NOW DIG THIS

Before heading into the further reaches of the Bobverse, heed the example of The Dylanologists (Simon & Schuster, 2017), David Kinney’s exploration of Dylan’s hyper-fixated fanbase. Long famed for their presenteeism (particularly during the frenzied mid-years of the Neverending Tour, much of it recounted here), Kinney’s interviewees are not simply road rats in search of a brush with the master’s garment, but lucid witnesses to what it means to be in thrall to a voice that somehow captures their own. Published before the advent of Genius, The Dylanologists denies us their views on crowd-sourced critical theory (the bane of any interaction between present-day Bobcats), but otherwise this stands up as an absorbing, non-sneery guide to the contact-high delivered by rock’s most absent idol. Conversely, for the dark side of Dylan obsession, watch Tangled Up With Dylan: The Ballad Of A.J. Weberman. This weird encounter with Dylan’s superfan-turnednemesis is on BBC iPlayer for another six months. BP