The Unreliable Narrator Strikes Again

So the raging Dylan discussion going on in the comments made me finally get around to posting about Chronicle Vol 1. I have to admit I was suspicious at first and not really expecting much. Dylan is famous for creating his own mythology, and I fully expected the book to be more of the same. I read it anyway.

I know I shouldn't have been, but I was really surprised at what a great read it is. I was also surprised to find at least two stories in the book that I've heard told straight from people who were there at the time (the most entertaining being the Lanois Dobro episode). I have to say I think Dylan is shooting pretty straight this time. Of course, I suppose I don't really care either way. I am a fan, after all.

I realize he purposefully wrote about Oh Mercy and New Morning instead of Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde, but I have hopes we get the return of Lanois (and the dobro!) in Vol. 2. The dobro story and his wish that he would have invited Dickinson to the session look like forshadowing to me. . . The story goes that Bob brought a dobro to the Time Out of Mind sessions and taunted the producer with it when the powers-that-be tried to strong arm him.

And like Dr. Sax, I'm afraid the whole counting 3s instead of 2s thing went right over my head.