Seth Rogovoy's Blog, page 10

Vanity Fair, December 2009

"Seth Rogovoy testifies that Jewish texts and prophetic tradition — not born-again Christianity — influenced Bob Dylan."  – Elissa Schappell, "Hot Type," VANITY FAIR, December 2009

The window of the Bookloft in Great Barrington, Mass.

I love the Bookloft in Great Barrington, Mass. They are so supportive of local writers, and the staff are real book

A window display at the Bookloft in Great Barrington, Mass.

lovers. Several of them also happen to be huge Bob Dylan fans. Lucky for me. Look what they've done to a store window. I'm doing a reading and booksigning there on Fri, Dec. 4, at 7pm.

Author Interview on Examiner.com Part 2

On the day of publication of BOB DYLAN: Prophet, Mystic, Poet, Examiner.com Bob Dylan columnist Harold Lepidus files the second of his two-part interview with Seth Rogovoy.

Author Interview on Examiner.com

The first installment of a two-part, in-depth interview with me about BOB DYLAN: Prophet, Mystic, Poet, conducted by Examiner's Bob Dylan columnist, Harold Lepidus, has been posted here.

So Is He Christian or Jewish? Who knows?

My friend and colleague Harold Lepidus, who writes the Bob Dylan column for examiner.com, addresses a recent news report that refers to Dylan as a "devout Christian" here. Harold interviewed me on the question of Dylan's religious affiliation, a question often addressed to me for obvious reasons, given the theme of my book.  Read Harold's report.

Jewish Journal: "the historical resonances are fascinating"

Writing in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, critic Steve Weinberg had this to say about BOB DYLAN: Prophet, Mystic, Poet:

For readers who care little about the Jewish influences on Dylan's songwriting, Rogovoy's book is nonetheless a fine text for understanding Dylan's life, inside and outside recording studios and stage performances. Sure, plenty of other critical analyses purporting to explain Dylan's artistry have been published, and so have several worthy full-life biographies...

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album: What Good Is It? (Part 4)

The fourth and final installment of my series of posts about Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart can now be read in its entirety on the Jewish Book Council's author blog. In this final post, I summarize my thoughts on the meaning of the recording and my feelings about its musical value.

First Amazon.com customer review: "It's a great one."

The very first customer review of BOB DYLAN: Prophet, Mystic, Poet was posted this morning. The review is by Martha Frankel, who is herself the author of the fascinating gambling memoir, Hats and Eyeglasses. In her review, Frankel says "Dylan fans will marvel at Rogovoy's intuitive understanding of the man and his music."

The Meaning of Bob Dylan's Christmas Album: The Music (Part 3)

Almost lost in all the commotion surrounding Bob Dylan's new Christmas album, Christmas In the Heart — his first charity album, as the proceeds from all sales are being donated to hunger charities, according to his website — is a fair consideration of the music itself: where it sits in the context of Dylan's overall output, and how it relates to the decades-old genre of Christmas recordings by popular music artists.

Read more of the third in my four-part series about Bob Dylan's Christmas...

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album: The Jewish Contribution to the 'Holiday' Genre (Part 2)

The second post of my four-part series examining Bob Dylan's Xmas album, Christmas in the Heart, in the context of his work as well as in the greater contest of American pop music history, is now available here.

After reading it, be sure to view the brand-new video for the album's single, "Must Be Santa," to see what Xmas eve is like at Bob Dylan's place.