Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes
Consider Big Pink, a modest house considered hallowed ground by some rock ’n’ roll enthusiasts. Nestled on a quiet dirt road about 100 miles north of New York City, in the wooded village of West Saugerties, sits a home with pastel siding, precious to music historians ever since members of the Band rented and wrote music there from 1967 to early 1968. In addition to composing much of their seminal debut album “Music From Big Pink” in the house, the musicians famously recorded “The Basement Tapes” with Bob Dylan in — where else — the basement. Both albums are considered to be among the artists’ most influential works.
Donald LaSala, Big Pink’s current owner, bought the home in 1998 as a second home but didn’t start renting it out for short-term stays until 2014, when online rental platforms gained popularity and the “Catskills boom” turned the house into a local tourist attraction. “We never wanted it to be a ‘Dylan Disneyland,’” LaSala said. “It’s always been a living house in nature where creatives can retreat, and we try to present it that way.”
Available to rent for about $550 a night with a two-night minimum on Vrbo, LaSala said that, until recently, most guests booked a stay at Big Pink because of its history and the nostalgia it evoked. Its renters were a mix of what LaSala describes as “Dylanologists,” fans of the Band, musicians looking for inspiration, and the hosts of high school and college reunions or family gatherings. “Most visitors had a memory associated with the music,” he said. “The house looks the same as it did on the album cover. Nothing is the same as it was in 1967, except for Big Pink.”
Pre-coronavirus, the house was booked for months and, in some cases, years in advance. However, beginning in March, nearly all of LaSala’s bookings were canceled through August. “The pandemic hit us hard,” he said. Fortunately, his typical guests were quickly replaced by a new variety. “Most people were flying in from somewhere else to stay at Big Pink, but for the first time, we had renters from New York City who just needed a place to stay.”