In January 1971, Bob Dylan rang AJ Weberman, an obsessive fan prone to searching through Dylan's dustbins. They spoke not once but twice, and Weberman taped the conversations, which achieved notoriety when they circulated privately among collectors. Now, for the first time, the world gets the chance...
In January 1971, Bob Dylan rang AJ Weberman, an obsessive fan prone to searching through Dylan’s dustbins. They spoke not once but twice, and Weberman taped the conversations, which achieved notoriety when they circulated privately among collectors. Now, for the first time, the world gets the chance to hear them on CD. Never can a major star have had quite such a bizarre and candid encounter with a deranged fan. Unaware that he’s being bugged, Dylan bullies, mocks and cajoles his persecutor in an attempt to make him desist. At one point, Dylan tells Weberman he’s going to write a song about him called “Pig” and threatens to have badges made up with the word superimposed on Weberman’s face. “You go through garbage like a pig. You’re a pig mentality,” Dylan taunts. It’s hilarious, but also somewhat sinister. And it could never happen today.