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Robert Allen Zimmerman, the name his parents gave him, was born in Duluth, MN on this day in 1941.
At some point en route to his iconic status he changed his name to Bob Dylan, on account of his adoration for poet Dylan Thomas, with Bob being the abridged version of Robert.
There’s a famous quote from Rebecca Leung’s 2005 biography Dylan Looks Back that sums up the enigmatic greatness he would master: “You’re born, you know, the wrong names, wrong parents. I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free.”
Truth or not, here’s to you Bobby D, year 77, your forever young LP38, and forever going your own way:
You say you love me
And you’re thinkin’ of me
But you know you could be wrong
You say you told me
That you wanna hold me
But you know you’re not that strong
I just can’t do what I done before
I just can’t beg you anymore
I’m gonna let you pass
And I’ll go last
Then time will tell just who fell
And who’s been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine
Meanwhile, in other news, Don’t Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker’s rockumentary of all rockumentaries, turned 50 this past year, and was recently revealed to have not had been shown in theaters if not for a ‘Porn King’.
