This is a remarkable book, one of the few truly original ways of looking at Bob Dylan that I've seen in recent years. What Marshall gives you is not so much fresh interpretations of individual Dylan songs, but rather a completely rethought context for understanding the whole of Dylan's career, analysing the social and cultural structures which both constrained and enabled Dylan's creativity. By concentrating on the phenomenon of Dylan as a "star," Marshall opens up many fascinating approaches, not least (in the strongest passages of the book) in his brilliant discussion of the Never Ending Tour. This book will be a critical benchmark for Dylan scholars, as well as a provocative delight for fans of rock's definitive star.

Acknowledgements

The theoretical bit

1 Introduction

2 Stardom, Authorship and the Meaning of Songs

Snapshot: The man of the people

3 Folk Stardom: Star as Ordinary, Star as Special

Snapshot: The chameleon poet

4 Rock Stardom: Reconciling Culture and Commerce

Snapshot: The retiring father

5 Beyond Stardom: Rock History and Canonisation

Snapshot: The rock legend

6 Declining Stardom: Nostalgia and the 'Death of Rock'

Snapshot: The wandering minstrel

7 Redefining Stardom: The Never Ending Tour

Snapshot: The soul of previous times

8 Never Ending Stardom: Dylan after

Time Out Of Mind

Notes

Bibliography

List of Interviews

Copyright Acknowledgements

Index