Bob Dylan Is Now a Freewheelin’ Tweeter
You thought Bob Dylan going electric was crazy? Here’s some shock and awe for the digital age: Our favorite iconoclastic weirdo, whose interview frequency is so rare it lends itself to its own type of subterranean blues, is now tweeting random musings and stories from his official account for the first time. The fun started on September 25, when Dylan deviated from his page’s management-run house style and tweeted out of the blue: “Happy Birthday Mary Jo! See you in Frankfort.” (The identity of Mary Jo, despite some searching from top Dylan scholars, turned up empty.) This was followed up with a September 30 tweet about comedy star Bob Newhart, whose death two months prior seemed to elude the perpetually touring Dylan. “I just found out the other day that Bob Newhart was gone. Rest in peace Bob,” he wrote. “You brought us a lot of joy.” And finally, on October 1, Dylan gave a local restaurant a ringing endorsement that might eclipse a Michelin star. “Last time in New Orleans we ate at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant on the corner of North Miro and Orleans,” he penned. “If you’re ever there I highly recommend it.”
The motivation for Dylan’s sudden interest in offering a 280-character-limit glimpse into his mop of a mind palace is unclear. (Vulture has confirmed that the tweets are authentic and written by Dylan himself.) While occasional tweets have been signed by Dylan over the few years, they’ve mostly taken the form of succinct condolences for deceased peers, such as Robbie Robertson and Little Richard. Substantive interviews are far less common with Dylan only giving time to the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to coincide with his recent projects. (Both interviews yielded a fantastic potpourri of Dylan minutiae. Among the revelations: He loves Dunkin’ Donuts, Father Brown, and believes the Eagles’ “Pretty Maids All in a Row” is among the best songs ever recorded.) We await you, fourth tweet.
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