Bob Dylan: The Rolling Stone Interview
On Nashville Skyline– – who does the arrangements? The studio musicians, or. . .
Boy, I wish you could’ve come along the last time we made an album. You’d probably enjoyed it . . . ’cause you see right there, you know how it’s done. We just take a song; I play it and everyone else just sort of fills in behind it. No sooner you got that done, and at the same time you’re doing that, there’s someone in the control booth who’s turning all those dials to where the proper sound is coming in. . . and then it’s done. Just like that.
Just out of rehearsing it? It’ll be a take?
Well, maybe we’ll take about two times.
Were there any songs on Nashville Skyline that took longer to take?
I don’t know . . . I don’t think so. There’s a movie out now, called Midnight Cowboy. You know the song on the album, “Lay, Lady, Lay”? Well, I wrote that song for that movie. These producers, they wanted some music for their movie. This was last summer. And this fellow there asked me, you know, if I could do some music for their movie. So I came up with that song. By the time I came up with it, though it was too late (Laughs) It’s the same old story all the time. It’s just too late . . . so I kept the song and recorded it.
There’s something going on with Easy Rider – –you wrote the lyrics for a song that Roger McGuinn wrote the music for, or something? Something. . . writing a song for Easy Rider, the Peter Fonda film? Were you involved in that at all?
They used some of my music in it. They used a song of the Band’s, too. They also used Steppenwolf music. I don’t know anything more about it than that.
Do you know which song of yours they used?
“It’s Alright, Ma” – –but they had Roger McGuinn singing it.
Have you been approached to write music for any other movies?
Uh-hum.
Considering any of them?
Unh-unh.
Why? Scripts?
Ummmm. . . I don’t know. I just can’t seem to keep my mind on it. I can’t keep my mind on the movie. I had a script awhile ago, that was called Zachariah and the Seven Cowboys. (laughs) That was some script. Every line in it was taken out of the Bible. And just thrown together. Then there was another one, called The Impossible Toy. Have you seen that? (laughs) Yeah. Let’s see, what else? Ummm . . . no, I’m not planning on doing any music for movies.
When are you going to do another record?
You mean when am I going to put out an album?
Have you done another record?
No . . . not exactly. I was going to try and have another one out by the fall.
Is it done in Nashville again?
Well, we . . . I think so . . . I mean it’s. . . seems to be as good a place as any.
What first got you involved with or attracted you to the musicians at the Columbia studios.
Nashville? Well we always used them since Blonde on Blonde. Well, we didn’t use Pete on Blonde on Blonde.
What was Joe South like to work with?
Joe South? Well he was quiet. He didn’t say too much. I always did like him though.
Do you like his record?
I love his records.
That album, Introspect?
Um-hmm, I always enjoyed his guitar playing. Ever since I heard him.
Does he have any solos on Blonde on Blonde?
Um-hmm. Yes he does. He has a. . . he’s playing a high guitar lick on. . . well, if you named me the songs, I could tell you which one it was, but it’s catchin’ my mind at the moment. He was playing. . . he played a big, I believe it was a Gretsch, guitar–one of those Chet Atkins models. That’s the guitar he played it on.
“Absolutely Sweet Marie”?
Yeah, it could’ve been that one. Or “Just Like a Woman”. . . one of those. Boy he just. . . he played so pretty.
On Nashville Skyline, do you have any song on that that you particularly dig? Above the others.
Uh. . . “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” I like “Tell Me That It Isn’t True,” although it came out completely different than I’d written it. It came out real slow and mellow. I had it written as sort of a jerky, kind of polka-type thing. I wrote it in F. That’s what gives it kind of a new sound. They’re all in F. . . not all of them, but quite a few. There’s not many on that album that aren’t in F. So you see –I had those chords. . .which gives it a certain sound. I try to be a little different on every album.
I’m sure you read the reviews of Nashville Skyline. Everybody remarks on the change of your singing style. . .
Well Jann, I’ll tell you something. There’s not too much of a change in my singing style, but I’ll tell you something which is true. . . I stopped smoking. When I stopped smoking, my voice changed. . . so drastically, I couldn’t believe it myself. That’s true. I tell you, you stop smoking those cigarettes (laughter). . . and you’ll be able to sing like Caruso.
How many songs did you go into Nashville Skyline with?
I went in with uhh. . . the first time I went into the studio I had, I think, four songs. I pulled that instrumental one out. . . I needed some songs with an instrumental. . . then Johnny came in and did a song with me. Then I wrote one in the motel. . . then pretty soon the whole album started fill in’ in together, and we had an album. I mean, we didn’t go down with that in mind. That’s why I wish you were there. . . you could’ve really seen it happen. It just manipulated out of nothing.
How many songs did you do with Johnny?
Well, we did quite a few. We just sat down and started doing some songs. . . but you know how those things are. You get into a room with someone, you start playing and singing, and you sort of forget after a while what you’re there for. (laughs)
You must have a lotta songs with him on tape. . . are you thinking of putting out a collection of them?
Well I’m not, no. But you usually have to leave those things in the hands of the producers.
Is there one afoot?
A tape?
No, an album.
No. . . not that I know of. If there was an album, I believe that we would both have to go back into the studio and record some more songs.
There’s not enough there already. . . or it’s just not good enough
Well, it’s uhh. . . what it comes down to is a choice of material. If they wanted an album– – a joint album– – they could probably get a lot more material with a broader range on it. If we went there with actually certain songs in mind to do. . . see, that didn’t happen last time.
How did you make the change. . . or why did you make the change, of producers, from Tom Wilson to Bob Johnston?
Well, I can’t remember, Jann. I can’t remember. . . all I know is that I was out recording one day, and Tom had always been there– – I had no reason to think he wasn’t going to be there –– and I looked up one day and Bob was there. (laughs)
There’s been some articles on Wilson and he says that he’s the one that gave you the rock and roll sound. . . and started you doing rock and roll. Is that true?
Did he say that? Well, if he said it. . . (laughs) more power to him. (laughs) He did to a certain extent. That is true. He did. He had a sound in mind.
Have you ever thought of doing an album. . . a very arranged, very orchestrated album, you know, with chicks and. . .?
Gee, I’ve thought of it. . . I think about it once in a while. Yeah.
You think you might do one?
I do whatever comes naturally. I’d like to do an album like that. You mean using my own material and stuff?
Yeah, using your own material but with vocal background and. . .
I’d like to do it. Who wouldn’t?
When did you make the change from John Hammond. . . or what caused the change from John Hammond?
John Hammond. He signed me in 1960. He signed me to Columbia Records. I think he produced my first album. I think he produced my second one, too.
And Tom Wilson was also working at Columbia at the time?
He was. . . you know, I don’t recall how that happened. . . or why that switch took place. I remember at one time I was about to record for Don Law. You know Don Law? I was about to record for Don Law, but I never did. I met Don Law in New York, in 1962 . . . and again recently, last year when I did the John Wesley Harding album I met him down in the studio. He came in . . . he’s a great producer. He produced many of the earlier records for Columbia and also for labels which they had before– – Okeh and stuff like that. I believe he did the Robert Johnson records.
What did you do in the year between Blonde on Blonde and John Wesley Harding?
Well I was on tour part of that time . . . Australia, Sweden . . . an overseas tour. Then I came back. . .and in the spring of that year, I was scheduled to go out–it was One month off, I had a one-month vacation –– I was gonna go back on the road again in July. Blonde on Blonde was up on the charts at this time. At that time I had a dreadful motorcyle accident . . . Which put me away for awhile . . . and I still didn’t sense the importance of that accident till at least a year after that. I realized that it was a real accident. I Mean I thought that I was just gonna get up and go back to doing what I was doing before . . . but I couldn’t do it anymore.
What did I do during that year? I helped work on a film . . . which was supposed to be aired on Stage 67, a television show which isn’t on anymore . . . I don’t think it was on for very long.
What change did the motorcyle accident make?
What change? Well, it . . . it limited me. It’s hard to speak about the change, you Know? It’s not the type of change that one can put into words . . . besides the physical change. I had a busted vertebrae; neck vertebrae. And there’s really not much to talk about. I don’t want to talk about it.