Bob Dylan has spoken briefly about the working methods behind new album ‘The Tempest’.
Celebrating fifty years in the public eye, Bob Dylan remains an intensely inscrutable figure. Only rarely granting interviews, the songwriter is a past master at revealing information purely to obscure certain facets of his life.
So comments made to Rolling Stone this month shouldn’t really be taken at face value. Bob Dylan spoke to the magazine about the creation of ‘The Tempest’ and specifically it’s 13 minute long title cut.
Written about the sinking of the Titanic, the epic work is in part inspired by The Carter Family’s American folk classic ‘The Great Titanic’. Naturally, though, Dylan had to throw a few curveballs and began referencing Leonardo Di Caprio…
“Yeah, Leo. I don’t think the song would be the same without him” he told the magazine, not doubt with tongue firmly in cheek.
Continuing, Dylan shed a little light on his songwriting. “People are going to say, ‘Well, it’s not very truthful’. But a songwriter doesn’t care about what’s truthful. What he cares about is what should’ve happened, what could’ve happened. That’s its own kind of truth. It’s like people who read Shakespeare plays, but they never see a Shakespeare play. I think they just use his name.”
As yet, little else is known about the album – although one musician did break cover.. During a recent interview with the Aspen Times, Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo revealed that he had recently entered the studio with the seminal rock poet.
Speaking about the experience, Hidalgo said: “It was a great experience. And different. Each one has been different, all completely different approaches. It’s an amazing thing, how he keeps creativity. I don’t see how he does it”.
‘Tempest’ is set to be released on September 10th.
