。 Ask Robbie Robertson。 To say so must be an encomium for Marcus as Bohemia's Dylan Explainer？ 。。。more
Jeff
，
Bah！ This should be titled Folk Music: What Greil Marcus was thinking about when he listened to a few Bob Dylan songs。 The self important twit。OK that maybe isn’t completely fair。 There are good bits here like when he writes about major themes in Dylan’s work around identity。 The issue is that Marcus’ writing is at best idiosyncratic。 It is clear he has consumed a lot art from popular culture from the center and the fringes。 He then blends that up and writes about what resonances he finds betwee Bah！ This should be titled Folk Music: What Greil Marcus was thinking about when he listened to a few Bob Dylan songs。 The self important twit。OK that maybe isn’t completely fair。 There are good bits here like when he writes about major themes in Dylan’s work around identity。 The issue is that Marcus’ writing is at best idiosyncratic。 It is clear he has consumed a lot art from popular culture from the center and the fringes。 He then blends that up and writes about what resonances he finds between any two or more pieces of work and his own reading of history and politics。 He seems to particularly relish sharing about more obscure pieces。 （He must spend a lot of time on YouTube listening to audience recordings。） The result is a hodgepodge of musings that too often comes across as more egotistical than insightful。 。。。more
Michael
，
This book， while not a biography in the traditional sense， has far more to say about the meaning of Dylan's life and art than any of the official Dylan biographies。 Through an analysis of seven songs （6 Dylan originals plus a chapter on the traditional folk song "Jim Jones"）， Marcus， in his inimitably digressive and poetic voice， hopscotches across Dylan's career and winds up painting a portrait of the man that honors his complexities in full。 For those who haven't liked Marcus' previous writing This book， while not a biography in the traditional sense， has far more to say about the meaning of Dylan's life and art than any of the official Dylan biographies。 Through an analysis of seven songs （6 Dylan originals plus a chapter on the traditional folk song "Jim Jones"）， Marcus， in his inimitably digressive and poetic voice， hopscotches across Dylan's career and winds up painting a portrait of the man that honors his complexities in full。 For those who haven't liked Marcus' previous writing on Dylan， this is probably not the book for you; in a chapter devoted to "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll，" for instance， he spills more ink on Laurie Anderson's avant-pop masterpiece "O Superman" than he does on Dylan's song， which is likely to have his detractors crying perverse。 But the chapter on "Jim Jones" is such an incisive analysis of Dylan's relationship to traditional folk music -- both during the Greenwich Village folk revival and during the first few years of the Never-Ending Tour -- that it made me hungry to dive back into not just the Dylan catalogue again but the work of countless other performers （including Karen Dalton and Mississippi John Hurt）。 Marcus saves the best for last though: the chapter on Dylan's masterpiece "Murder Most Foul" and how that song resonated through the culture in the early days of the pandemic is the single best piece of writing on Dylan's recent work that I've come across。 And the last sentence absolutely destroyed me。 。。。more
Scott Wilson
，
Depending on your tolerance for Marcus' seven-layer-dip style of reference-heavy， everything-is-connected writing， this latest thesis hits somewhere between peak and Dylan-as-Cheesecake-Factory-menu。 You wish it came with a companion CD of the more obscure musical talismen deployed to contextualize these songs， or else that it were maybe 50 pages shorter and less self-indulgent。 Depending on your tolerance for Marcus' seven-layer-dip style of reference-heavy， everything-is-connected writing， this latest thesis hits somewhere between peak and Dylan-as-Cheesecake-Factory-menu。 You wish it came with a companion CD of the more obscure musical talismen deployed to contextualize these songs， or else that it were maybe 50 pages shorter and less self-indulgent。 。。。more
Carly Thompson
，
Exploration of Bob Dylan's career and interest in the American song book by examining 7 of his songs in depth。 An interesting take for a biography。 It is not a traditional timeline of his life but a focus on his songwriting and thematic concerns over his entire career。 Exploration of Bob Dylan's career and interest in the American song book by examining 7 of his songs in depth。 An interesting take for a biography。 It is not a traditional timeline of his life but a focus on his songwriting and thematic concerns over his entire career。 。。。more
Theodore Kinni
，
Greil Marcus is the best Dylanist - always pushing for new insights and new heights of expression， and when he succeeds， there is no better music writer。 Read it with the music close at hand so you can hear what he's talking about。 btw， it's not a biography per se; it's essays about the songs woven around the idea of Dylan as an empath。 Reminds me a lot of his terrific book: "Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes" Greil Marcus is the best Dylanist - always pushing for new insights and new heights of expression， and when he succeeds， there is no better music writer。 Read it with the music close at hand so you can hear what he's talking about。 btw， it's not a biography per se; it's essays about the songs woven around the idea of Dylan as an empath。 Reminds me a lot of his terrific book: "Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes" 。。。more
Mattschratz
，
Beautiful writing about Dylan and empathy and the strange roads to surprising empathetic structures in a mostly eclectic mix of Bob's songs。 Also a shining example of a kind of criticism that I would， approvingly， call "run-on sentence brain。" Beautiful writing about Dylan and empathy and the strange roads to surprising empathetic structures in a mostly eclectic mix of Bob's songs。 Also a shining example of a kind of criticism that I would， approvingly， call "run-on sentence brain。" 。。。more
Matt
，
Masterful。 Now I want to read it all over again。 And listen to all the songs， either again or for the first time。 Hopefully， fingers and toes crossed， I will be able to interview the man。 Marcus， not Dylan。
Lucy Hampton
，
The aspects of the book which I enjoyed: it combines folk music with social and cultural history since the 1960s to the present day。 I particularly liked how the author put the running thread of civil rights throughout the book。 However， I did find the structure of the individual chapters confusing。 There was a lot of jumping about between different eras。 Also， the majority of the books is about Bob Dylan， but then the author will start talking about someone new without properly introducing them The aspects of the book which I enjoyed: it combines folk music with social and cultural history since the 1960s to the present day。 I particularly liked how the author put the running thread of civil rights throughout the book。 However， I did find the structure of the individual chapters confusing。 There was a lot of jumping about between different eras。 Also， the majority of the books is about Bob Dylan， but then the author will start talking about someone new without properly introducing them。 Overall， there’s lots of interesting information， but I feel it gets lost in the organisation。 。。。more
Steve
，
The first half of this book， when Marcus is discussing Blowing in the Wind， and me thinking that this might be the best writing on Dylan ever， and I thoroughly enjoyed it， and recommend it highly。 After that， the book kind of loses its theme or goes off the track， and while lots of it is really good， it still was a letdown。 That said， it's pretty much must-reading for Dylan fans。 The first half of this book， when Marcus is discussing Blowing in the Wind， and me thinking that this might be the best writing on Dylan ever， and I thoroughly enjoyed it， and recommend it highly。 After that， the book kind of loses its theme or goes off the track， and while lots of it is really good， it still was a letdown。 That said， it's pretty much must-reading for Dylan fans。 。。。more
J Earl
，
Folk Music by Greil Marcus is about Dylan， music （mostly folk）， and the history that spoke to Dylan and to which he responded。While certainly biographical this isn't the simple biography some might be expecting， and maybe even prefer。 This is an exploration into the multitude of meanings these songs have， and what they say about the world from which they came。 So no， this isn't a simple biography， this is much more and far more intimate。 More details about one's life does not equate to intimate; Folk Music by Greil Marcus is about Dylan， music （mostly folk）， and the history that spoke to Dylan and to which he responded。While certainly biographical this isn't the simple biography some might be expecting， and maybe even prefer。 This is an exploration into the multitude of meanings these songs have， and what they say about the world from which they came。 So no， this isn't a simple biography， this is much more and far more intimate。 More details about one's life does not equate to intimate; it equates to more minutiae。 Diving into the words and the events is what qualifies as intimate， and， as usual， Marcus excels at just that。Depending on how familiar you are with Dylan's vast output， some of these songs may be new（ish） to you。 At the very least a few will bring back a vague memory of having heard them， maybe liking them， but then like so much music， faded from your consciousness。 But revisiting them， along with the other songs mentioned in passing， offers a specific path through Dylan's life and career。 Not to mention a wonderful listening experience。 I found that even revisiting some of the songs I don't care for was a pleasure once I had a new perspective on them。 I may not necessarily like them all of a sudden， but I have a much better appreciation。While any Dylan fan will enjoy this I think any reader who enjoys thinking about music at a level beyond just surface will find a lot to take with them to other artists and songs。 Then again， if all you wanted was the minutiae of yet another "this happened then that happened" biography， you might be a little disappointed。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Jane Gregg
，
An most ingenious and well-developed treatise。
Craig Werner
，
The primary job of this kind of book for someone who knows Dylan's life and music as well as I do is to take them back to the songs with fresh ears and an expanded sense of where the music's power comes from。 Folk Music definitely succeeds in that mission。 The seven songs of the title--ranging from Blowin' in the Wind， The Times They Are A-Changin'， and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll to Ain't Talkin' and Murder Most foul--with a brief stop for Desolation Row and an extended excursion in th The primary job of this kind of book for someone who knows Dylan's life and music as well as I do is to take them back to the songs with fresh ears and an expanded sense of where the music's power comes from。 Folk Music definitely succeeds in that mission。 The seven songs of the title--ranging from Blowin' in the Wind， The Times They Are A-Changin'， and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll to Ain't Talkin' and Murder Most foul--with a brief stop for Desolation Row and an extended excursion in the relatively obscure Australian prison ballad Jim Jones--are only part of the story。 As he had done since The Old Weird America， Marcus delves deeply into Dylan's connection with the American turf of Harry Smith's brilliant anthology。 It's best to read with spotify or youtube open beside you since he refers to dozens of songs almost no one other than a musicologist will know。 So， definitely a thumbs up。 But I do want to add a note that Marcus has always had a tendency to condescend to readers who don't automatically agree with his frequent judgements。 There's a hipster tinge to his dismissals of lines as cliches and a celebration of the Bay Area intellectual world he came up in as obviously smarter than everyone else。 Easy enough to ignore as you read。 。。。more
Mr Rick Forncett
，
Greil Marcus has been writing about Dylan for over half a century。 Some of these articles have already been anthologised in his book 'Bob Dylan: Writings 1968-2010'。This book uses seven Dylan songs as a starting points on which to base his expositions。The chapters are detailed considerations of each song and their historical background along with Marcus' thought on them。 The book makes a fascinating addition to the many written about Dylan that are already available。 Greil Marcus has been writing about Dylan for over half a century。 Some of these articles have already been anthologised in his book 'Bob Dylan: Writings 1968-2010'。This book uses seven Dylan songs as a starting points on which to base his expositions。The chapters are detailed considerations of each song and their historical background along with Marcus' thought on them。 The book makes a fascinating addition to the many written about Dylan that are already available。 。。。more
Michael Reilly
，