Bob Dylan Approximately

Bonus EP#17 (Teaser) - Masked and Anonymous (BDA Film Club V)

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#17 - Masked and Anonymous. The full version, as well as all bonus episodes, early access to all episodes, ad-free listening and more, are available to our Bobsessives at patreon.com/bobdylanapproximately for just £5 a month.

Is it possible to watch the film without checking your phone? What’s the difference between a honey badger and a dolphin snagger? Can Bob Dylan walk, talk or do anything normally? Why was he rushed to hospital during filming? Is “a Bob Dylan film” a separate film genre? Why did Ed Harris appear in blackface? Who is Sergei Petrov?

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London.

Produced by Robin Guise.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#17 - Jordan Klepper Contains Multitudes

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This week we welcome Emmy-winning American comedian (and fellow Bobsessive) Jordan Klepper, co-host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

Is I Contain Multitudes the “cleanest on-ramp we’ve had for 15 years”? Is the pairing of Anne Frank and Indiana Jones ludicrous swagger or playful rip-off? Is Key West a tropical paradise or purgatory? Did Jordan find spiritual enlightenment listening to The Basement Tapes while swigging a bottle of champagne? What did he discover when rushing the Beacon Theatre stage?

If you enjoy Bob Dylan Approximately and would like access to all bonus episodes, early access to regular episodes, ad-free listening and more, please consider becoming a Bobsessive for £5 a month at Patreon.com/bobdylanapproximately .

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London.

Produced by Robin Guise.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#16 (Teaser) - Murder Most Foul

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#16 - Murder Most Foul. For access to the full episode, and all other bonus episodes, consider becoming a Bobsessive for £5 a month at Patreon.com/bobdylanapproximately.

Who killed Kennedy? Why spell it G-d? Is it about America’s soul, Lee Harvey Oswald, Houdini, generational trauma or the number 3? What does Nick Cave think? Can you spot the Warren Zevon reference? How many Dylan songs begin with “Twas”? Does the Rough and Rowdy Ways album form a genre of its own? Is it pronounced Sooz or Suzy?

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London.

Produced by Robin Guise.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#16 - Man in the Long Black Diamond Coat

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What rhymes with “floor” in Black Diamond Bay? What really annoys Dan about the song? What costs less than dessert at a decent restaurant? Why did Joseph Conrad’s picture appear on the album sleeve? How does a clinical psychologist end up directing Sam Shepard and writing with Bob Dylan? What time was Walter Cronkite’s evening news programme?

Was the man in the long, black coat Bible John or Robert Mitchum? Why does Dylan deliberately play his harmonica out of tune in so many songs? How does one song manage to evoke the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness? Why did PETA campaign against use of the phrase “beating on a dead horse”?

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London.

Produced by Robin Guise.

Engineer: Roisin King.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#15 (TEASER) - Desert Island Dylan (Part III)

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#15 - Desert Island Dylan (Part III). For access to the full episode, and all other bonus episodes, consider becoming a Bobsessive for £5 a month at Patreon.com/bobdylanapproximately.

Desert Island Dylan (Part III)... In which Kerry and Dan each choose their final two Desert Island Dylan

songs, with added bells and whistles.

What’s the major problem with listening to a song like Red River Shore? What do Kostya, Heathcliff and Dylan have in common? How did Kerry’s Hollyoaks audition go? Why do lotus flowers only grow in muddy water? Will the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour ever end? How does the name “Jeff” figure in the lore of the podcast?

How can an album as weird as John Wesley Harding end up as a musical hug? Who’s sexier, Bob or Leonard Cohen? Who wants it darker? Which song inspired Bob Dylan Approximately to come into being? Why does Kerry repeatedly call The Bob Dylan Center “The Bob Dylan Museum”? Which director do we both choose for our Desert Island Dylan Films?

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London.

Produced by Robin Guise.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#15 - 4th Time Around, I Paid in Blood

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This episode is also available in video format over on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XdJM50QwYY0

Was Dylan taking the piss out of the Beatles with 4th Time Around? Who feels with their thumbs? Who doesn’t listen to lyrics? Where do we stand on Evil Spotify? Drawer or drawers? Crutch or crotch? Who is right about the Beatles, Kerry or Dan? Was Edie Sedgwick “Blonde on Blonde”? Why does the narrator gallantly offer his last piece of gum?

Who said, in a promotional interview, “all these evil motherfuckers can rot in Hell”? Did Bob manage to integrate his shadow side in Pay In Blood? Why do boxers sometimes blow each other a kiss? Is the band Kiss one of Dylan’s influences? Is Ovid? What was the Lake Sasaginnigak incident? Who do you believe: Adele or Bob? Where is the Southern Zone?

If you enjoy this podcast, please consider becoming a Bobsessive for £5 a month at patreon.com/bobdylanapproximately . For £5 a month you get a access to all bonus episodes, early access to all episodes, ad-free listening and more.

Song 1: 4th Time Around - https://open.spotify.com/track/4i4oDSWluhViEzuYIZYtmJ?si=3a2d882c3f454e96

Song 2: Pay in Blood - https://open.spotify.com/track/7D1GycSf7qgYN4WgplOn0E?si=3ad64bdc9b074458

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London.

Producer: Robin Guise.

Engineer: Roisin King.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#14 (TEASER) - Desert Island Dylan (Part II)

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser for Bonus EP#14 - Desert Island Dylan (Part II), in which Daniel and Kerry each choose three more Dylan songs to take to a Desert Island. For full access visit pattern.com/bobdylanapproximately and for £5 a month you can become a Bobsessive.

How does Barbra Streisand figure in Kerry’s choice of Mr Tambourine Man (the Budokan version)? Was he cast in her movie because he was “a good actor”? Why did a mysterious love affair cause him to move across the Atlantic? What does Dylan’s taste in drummers have to do with Stanley Kubrick directing a film trailer? Where were you on 9/11?

Why does Born In Time remind Dan of being heartbroken (and mugged) in Paris? What’s the song that non-Dylan-lovers imitate when they take the piss out of his singing? How does I Want You make us feel safe? On which album cover does Bob resemble an uncool orthodontist? Which song did Dan play first when he got his phone returned to him in rehab?

Recorded at Cathouse Studio, Islington, London.

Producer: Robin Guise.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#14 - Most of the Time, There's No Time to Think

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Is “No Time To Think” a poem, a random word dream or a proper song? Which cover version unlocked it for Kerry? Why does it remind Dan of a Toto tune? Do we call it “a beautiful poetic explosion” or “vomit”? Is it the weirdest ode to a mid-life divorce crisis ever written, a cleverly disguised hatchet job on Albert Grossman or all of the above?

Why does Dan repeatedly reference Ernest Hemingway in the introduction to Most of the Time? What musical element in the song’s video hurt Kerry’s brain? What’s the secret of the bass line? Is the song’s bridge “a sign of desperation”? Where does Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” fit in? Did the Picasso exhibition at the Tate Modern remind you of Dylan?

Song 1: No Time to Think https://open.spotify.com/track/2WEE10JUB0IuuTKluMyYXG?si=f32338ececfe44e1

Song 2: Most of the Time https://open.spotify.com/track/7wLzlhL0tb3GhPhnIz7IpQ?si=53b4975831b24307

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London.

Producer: Robin Guise.

Engineer: Roisin King.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#13 (TEASER) - Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (or "Where's his scrotum?") (BDA Film Club IV)

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:56:33 GMT

This is a teaser for Bonus EP#13 - Inside 'Inside Llewyn Davis' (or "Where's his scrotum?"). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now, for just £5 a month.

Are you a Bobsessive? If so, please consider joining us over on Patreon patreon.com/BobDylanApproximately for bonus episodes, early access to all episodes and much more. To further support the podcast, please rate and review via whichever platform you are listening to the podcast, and hit that follow button. Thanks for your listenership!

Recorded at Cathouse Studio, Islington, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Theme music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#13 - Standing in the Doorway, Cryin' 'bout Summer Days

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Where do you come from? Where do you go? If it’s information you want, why ask Bob Dylan? Which F Scott Fitzgerald novel turned Dan on to unreliable narrators? Which track from Simon & Garfunkel’s 'Bookends' does Kerry find terribly strange? Is Bob the cool uncle who takes you for a ride on his chopper, singing “summer days, summer nights are gone…”

When Dylan moans that he’s suffering like a fool - is he referring to the Daniel Lanois soundscape for Standing In The Doorway? Was 1997 the fulcrum of Bob Dylan’s career? What’s the connection between Time Out of Mind and Nick Hornby? How dark is the dark land of the sun? What is it about London that has made both our co-hosts nauseous?

Song 1: Summer Days https://open.spotify.com/track/79u7wxpk5WvcLqiOPj94c2?si=5dcb1286f75e4798

Song 2: Standing in the Doorway https://open.spotify.com/track/2xalFZmyjleCTdhKPxqzdh?si=189ce044bea744fb

If you like this podcast, you may also enjoy Daniel's other podcast where he and Kerry met. It's called Starving Artists, and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts, and follow it on Instagram @starvingartists_pod

Or you might want to check out some of the 80 episodes of Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan, the podcast Kerry previously co-hosted, with guests including Billy Bragg, Stewart Lee and Nish Kumar. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcasts/is-it-rolling-bob-talking-dylan/id1437321669

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London.

Producer: Robin Guise.

Engineer: Roisin King.

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#12 (TEASER) - Desert Island Dylan (Part I)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser for Bonus EP#12 - Desert Island Dylan (Part I). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now, for just £5 a month.

Recorded at Cathouse Studio, Islington, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Theme music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#12 - My Own Version of High Water

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT

How many characters appear in the seven verses of Dylan’s High Water (For Charley Patton)?Can Englishmen pronounce “panties” without raising a larf? Do we finally nail the meaning of “I’m no pig without a wig”? Is sardonic “2001” Bob cooler than snarky “1965” Bob? Who is sexier: 2001 Bob or 1965 Bob? Is “Love and Theft” bleaker than Time Out of Mind?

Is Dylan the Master of Terror? In My Own Version of You, what exactly is a robot commando? Is there no success like failure? Why does yer man call electricity ‘lectricity? What are the numbers between 1 and 2? What did Paul McCartney bring to Jerome? And who is Jerome?What’s the difference between Vincent Price and Stewie Griffin?

Song 1: High Water (For Charley Patton) https://open.spotify.com/track/1r6IfDCKm3YqPo5UyFvSMv?si=d728e33bac794f35

Song 2: My Own Version of You https://open.spotify.com/track/3BQnez3qUm6hdKwxXly7Rw?si=f6af6b99454044f9

Record at Lipsync Post, Soho, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Engineer: Roisin King

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FREE BONUS EPISODE! - Chronicles (Volume One) (Part I) (BDA Book Club I)

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:10:44 GMT

Today we offer you a free bonus episode, on us here at Bob Dylan Approximately. This was Bonus Episode 6 that came out in early November 2025. Listen as we start out our 3-part epic deep dive into Bob Dylan's 'memoir' 'Chronicles (Volume One').

If you enjoy our bonus content, please consider becoming a Bobsessive over on our Patreon. We release episodes weekly to our Patrons, as well as early access to all regular episodes, and ad-free listening. For less than the price of a pint per month you can support us in making the podcast as good as it can possibly be. Thank you.

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London.

Produced by Robin Guise

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#11 (TEASER) - That Dylan Scorsese Netflix Thing (BDA Film Club III)

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#11 - That Dylan Scorsese Netflix Thing (BDA Film Club III). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now, for just £5 a month.

How does Martin Scorsese pronounce “Martin Scorsese”? Is Allen Ginsberg really a fantastic dancer? What’s the point of leaving a legacy? Which London drama school did “Stefan Van Dorp” get kicked out of? Did the Rolling Thunder film dent the Netflix charts? Who is the mystery woman in the “mental marriage” sequence? (seriously, let us know…)

Recorded at Cathouse Studio, Islington, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Theme music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#11 - Talkin' World War III Hollis Brown Blues

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Was America Great when Dylan wrote The Ballad of Hollis Brown? What links the song to Othello’s pal, Iago? What’s the difference between being broke and having nothing? How did Dylan make that stabbing sound on his guitar? Who stole Ronnie Wood’s duvet? Which Bluegrass band named themselves after a brand of bib overalls?

How does Talkin’ World War III Blues make use Shakespeare’s iambic verse? How does Donovan feature in the live version of the song? What’s with the lyrics on the official Dylan website? Is Dylan registered to vote? Does he prefer answers or questions? Is sex dirty? Did Abraham Lincoln say that? Where does Daniel Day-Lewis fit in?

Song 1: Ballad of Hollis Brown https://open.spotify.com/track/3Si9u9FVlUTcUXVcawnstJ?si=d65b1bd2cf644d25

Song 2: Talkin' World War III Blues https://open.spotify.com/track/0ePDsEDDIPZNpbwRUEXKoX?

si=6f8119025584499d

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Engineer: Roisin King

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#10 (TEASER) - Yea! Heavy & A Pack of Wild Geese (The Second Pilot Episode)

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:43:29 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#10 - Yea! Heavy & A Pack of Wild Geese (The Second Pilot Episode). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now, for just £5 a month.

What is it with Dylan and Rome? How did The Band's version of the song come to feature Coca-Cola? Why did the Romans keep a pack of wild geese? Who are the real mighty kings of the jungle? What’s the song’s possible connection with drug addiction? What’s the definite connection with Tommy James and the Shondells?

How did Dylan manage to stay in Woodstock? Is Yea! Heavy & A Bottle of Bread about Bob re-joining his pirate buddies on the road? Which is more disgusting, blood or pus? What quality do Levon and Bob have in common? How do foreign cover versions open up Dylan’s songs? Has Dylan ever left his absurdist period?

Our bad: “Crimson and Clover was released in ’68, not ’65

Song 1: Yea! Heavy & A Pack of Wild Geese https://open.spotify.com/track/4daGDsq2Gv4qeGR3uYpQoy?si=45162d6aaba84103

Song 2: When I Paint My Masterpiece https://open.spotify.com/track/2AvzdZW3p6eouVGk2F9QnV?si=50406b06ede740fb

Hank Shizzoe’s cover version of “Yea, Heavy & A Bottle of Bread”.https://open.spotify.com/track/4wZmAqa0vGqWsgtOSKhB7J?si=bdd9d43eaf5b4785

Recorded at Cathouse Studio, Islington, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Edited by: Daniel Crespin

Theme music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#10 - Every Grain of Nish Kumar

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 01:00:00 GMT

Has our special guest, comedian Nish Kumar, officially entered his “Every Grain of Sand” era? What does screenwriting guru Robert McKee have to say about the song? Which small seed-eating bird was used as a cheap source of protein in Biblical times? Why did Nish try to avoid seeing Dylan in concert after 2002? Does he think Bob and Nick Cave have a duty to engage more fully with politics? Why does Nish owe Kerry a thank you? Is Daily Show guest host Jordan Klepper listening to (or watching) BDA?

We are delighted to welcome Nish to the podcast this week. Nish has achieved huge success on the stand-up circuit with five rave reviewed solo stand-up shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, two of which have been nominated for the prestigious Comedy Award for Best Show in both 2015 & 2016.

Alongside stand-up Nish is a frequent voice and face across both television and radio, following a successful pilot in 2016, Nish completed two series of his own topical show for BBC Radio 4, Spotlight Tonight, which he also hosts as well as hosting both The News Quiz, Newsjack and Pod Save the U.K.

Link to the Guardian article Nish references: https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/mar/25/features.review7

Nish’s song Choice: Every Grain of Sand https://open.spotify.com/track/6MfOFYmw1TD9QDFSu0TEN1?si=b4c8ef59b605493a

Recorded at Lipsync Post, Soho, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Engineer/Editor: Rob Hughes

Additional Editing by Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#9 (TEASER) - Floating and Wiggling (The First Pilot Episode)

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#9 - Floating and Wiggling (The First Pilot Episode). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now for just £5 a month.

This was our first ever pilot episode, recorded back in March 2025.

Who is this Floater guy? Does his second cousin realise he’s in love with her? Who sang ‘I saw you Talkin’ with Christopher Walken’? What do Dean Martin and the Stanley Brothers have in common? What do fans of Dylan and Tom Waits have in common? Is it too much to ask what ‘too much to ask’ means?

Has ‘Wiggle Wiggle’ been correctly reviled by fans and critics? Or is it an unfairly maligned gem, detailing in code the secrets of his creative process? Do you find it sickening? Sexual? Embarrassing? All of the above? Then why did Bob choose to play it in concert 100 times? Most importantly, can a bowl of soup actually wiggle?

Recorded at Cathouse Studios, Islington, London

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

If you like this podcast, you may also enjoy Daniel’s other podcast where he and Kerry met. It’s called Starving Artists, and you can find it wherever you get your podcasts, or follow it on instagram @starvingartists_pod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#9 - I Want a Danville Girl

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Was Dylan’s voice “at its peak of nasality” on I Want You? How does it figure in A Complete Unknown? Why was the lonesome organ grinder crying? Who was Joni Mitchell’s biggest influence as a songwriter? What’s the possible Brian Jones connection? Who said, “love and sex hang everybody up… it’s just whatever two souls happen to be.”

Which album is worse: Knocked Out Loaded or Down In the Groove? Which song is superior: Brownsville Girl or New Danville Girl? Which 80’s Road movie do they remind you of? Who doesn’t love Ruby? What’s the difference between a flea market and a swap meet? Was Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) standing in for Bob Dylan in The Gunfighter?

Song 1: I Want You https://open.spotify.com/track/7tJQ4Ekp2vN3NlI3vJJW3v?si=61eec8b108004c47

Song 2: New Danville Girl https://open.spotify.com/track/2mtFuEkmXvFFirYgkPZqGQ?si=65093657eb9d40d9

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Roisin King

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#8 (TEASER) - Chronicles: Volume One (Part III) (BDA Book Club III)

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP# - Chronicles: Volume One (Part III) (BDA Book Club III). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now for just £5 a month.

Is America still “wrapped up in a blanket of rage”? Which Mohawk/Jewish guitarist stupefied Dylan? What if Bob had played the Woodstock Festival? Who were the “buncha dickheads on autostroke”? Is BD the opposite of Bill Maher and James Joyce? Who was Sun Pie and which Dylan lyric did he write? Why did Allen Ginsberg force Kerry to buy his book?

Bob Dylan Book Club Recommendations:

Dan / Ghost Rider by Neil Peart

Kerry / A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#8 - The Men the Authorities Came to Blame

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Is Dylan’s Lenny Bruce an execrable song, or actually quite good? Which chat show host interviewed both Bob and Lenny? Which seminal album cover featured both of them? What links Peter Cook, Robert de Niro and Bob Fosse? Who is Dylan talking to when he describes Lenny as “more of an outlaw than you ever were?”

Was Rubin Carter ever the Number One contender for the Middleweight crown? Who was the portly Irishman who cried out “My God! They’ve killed them all” in Dylan and Levy’s Hurricane? How many lawsuits were initiated by the song (and the movie)? Which Hollywood actress climbed into the ring with Bob? Who is Winston Watson?

Song 1: Lenny Bruce https://open.spotify.com/track/5d59AKrvfX5vA4gVQAaEBq?si=5542ab3688874259

Song 2: Hurricane https://open.spotify.com/track/1lqMLr9Wj7SM2F9AikGcxN?si=2a74dbf502234f8e

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Roisin King

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#7 (TEASER) - Chronicles: Volume One (Part II) (BDA Book Club II)

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#7 - Chronicles: Volume One (Part II) (BDA Book Club II). The full episode is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now for just £5 a month.

Is this our longest Bonus episode yet? Why did Dylan call the final chapter of his memoir River of Ice? Whose father asked, “don’t artists paint”? Which vocal tricks did Bob learn from Woody Guthrie? Did he really sing “Buffalo Skinners” for John Wayne on a Hawaiian film set? According to the man himself, what’s the proper pronunciation of “Suze”?

From which London library did Dan steal his copy of On The Road? Which Roman cemetery houses Keats and Corso? Who wrote of “the forlorn rags of growing old”? Who loves Dostoevsky, Hemingway and Stephen King? Who reveres Michel Faber, Elizabeth Strout and Lyndon Johnson biographies? What do Lincoln, Socrates and Dylan have in common?

Dan's Book Recommendation: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Kerry's Book Recommendation:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#7 - Tomorrow is a Red River Shore

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Do we ever get over our first broken heart? What drove Billy Connolly’s kids crazy? What’s the connection between singing and acting? Between Dylan and Hemingway? Burton and Eastwood? Kerry and Ben Whishaw? How many of Dylan’s greatest songs, like Tomorrow Is A Long Time, have only three chords? Whose hills are alive with the sound of music?

Is The Girl on the Red River shore Dylan’s muse? Or is she the girl from the film “Red River”? Is the sun actually the sun? Why has the “door” lyric in the song been replaced on bobdylan.com? Why has Bob never played the song live? How did Dylan’s studio band members rate it? From which poem did Bob borrow “trapped in the fires of time”?

Song 1: Tomorrow is a Long Time https://open.spotify.com/track/33sjOTo0KW2w7D9jaUA2pg?si=79f7c60d542f4e93

Song 2: Red River Shore https://open.spotify.com/track/429ZGMMQey0I7ga5TSX9k9?si=a732ceba20ee4b03

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Tim Sketchley

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#6 (TEASER) - Chronicles: Volume One (Part I) (BDA Book Club I)

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#6 - Chronicles: Volume One (Part I) (BDA Book Club I). It is available to our Bobsessives over on Patreon right now for just £5 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#6 - Frankie Lee & Judas Priest, Said the Joker to the Thief

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Why are we discussing a Jimi Hendrix tune? Is All Along The Watchtower, Dylan’s most-performed song, a critique of the Music and Acting Industry? Who recorded the most boring cover version? The best? Who in their right mind releases a major album two days after Christmas? How did Elvis come to sing his only Dylan song? Who loves an outlaw? What did Ozzy Osbourne say about the Beatles? What does Daniel Crespin say? What do you say?

What two words from The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest keep us up at night? What did The Saturday Evening Post say about Dylan and his manager? Is Judas Priest a band or a minced oath? What were the terms of Bob’s recording contract after 1967? What do Disraeli Gears, the first Doors album and Donovan’s Greatest Hits have in common?

Song 1: Frankie Lee and Judas Priest https://open.spotify.com/track/1XXHPSNbmHgi8EJvO3yGyd?si=e9872ae97e2e4351

Song 2: A Day in the Life https://open.spotify.com/track/0hKRSZhUGEhKU6aNSPBACZ?si=b00f2e3c6edb48d6

Song 3: All Along the Watchtower https://open.spotify.com/track/0Fnb2pfBfu0ka33d6Yki17?si=493ee084a53d4d70

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Tim Sketchley

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#5 (TEASER) - Don't Look Back (BDA Film Club II)

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 01:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of Bonus EP#5 - Don't Look Back (BDA Film Club II). It is available to our Patreon subscribers right now.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#5 - When David Hepworth Comes In

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

"There's very little you can say about the music industry that's not true", says our first guest, the legendary Mr David Hepworth, in this special extended episode (available in both audio and video formats). But does he really believe that Dylan invented the pop-punk band Busted? Where does he say is the best place to listen to Nick Drake outtakes? Has attending a Bruce Springsteen concert "turned into football"? Who does David think is at the top of the pecking order: Cruise, McCartney, or Dylan? And what's it like walking into a room directly behind Mick Jagger?

David's Song Choice: https://open.spotify.com/track/7hMhO4oenpVkVaM5bNkEbz?si=mIVqMjW0TvSTfQwR7UOHZg

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Tom Stringer

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#4 (TEASER) - I'm Not There/A Complete Unknown (BDA Film Club I)

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of the first ten minutes of Bonus EP#4 - I'm Not There/A Complete Unknown (BDA Film Club I). It is available to our Patreon subscribers right now.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#4 - Lily, Rosemary, Jack & Tony Perkins

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Why did Mandy Patinkin use his Johnny Cash voice when covering 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts'? Has there ever been a more unreliable narrator than Bob Dylan? Or a more out-of-tune harmonica intro? Was Bob's acting in 'Masked and Anonymous' awful, or way ahead of its time? Was Rocky Raccoon a Dylan tribute song? Do pen-knives actually kill?

Is 'Motorpsycho Nitemare' the first draft of 'Bob Dylan's 115th Dream?' How does Rita - the farmer's daughter - manage to look like Anita Ekberg and Tony Perkins simultaneously? Why does the song's protagonist dig Fidel Castro's beard specifically and cows in general? Can an "unpatriotic, rotten, Doctor, Commie rat" actually pound a farmhouse?

Song 1: Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts https://open.spotify.com/track/4MKun9QQhoapVvhp2uxJif?si=52fcd279bb0e4e51

Song 2: Motorpsycho Nitemare https://open.spotify.com/track/0ioneAuNJzdZmKCOi9XaYN?si=8256b049438149b8

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Nevan Brothers

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS EP#3 (TEASER) - Dylan and Women (Part II)

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 09:55:24 GMT

This is a teaser of the first ten minutes of Bonus EP#3 - Dylan and Women (Part II). It is available to our Patreon subscribers right now.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#3 - Beyond Here Lies Jokerman

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Who was Dylan’s first choice to produce Infidels? The spirit of which Beat poet lurks behind the lyrics to Jokerman? Do I smell goats roasting over fire and brimstone, or is it my imagination? Have you heard the one about the old man in the church who faced down the Devil? What’s the story behind Dylan and the Plugz on Late Night with Letterman?

Why does ‘Why Dylan Matters’ by Richard F. Thomas matter? If every window’s made of glass, why does Dylan bother mentioning it? What’s the point of the violence in the Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ video? Is the song romantic or anti-romantic? Where does the Together Through Life cover art come from? Does Dylan have an exile obsession?

Song 1: Jokerman https://open.spotify.com/track/6cuHkcRUqtQhtJ4sWCkd1q?si=b9401c7c3ba2481b

Song 2: Beyond Here Lies Nothin' https://open.spotify.com/track/5pAWVctic0ClLM714mmqAI?si=7103e09f5f9c40d1

Are you a Bobsessive? If so, please consider joining us over on Patreon patreon.com/BobDylanApproximately for bonus episodes, early access to all episodes and much more. To further support the podcast, please rate and review via whichever platform you are listening to the podcast. Thanks for your listenership!

Follow us on Instagram @bobdylanapproximately

Follow us on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BobDylanApproximately

Or you might want to check out some of the 80 episodes of Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan, the podcast Kerry previously co-hosted, with guests including Billy Bragg, Stewart Lee and Nish Kumar. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/is-it-rolling-bob-talking-dylan/id1437321669

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Nevan Brothers

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#2 (TEASER) - Dylan and Women (Part I)

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of the first ten minutes of Bonus EP#2 - Dylan and Women (Part I). It is available to our Patreon subscribers right now.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#2 - Highway 61 Through Mississippi

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Who is Rosie? Who said, “Polyrhythm has its place but it doesn’t work for knife-like lyrics trying to convey majesty and heroism”? Was Bob writing about the state of Mississippi, the state of the nation or the state of a relationship? Or Elvis? Is the older, sardonic, raised-eyebrow Dylan superior to the younger, sneery Bob?

Who wrote about Highway 61 that “it was my place in the universe. Always felt like it was in my blood”? Whose grandfather and uncle were Mack the Finger and Louis the King? Where does boxing fit into the story? What’s with all those numbers? Was Dylan hip to Lord Buckley’s jive? And how does he have the balls to keep on keepin’ on?

Song 1: Mississippi https://open.spotify.com/track/6iCUV1fm0Ag3Jg8zFniarc?si=373f30009de044c9

Song 2: Highway 61 Revisited https://open.spotify.com/track/6os5B6xjuke9YfBKH3tu1e?si=bd351ea6e0e247a1

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Roisin King

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus EP#1 (TEASER) - What is This Shit?

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This is a teaser of the first ten minutes of Bonus EP#1 - What is This Shit? It is available to our Patreon subscribers right now, as well as early access to Episode 2 - Highway 61 Through Mississippi.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EP#1 - Time Passes Slowly, Señor

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Who is Señor and why won’t he answer questions? What was the Lincoln County War? Who was Marvin Mitchelson? What did he invent? What did Dan find himself apologising about at LAMDA? What life advice did Kerry receive from Sir Toby Belch at the Old Vic Theatre? Why is there no harmonica on Street-Legal? Who was the old man on the train?

Is New Morning an album of domestic bliss or spiritual death? What do Dustin Hoffman, Harry Dean Stanton and Oedipus have to do with Time Passes Slowly? Did young Bobby Z play a non-speaking Roman soldier in a touring passion play? Why are the fish floating, not swimming? How scary is nature and what did Woody Allen have to say about it?

Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) : https://open.spotify.com/track/1OfDlFzUCAo0v83TgHKRaq?si=9137bf5d1f8c4503

Time Passes Slowly: https://open.spotify.com/track/0J2CxlVvgNqAvO3SxwKHUm?si=21d1358170d64f77

Song 1: https://open.spotify.com/track/1OfDlFzUCAo0v83TgHKRaq?si=9137bf5d1f8c4503

Song 2: https://open.spotify.com/track/0J2CxlVvgNqAvO3SxwKHUm?si=21d1358170d64f77

Recorded at Lipsync Post

Engineer: Roisin King

Producer: Robin Guise

Editor: Daniel Crespin

Theme Music: The Haze by Daniel Crespin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.