Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader by Benjamin Hedin

by Benjamin Hedin

"The most absorbing, wide-ranging and stimulating body of writing about the mighty Bob that's ever been assembled."--Salman Rushdie Hailed by Publishers Weekly as "not only the best writing on the ever-changing folk singer, but also some of the best writing about any musician around," Studio A presents Bob Dylan's unique literary legacy in a collection that is quintessentially mosaic, offbeat, poetic. This "astutely chosen and intelligently annotated" collection ( Time Out London ) gathers over fifty articles, poems, essays, speeches, literary criticisms, and interviews; many previously unpublished. Individually, these pieces offer insight into the man and his time, but collectively they reveal the coming-of-age of American cultural criticism in their "sweeping view of both Dylan and the changing times he so eloquently captured in his music" ( Publishers Weekly ). With Sam Shepard, Bruce Springsteen, Allen Ginsberg, Johnny Cash, Greil Marcus, Joyce Carol Oates, Gary Giddins, Rick Moody, Tom Piazza, Barry Hannah, and Dylan himself on the list of contributors, Studio A is truly "a vital document" ( New York Times ) for all fans. 8 pages of photographs

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 30, 2004

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes it's another Dylan book. Some good, some not so good. If you are a fan...read it.

[Wes F · Rating 4 out of 5]

What--another Bob Dylan book? Yes, are there enough books on Bob? This was a Bob Dylan Reader--so had selections of writings on His Bobness ranging from his earliest years to his later ones (hard to believe that Bob will turn 80 next May!). Why called Studio A, you ask? Well, if you know anything about Dylan, you know he recorded some of his finest music in Columbia's Studio A in NYC. The classic being Highway 61 Revisited (cover pic of the sitting Bob in Triumph T-shirt under a psychedelic floral patterned shirt)--with the likes of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Tombstone Blues" and the inimitable (one of my all-time Bob favs) "Desolation Row." The book is broken up into the following parts/time periods:
1. I Was Young When I Left Home (1961-1969) "Once upon a time..." he was 20 years old in the Big Ole Apple
2. Blood on the Tracks (1970-1978): "T'was in another lifetime...
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence I got repaid with scorn
Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm"
3. Saved (1979-1996): He became the "Property of Jesus" and Won't Look Back...
"I was blinded by the devil,
Born already ruined,
Stone-cold dead
As I stepped out of the womb.
By His grace I have been touched,
By His word I have been healed,
By His hand I've been delivered,
By His spirit I've been sealed.
I've been saved
By the blood of the lamb"
4. When You Got Nothing, You Got Nothing To Lose (1997- ): Bob's still singing about "Trying to Get to Heaven" and to the "Highlands"...
"It's dark and it's dreary
I been pleading in vain
I'm old and I'm weary
My repentance is plain
Beyond the horizon o'er the treacherous sea
I still can't believe that you have set aside your love for me"

Thoroughly enjoyed the various articles from well-known Dylanologists--as well as others who are not as well-known. Benjamin Hedin did a great job in compiling a variety of meaningful articles & analysis of Dylan's music & sources, lyrics, poetry, and Dylan's great impact down through the years on music in general. Highly recommended for insights & appreciation of a great artist--and performing minstrel..."who is still on the road, heading for another joint."

[Bob Peru · Rating 4 out of 5]

a few clunkers.
especially the essay by clive james.

[Joseph Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

My interest in the music of Bob Dylan has waxed and waned over the years, but I keep coming back, drawn in again by the peculiar synergy of words and delivery that makes his music so unique. The lyrics tend to get most of the attention where Dylan is concerned, but I'd argue that, with a few exceptions, they don't read that well as poetry and only come to life when set to music and, most crucially, sung by Dylan himself. No one inhabits the words, and delivers them with the shifting emphases that draw out multiple meanings and perspectives, like their author. To my mind, it's no coincidence that few cover versions of Dylan songs stand up to the originals. Most often, the covers achieve a sort of bland pleasantness (e.g., The Byrds, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Sheryl Crow) that completely misses the point.

For the most part I've tried to avoid reading too much of the mountain of commentary and criticism surrounding Dylan (with the exception of David Hadju's "Positively Fourth Street", which was as much a history of a particular epoch in history as a work of "Dylanology"). Too much of it is focused on Dylan as a cultural phenomenon, or is simply slavish fan-worship with nothing to say. There's plenty of drivel collected in "Studio A", but there are enough pieces that actually engage with the music and lyrics -- how Dylan's music is composed and achieves its effects, how he has mined, mutated and recombined various strains of traditional and popular music throughout his career -- to make this a worthwhile read for a fan.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of people ask me to recommend a book about Dylan. Tough question, as there are hundreds, and I’ve probably read twenty. Almost as tough as asking what is my favorite Dylan song. This book might be the answer though, as it contains a significant number of the very best critical essays and writings on Dylan, from 1962-2001. Of course, one book alone cannot define Dylan and his complex oeuvre, but this is an excellent place to start. Should be on every Dylan fanatic’s shelf.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and informative essays on the Bard of Minnesota.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well done anthology of Dylan from many different sources and about many different aspects of Dylan's career, life, and genius. Well balanced.

[Diego Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for Dylan fans. Gives a lot of background into his later work.