Recently on my website I wrote an article on how to go about becoming a Bob Dylan fan. Know this is only for people who really don't know much about Dylan but want to learn. This is how I did and I'm sure other people have their own recommendations but anyway here were go.
Step One: Go buy a greatest hits CD. There are plenty out their and before you can get to know Dylan it is s a good idea to have a overall understanding of his music through out his carrier.
Step Two: Find the albums with the songs that you like on them and buy them. Try to get a couple different songs from a couple different stages of his carrier, like his early folk music, his rock revival in 66' or his more recent blues/jazz work.
Step Three: Watch some of the movies and documentary out their about Dylan. The movie I'm Not Their is a unique way to tell a biography, but then again Dylan is a very unique individual. A great watch is the Scorsese documentary No Direction Home. It gives a great overview of what Dylan was going through from his early days to his hiatus from music following his motorcycle crash.
Step Four: Read a book about the man. Their are plenty, I would recommend the Chronicles by Dylan himself or the Essential Interviews by James Cott, which has over 31 amazing Bob Dylan interviews over the course of his carrier.
Step Five: Seen the man in concert. Some say he lost his voice but as someone who has seen him in the last three years I can tell you it is an experience that cannot be missed.
Step Six: Repeat steps two through five. A carrier that spans five decades has a lot to be heard. It can't be done in a day or a month it is something that will take you years. I have been doing this for ten years and I'm still learning more. So for the person that wants to understand the life of Dylan, well that is impossible the man is a mystery, but here is a start.
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