dylanprophet.com » Bob Dylan: Prophet

Vanity Fair, December 2009

srogovoy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:49:11 +0000

“Seth Rogovoy testifies that Jewish texts and prophetic tradition — not born-again Christianity — influenced Bob Dylan.” – Elissa Schappell, “Hot Type,” VANITY FAIR, December 2009

Bob Dylan’s Christmas Album: The Jewish Contribution to the ‘Holiday’ Genre (Part 2)

srogovoy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:04:20 +0000

The second post of my four-part series examining Bob Dylan’s Xmas album, Christmas in the Heart, in the context of his work as well as in the greater contest of American pop music history, is now available here.

After reading it, be sure to view the brand-new video for the album’s single, “Must Be Santa,” to see what Xmas eve is like at Bob Dylan’s place.

The Book Tour Begins: Springfield, Mass., and NYC

srogovoy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:56:33 +0000

Hot on the heels of a rave review in Library Journal and a great plug in Vanity Fair, I’m about to embark upon the first week of my so-called book tour, beginning tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 16) night with an author event (multimedia performance, which I’m calling Bob Dylan’s Mystical Midrash) at the Springfield [Mass.] Jewish Community Center at 7, as part of its 2009 Jewish Book Fair, followed the next night with a private party in New York City. No word yet if Bob Dylan, who will be in town that night to do his own multimedia performance, will be attending that event.

Booksigning @ Chapters Bookstore, Pittsfield, Mass.

srogovoy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:48:33 +0000

December 15, 2009
6:00 pm	to	7:30 pm

Chapters Bookstore
78 North Street
Pittsfield, Mass.
413. 443.2665

Multimedia Performance @ The Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, Mass.

srogovoy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:45:22 +0000

December 12, 2009
3:00 pm	to	5:00 pm

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
14 Castle Street
Great Barrington, Mass.
413.528.0100

Radio interview @ WAMC Northeast Public Radio

srogovoy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:34:46 +0000

December 11, 2009
10:00 am	to	10:30 am

WAMC Northeast Public Radio
“The Roundtable” with Joe Donahue

Booksigning @ The Bookstore, Lenox, Mass.

srogovoy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:30:11 +0000

December 8, 2009
5:00 pm	to	7:00 pm

The Bookstore
11 Housatonic St.
Lenox, Mass
413.637.3390

Booksigning @ The Bookloft, Great Barrington, Mass.

srogovoy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:25:25 +0000

December 4, 2009
7:00 pm	to	8:30 pm

The Bookloft
332 Stockbridge Rd
Great Barrington, Mass
413.528.1521

Booksigning @ Water Street Books, Williamstown, Mass.

srogovoy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:24 +0000

December 3, 2009
6:00 pm	to	7:30 pm

Water Street Books
26 Water St
Williamstown, Mass.
413.458.8071

“Entertaining, intelligent, and surprisingly accessible” – Library Journal

srogovoy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:50:54 +0000

Library Journal

Bob Dylan’s lyrics have been dissected and analyzed in a host of recent works, but Rogovoy (The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music, from the Old World to the Jazz Age to the Downtown Avant-Garde) offers an original perspective in this welcome addition.

He explores the influence of the Bible, the Talmud, and the Kabbalah on Dylan’s songwriting, uncovering references to these texts in each of Dylan’s 33 studio albums, up through 2009′s Together Through Life.

Rogovoy’s research adds fresh insight into iconic songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “Forever Young,” providing a deeper understanding of Dylan’s Jewish influences.

Chronological album-by-album and song-by-song analyses make up the book’s core, and Rogovoy gives just enough biographical context to argue convincingly that Judaism strongly influences Dylan’s life and lyrics.

VERDICT Entertaining, intelligent, and surprisingly accessible, this book complements Michael J. Gilmour’s Tangled Up in the Bible and Christopher Ricks’s Dylan’s Visions of Sin.

Highly recommended to all music scholars and Dylan aficionados.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia