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TUESDAY APRIL 5, 2022
I have cancelled my set of talks in the USA this month, for personal health reasons. I still hope to be in a position to offer a couple of Dylan Discussion Weekends later in the year.
FRIDAY MARCH 18, 2022
The schedule for my USA tour dates next month is now settled in detail. They include my first visit to Lowell MA, my first trip to the state of Iowa, my first talk at a city's public library for 22 years, and a return visit to Lincoln NE. Details here.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19
Two further events have now been confirmed: one at the University of Iowa on the afternoon of April 14, and the other an Iowa City Book Fair event that evening. Details here.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13
Two more events have been added to my USA appearances in April 2022. I'm very pleased to be making a return visit to the campus at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln NE( 7 years after my first visit there), for two talks on Wednesday April 20. More details here.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27
I am doing a gig at Au Manot, Sainte-Dode, France at 3pm on November 7, on "Searching For Blind Willie McTell": a talk with audio tracks. See here for details.
MONDAY OCTOBER 11
While in England last month I managed to get to see my UK publisher and to sign a limited number of copies of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan". These are available at the standard retail price; see the Shop page for details.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23
I'm home from my live appearances at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast and at Oran-Mor Arts Centre in Glasgow. With regret, because of the continued ban on entry to the USA, I have had to postpone my four October dates in Massachusetts, Iowa and Nebraska. I hope to re-schedule these for Spring 2022.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 03
Today is the Official Publication Day of my book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021", 1st edition, UK hardback. You can now buy it from any good bookshop or online outlet. If they don't have it in your favourite shop, order it: tell them the ISBN: 9781901927863.
SATURDAY AUGUST 21
The first of my two events in Switzerland went well this week, and I was able to sign some copies of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan" for the first time, for people who chatted to me and bought them from the merchandise stall. I look forward to the other Swiss event, in Zurich on August 31 - not least to be able to say hello again to Scarlet Rivera (we met first many years ago at a John Green Memorial Dylan Convention in Northampton) and then to being in the UK in September, giving talks, with audio tracks, at the Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (9/9) and at Glasgow's great arts venue Oran-Mor (14/9).
FRIDAY JULY 30
The event I have listed (in Events: Live Appearances) in Bern, Switzerland, has been cancelled - but the two other Swiss events, at Wald and Zurich - are definitely confirmed; and for the Zurich event, Scarlet Rivera has been added to the bill.
MONDAY JULY 12
"Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" is officially published on September 3, 2021, and can be pre-ordered from bookshops and online booksellers now, as well as still being available direct from the publisher.
FRIDAY JULY 2
There's a new video, about the 1978 Bob Dylan tour and when I met Bob Dylan, created by my publisher. It's here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbUTlWP0bIQ
MONDAY MAY 3
My publisher has created a YouTube video to offer some further details about my new book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021"; it goes like this: https://youtu.be/0XzrxFAk7L4
FRIDAY APRIL 30
This is the last day on which you can get a unique, numbered 1st edition UK hardback of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" - my first new book on Dylan for 15 years!
More information and to order, click here:
http://www.route-online.com/all-books/outtakes-on-bob-dylan.html
THURSDAY MARCH 25
My new book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" can now be pre-ordered - and if you order before the end of April you'll get one of the special, individually numbered 1st-edition hardbacks. More information and to order, click here:
http://www.route-online.com/all-books/outtakes-on-bob-dylan.html
FRIDAY MARCH 19
Here's the back cover! And I believe it will be possible to start pre-ordering the book itself next week! Details asap.
I have cancelled my set of talks in the USA this month, for personal health reasons. I still hope to be in a position to offer a couple of Dylan Discussion Weekends later in the year.
FRIDAY MARCH 18, 2022
The schedule for my USA tour dates next month is now settled in detail. They include my first visit to Lowell MA, my first trip to the state of Iowa, my first talk at a city's public library for 22 years, and a return visit to Lincoln NE. Details here.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19
Two further events have now been confirmed: one at the University of Iowa on the afternoon of April 14, and the other an Iowa City Book Fair event that evening. Details here.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13
Two more events have been added to my USA appearances in April 2022. I'm very pleased to be making a return visit to the campus at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln NE( 7 years after my first visit there), for two talks on Wednesday April 20. More details here.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27
I am doing a gig at Au Manot, Sainte-Dode, France at 3pm on November 7, on "Searching For Blind Willie McTell": a talk with audio tracks. See here for details.
MONDAY OCTOBER 11
While in England last month I managed to get to see my UK publisher and to sign a limited number of copies of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan". These are available at the standard retail price; see the Shop page for details.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23
I'm home from my live appearances at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in Belfast and at Oran-Mor Arts Centre in Glasgow. With regret, because of the continued ban on entry to the USA, I have had to postpone my four October dates in Massachusetts, Iowa and Nebraska. I hope to re-schedule these for Spring 2022.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 03
Today is the Official Publication Day of my book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021", 1st edition, UK hardback. You can now buy it from any good bookshop or online outlet. If they don't have it in your favourite shop, order it: tell them the ISBN: 9781901927863.
SATURDAY AUGUST 21
The first of my two events in Switzerland went well this week, and I was able to sign some copies of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan" for the first time, for people who chatted to me and bought them from the merchandise stall. I look forward to the other Swiss event, in Zurich on August 31 - not least to be able to say hello again to Scarlet Rivera (we met first many years ago at a John Green Memorial Dylan Convention in Northampton) and then to being in the UK in September, giving talks, with audio tracks, at the Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (9/9) and at Glasgow's great arts venue Oran-Mor (14/9).
FRIDAY JULY 30
The event I have listed (in Events: Live Appearances) in Bern, Switzerland, has been cancelled - but the two other Swiss events, at Wald and Zurich - are definitely confirmed; and for the Zurich event, Scarlet Rivera has been added to the bill.
MONDAY JULY 12
"Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" is officially published on September 3, 2021, and can be pre-ordered from bookshops and online booksellers now, as well as still being available direct from the publisher.
FRIDAY JULY 2
There's a new video, about the 1978 Bob Dylan tour and when I met Bob Dylan, created by my publisher. It's here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbUTlWP0bIQ
MONDAY MAY 3
My publisher has created a YouTube video to offer some further details about my new book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021"; it goes like this: https://youtu.be/0XzrxFAk7L4
FRIDAY APRIL 30
This is the last day on which you can get a unique, numbered 1st edition UK hardback of "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" - my first new book on Dylan for 15 years!
More information and to order, click here:
http://www.route-online.com/all-books/outtakes-on-bob-dylan.html
THURSDAY MARCH 25
My new book "Outtakes On Bob Dylan: Selected Writings 1967-2021" can now be pre-ordered - and if you order before the end of April you'll get one of the special, individually numbered 1st-edition hardbacks. More information and to order, click here:
http://www.route-online.com/all-books/outtakes-on-bob-dylan.html
FRIDAY MARCH 19
Here's the back cover! And I believe it will be possible to start pre-ordering the book itself next week! Details asap.
TUESDAY MARCH 16
My new book will be published in UK hardback next month. Spanning almost 55 years of wide-ranging writing about Dylan's work, OUTTAKES ON BOB DYLAN will soon be available to pre-order direct from the British publisher. Details on that next week. I'm told the back-cover image might be here by the end of this week.
THURSDAY MARCH 4
More news on my forthcoming book about Bob Dylan's work! It's a selection of essays & other pieces written over almost 55 years: beginning with work of mine done 5 years before the first "Song & Dance Man". It ends with over 24,000 words on "Rough & Rowdy Ways". Cover image soon.
MONDAY MARCH 1
I can now say that I have a new book on Dylan's work coming out later this spring - and it will include my long essay on Rough & Rowdy Ways. More info soon!
MONDAY FEBRUARY 22
I hope to be able to give news soon about where my critique of "Rough & Rowdy Ways", and more besides, will be available to read.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16
I'm happy to announce six new dates for live events of mine: two in Switzerland, one in Northern Ireland, one in Scotland and two in the United States. Some optimism is of course involved, but let's be hopeful. Details are here!
DECEMBER 5
Please note the adjusted dates for my live event BOB DYLAN'S GREATEST REJECTED ALBUM TRACKS are now on the Live Events page. I hope to add more shortly. They are, of course, still dependent on how badly the UK government continues to handle the pandemic.
MONDAY AUGUST 17
All my 2020 live events have now been postponed till 2021, thanks to the combination of venality and incompetence on the part of the UK government in its handling of the Coronavirus. However, the Hebden Bridge and Glasgow events are now clinched for dates in April (21st and 26th respectively), and it's looking very possible that I may be at the CAT Club in Pontefract on April 22. More news when there is any.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 17
I regret to announce that my talk at the Trades Club in October has been postponed, almost certainly till next April. Postponement is not at my behest but because the club has decided it cannot afford to open at all for the rest of 2020, given the restrictions on numbers of punters imposed on them by COVID-19. At the moment, my other gig, at Glasgow on Wednesday October 21, is still on! See here.
SUNDAY MAY 10
Very sorry to learn yesterday of the death of Little Richard. But my obituary of this great artist appears online at The Guardian (UK) today and will be in the print edition tomorrow.
MONDAY APRIL 20
My live event in Glasgow on "Bob Dylan's Greatest Rejected Album Tracks", postponed from the end of this month, will now take place (assuming things are sufficiently normalised by then) in October. So will the event always scheduled for October in Hebden Bridge. Tickets for both gigs are now sale now. See here.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 8
"New Approaches To Bob Dylan", the essays collection based on the papers delivered at the conference in Odense in October 2018 was finally published by University of Southern Denmark Press, including my essay 'Bob Dylan's Affective Symphony: A Personal Testimony'. Given the worldwide reach of the COVID-19 virus it's unknown when the physical paperback copies can be sent out.
SATURDAY MARCH 28
WHILE THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-COVID-19 VIRUS REGULATIONS LAST, NO BOOKS CAN BE SENT OUT AT ALL FROM MY SHOP PAGE. THE ONLY ITEM WE CAN STILL SUPPLY IS THE "CHRONICLES VOL. ONE" INDEX, WHICH IS A PDF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING
TUESDAY MARCH 17
Update: My end-of-April date at Oran-Mor in Glasgow has been postponed because of the coronavirus, but will I hope be re-arranged for some point in the autumn (in the optimistic hope that things will have more or less normalised by then, though this is far from certain). At the moment my date in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, in late October is still listed.
WEDNESDAY FEB 26
The topic for my end-of-April date at Oran-Mor in Glasgow, and for my October date at the Trades Club Hebden Bridge, has now been confirmed; ditto ticket prices. Details here.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21
I've added two more individual dates to my live events this year: I'll be back at Oran-Mor in Glasgow on April 30, and back at the Trades Club Hebden Bridge on October 22nd. Details of topic, start times, ticket price will follow as soon as they've been clinched. For all my 2020 dates, see here.
MONDAY JANUARY 13
Details on the debut of my DYLAN'S GREATEST REJECTED TRACKS event at The Troubadour, London, are just out. Doors open 7.30pm, Starts at 8pm, tickets on sale now: see here.
TUESDAY JANUARY 7, 2020
My first live event of the year has just been finalised: it'll be a return visit to The Troubadour, 263-267 Old Brompton Rd., London, for a talk with audio & footage on "Dylan's Greatest Rejected Album Tracks" on TUESDAY MARCH 10th. Start time and ticket details tba.
MONDAY AUGUST 19
This is the 60th anniversary of the death of the great, great blues musician Blind Willie McTell. We played a track from his very first session - October 1927 - in honour of Willie on Saturday night: the closing night of this year's Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend, which was, for me at least, a highly enjoyable event.
SATURDAY JULY 6
I recorded a podcast for Lucas Hare & Kerry Shale's enterprising Is It Rolling, Bob? series early in June. Part One was issued June 30 and can be accessed here (or via my Interviews page under the Work menu). Part Two will come out tomorrow, July 7 - the day before my event at the Troubadour in Earls Court, London. Details of that are here.
MONDAY JUNE 24
Our August 16-18 Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend is now fully booked. No more places can be made available. However, if you would like to be given first chance at booking for a future such Weekend, please e-mail michael@michaelgray.net and your name will be added to our advance-notice list. (This won't commit you but it will mean you'll be e-mailed ahead of any public announcement of the next Weekend.)
THURSDAY JUNE 20
Announcing our first Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend for two years! This time it's in the middle of summer - August 16-18. (We can only accommodate a max of six people, so if you're interested, please e-mail asap.) All the details are here.
THURSDAY MAY 16
Pleased to say my early July appearance debuting a new talk at another London venue is now clinched. I'm offering "Bob Dylan's London" (talk + great audio tracks & rare footage) at The Troubadour on July 8. Tickets on sale now here.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 3
My dates at the Spring Arts Centre, Havant (Hampshire UK) and Camden Town venue Green Note (London) have now happened: both terrific audiences & good venues, and the latter completely sold out. There is a chance of an early July appearance debuting a new talk at another London venue but this is not yet clinched. Details as and when.
TUESDAY MARCH 19
The vinyl double-album "Big Front Yard" by Big Front Yard has now been released, on Shagrat Records' new label Thylacine: and contrary to what I'd been told, it is a 12", not a 10", release. It's on Thylacine GON4GOOD1. I've received my own copies now and I'm delighted with it. When I think back to how unsuccessful the band was while it existed and see how much real enthusiasm has gone into the new release - enthusiasm for the band's undeniable high quality - I'm touched and gratified. It's only a shame that the main players who made up Big Front Yard are now all dead. Full info on this limited-edition here.
MONDAY MARCH 4 2019
I have news of a limited-edition record about to be released, 45 years after its tracks were recorded:
Big Front Yard is a band I used to manage. It was in the mid-1970s and they and I were all living around the Malvern, Worcestershire area; the band was led by Mike and Steve Dolan, and though my then-wife and I created a record label in order to issue one single by the band, they never broke through to any more than very local success.
Now, the excellent British label Thylacine (new subsidiary of Shagrat Records) is releasing a limited edition - just 300 copies - of a 10” vinyl double-album - and aside from including the fine B-side of that single, all the tracks are previously unreleased and come from my vaults: they've been re-mastered brilliantly by Tony Poole, main man in Starry Eyed & Laughing in days of yore, from my old cassette copies of reel-to-reel recordings made by the band 1973-76, some in London but mostly in a barn in rural Worcestershire.
PS. Two of the songs included on the album have lyrics I wrote for the band: 'Time It Right' and 'No More Angels'.
Release date is Friday 15 March. For more info, and to pre-order the album, see here.
SATURDAY JANUARY 5 2019
I'm doing a mini-tour of talks in the South of England at the end of March. At the moment the two confirmed dates are: Spring Arts Centre in Havant on Thursday evening March 28 and London's Green Note venue Camden Town on Sunday afternoon March 31. Tickets for both are now on sale. Details here.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30
Glad to have received a copy of the beautifully produced book "Visiting Bob: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Bob Dylan", edited by Thom Tommaro & Alan Davis (Moorhead MN: New Rivers Press; paperback published November 1, 2018), for which I was able to provide a back-cover quote.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16
My autumn tour of live events has now finished. I arrived home at just gone midnight last night, having delivered talks (+ audio tracks & video clips) in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England and the Isle of Man.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29
The room has been finalised for my Goldsmiths College London talk "Searching For Blind Willie McTell: A Biographer in the Deep South". This will be in room PSHB 314 [PSHB = Prof. Stuart Hall Building] at 5pm on November 14, and as listed here, admission is free.
MONDAY AUGUST 6
I've added in one more date on my October-November tour: it'll be on "Bob Dylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" at Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, on Tuesday November 6. Details here.
TUESDAY JUNE 26
I've added three November UK dates to my tour: one in Inverness on "Bob Dylan,Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" and two on "Searching For Blind Willie McTell: A Biographer in the Deep South": one in Peel, Isle of Man and the other in London. Details here.
Glad to have received a copy of the beautifully produced book "Visiting Bob: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Bob Dylan", edited by Thom Tommaro & Alan Davis (Moorhead MN: New Rivers Press; paperback published November 1, 2018), for which I was able to provide a back-cover quote.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16
My autumn tour of live events has now finished. I arrived home at just gone midnight last night, having delivered talks (+ audio tracks & video clips) in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England and the Isle of Man.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29
The room has been finalised for my Goldsmiths College London talk "Searching For Blind Willie McTell: A Biographer in the Deep South". This will be in room PSHB 314 [PSHB = Prof. Stuart Hall Building] at 5pm on November 14, and as listed here, admission is free.
MONDAY AUGUST 6
I've added in one more date on my October-November tour: it'll be on "Bob Dylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" at Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, on Tuesday November 6. Details here.
TUESDAY JUNE 26
I've added three November UK dates to my tour: one in Inverness on "Bob Dylan,Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" and two on "Searching For Blind Willie McTell: A Biographer in the Deep South": one in Peel, Isle of Man and the other in London. Details here.
FRIDAY JUNE 15
The start time of "BobDylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" at Edge Hill University Arts Centre on November 10th has been changed from 5pm to 6pm, and tickets are now on sale online or by phoning the box office. Details here.
THURSDAY JUNE 14
I've added a date on the Isle of Man to my "Bob Dylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" tour - it's at The Institute, Laxey, on Sunday November 11 at 7.30pm. (My Isle of Man debut gig!) Details here.
FRIDAY JUNE 8
Updates on my tour dates are now on my Live Appearances page - ie more info & a link to the Bob Dylan conference at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense; time & ticket price etc for the Dublin event; and links to all the dates that have put tickets on sale already!
WEDNESDAY MAY 23
I've added a date in Dublin to my October-November tour of talks. It's at Arthur's Pub in Thomas Street on Thursday 8th. For the tour dates list see here.
TUESDAY MAY 22
Tickets are now on sale for my October-November events in Newport South Wales, Hexham Northumberland and Glasgow. Tickets for Edge Hill nr Liverpool will go on sale on June 8. More events will be announced soon. See here.
MONDAY MAY 14
I am pleased to announce new touring in October and November. Confirmed dates, in Denmark and the UK, are now on the Live Appearances page and more will be added as they're confirmed.
TUESDAY MAY 1
With regret, our June Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend has now been cancelled, for family reasons. Apologies to those planning to come; they have been contacted privately. We still hope to offer a 2018 weekend, and we are aiming at September. For more info, see here.
SATURDAY MARCH 24
I'm delighted to be able to offer signed 1st edition hardback copies of my rave-reviewed book 'HAND ME MY TRAVELIN' SHOES: In Search Of Blind Willie McTell', now newly available at the special price of just £14.99 including postage to anywhere in the world. Details on the Shop Page.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2018
We're running another Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend this year! It's June 22-24, here in beautiful southwest France. Just places for 6 people; prices the same as last year. All the details are here.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25
Sorry to have learnt today of the death at 89 of the great Fats Domino. I'd updated my obituary of him for UK newspaper The Guardian earlier this year, and the online version was published today.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 20
My two speaking engagements in Norway are next week: in Trondheim a week today and then next Saturday in Bergen. Details here.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6
I can now announce the details of my lightning trip to Norway late next month. I'm giving just two talks, on consecutive evenings, first in Trondheim and then in Bergen. See here.
MONDAY JUNE 26
Newly confirmed: I'll be appearing live at the House of Literature, Trondheim, Norway, on Friday October 27. More dates may be added. See the Live Appearances page.
SUNDAY JUNE 25
Our Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend was a great success last weekend: our thanks to all who came; they were able to enjoy every meal al fresco in gorgeously hot weather. Meanwhile I have just updated the Shop and Photos pages.
TUESDAY MAY 16
Our great Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend begins a month today - and two places are still available if you'd like to come at shortish notice! All the details are here.
SUNDAY MARCH 19
Sad to learn of Chuck Berry's death yesterday, but at least pleased that the UK newspaper The Guardian has put my obituary of him online here today and that it will be in the print edition of the paper tomorrow.
THURSDAY MARCH 16
We'll be holding another Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend this year - from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June - at my home in SW France. If you'd like to come, get in touch quickly please: very few places are available for these weekends. Click here for full details.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28
I've added a book by my wife Sarah Beattie to my Shop Page. You can buy a signed copy of this 30 Minute Vegetarian Turkish Cookbook for just £6 including postage.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2017
My newly revamped Shop is now up & running, and should make it easier than ever to buy the Index to Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. One, the Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits CD, and signed copies of two different books. (If you encounter any malfunction, please report this by e-mail to: webmaster@michaelgray.net.)
Take a look!
The start time of "BobDylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" at Edge Hill University Arts Centre on November 10th has been changed from 5pm to 6pm, and tickets are now on sale online or by phoning the box office. Details here.
THURSDAY JUNE 14
I've added a date on the Isle of Man to my "Bob Dylan, Literature & the Poetry of the Blues" tour - it's at The Institute, Laxey, on Sunday November 11 at 7.30pm. (My Isle of Man debut gig!) Details here.
FRIDAY JUNE 8
Updates on my tour dates are now on my Live Appearances page - ie more info & a link to the Bob Dylan conference at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense; time & ticket price etc for the Dublin event; and links to all the dates that have put tickets on sale already!
WEDNESDAY MAY 23
I've added a date in Dublin to my October-November tour of talks. It's at Arthur's Pub in Thomas Street on Thursday 8th. For the tour dates list see here.
TUESDAY MAY 22
Tickets are now on sale for my October-November events in Newport South Wales, Hexham Northumberland and Glasgow. Tickets for Edge Hill nr Liverpool will go on sale on June 8. More events will be announced soon. See here.
MONDAY MAY 14
I am pleased to announce new touring in October and November. Confirmed dates, in Denmark and the UK, are now on the Live Appearances page and more will be added as they're confirmed.
TUESDAY MAY 1
With regret, our June Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend has now been cancelled, for family reasons. Apologies to those planning to come; they have been contacted privately. We still hope to offer a 2018 weekend, and we are aiming at September. For more info, see here.
SATURDAY MARCH 24
I'm delighted to be able to offer signed 1st edition hardback copies of my rave-reviewed book 'HAND ME MY TRAVELIN' SHOES: In Search Of Blind Willie McTell', now newly available at the special price of just £14.99 including postage to anywhere in the world. Details on the Shop Page.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2018
We're running another Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend this year! It's June 22-24, here in beautiful southwest France. Just places for 6 people; prices the same as last year. All the details are here.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25
Sorry to have learnt today of the death at 89 of the great Fats Domino. I'd updated my obituary of him for UK newspaper The Guardian earlier this year, and the online version was published today.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 20
My two speaking engagements in Norway are next week: in Trondheim a week today and then next Saturday in Bergen. Details here.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6
I can now announce the details of my lightning trip to Norway late next month. I'm giving just two talks, on consecutive evenings, first in Trondheim and then in Bergen. See here.
MONDAY JUNE 26
Newly confirmed: I'll be appearing live at the House of Literature, Trondheim, Norway, on Friday October 27. More dates may be added. See the Live Appearances page.
SUNDAY JUNE 25
Our Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend was a great success last weekend: our thanks to all who came; they were able to enjoy every meal al fresco in gorgeously hot weather. Meanwhile I have just updated the Shop and Photos pages.
TUESDAY MAY 16
Our great Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend begins a month today - and two places are still available if you'd like to come at shortish notice! All the details are here.
SUNDAY MARCH 19
Sad to learn of Chuck Berry's death yesterday, but at least pleased that the UK newspaper The Guardian has put my obituary of him online here today and that it will be in the print edition of the paper tomorrow.
THURSDAY MARCH 16
We'll be holding another Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend this year - from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June - at my home in SW France. If you'd like to come, get in touch quickly please: very few places are available for these weekends. Click here for full details.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28
I've added a book by my wife Sarah Beattie to my Shop Page. You can buy a signed copy of this 30 Minute Vegetarian Turkish Cookbook for just £6 including postage.
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2017
My newly revamped Shop is now up & running, and should make it easier than ever to buy the Index to Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. One, the Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits CD, and signed copies of two different books. (If you encounter any malfunction, please report this by e-mail to: webmaster@michaelgray.net.)
Take a look!
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 27, 2016
So many terrible things have happened this year (though as someone tweeted today, not compared to 1916), but Bob Dylan received the Nobel Prize for Literature, so it wasn't all bad. My own year was spent at home and quietly, and my only newly published work was the Foreword to the book of academic essays "Professing Dylan", edited by Frances Downing Hunter - who, unfortunately, died just as the book was being published (yet another sad loss in a year that has seemed full of them). The book's essays include pieces by Gordon Ball (once Allen Ginsberg's farm manager), Nina Goss, Jim Cody and J.A. Wainwright. The book is a paperback, published by PhillipsMemphis Publishing - and yes, the "Phillips" family is that of the late and legendary Sam Phillips of Sun Records; this publishing house is run by Rose Clayton Phillips, a relation of Sam's by marriage. I'm very happy to have contributed and hope that a more widely available second edition may be possible before too long. In the meantime, Happy New Year to all.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12
The latest Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend was held here at our home in France on the 7th to 9th of this month. We welcomed guests from Spain and Norway, and very much enjoyed the whole event.
SATURDAY JULY 2
New Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend here at my home in southwest France this October - from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th. All details here!
SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2016
My own contribution to the celebration of Bob Dylan's 75th birthday next month will be a free event in Vienna* - a new talk (with audio tracks):
BOB DYLAN'S CUTTING EDGES: Bob's Most Radical Work.
It's a favourite venue of mine and I'm pleased to be making another visit - my first in just over five years.
Date: Friday May 13
Time: 8.15pm
Place: The Salon, Praterstraße 17 (Hof), 1020 Vienna
Free admission: just turn up, but be early!
*for the benefit of American readers, this is Vienna, Austria
.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7
I've completed all my 2015 tour dates now, and am back at home taking a break from work. Meanwhile the release of Bob Dylan's The Cutting Edge, no. 12 in the official Bootleg Series, is a hugely exciting collection (2-CD, 6-CD or, far too expensively, 18-CD sets) demanding an exceptional level of attention. I look forward to giving it my best.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 30
I completed my North American tour of talks last night, with a return visit to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro AR, this time speaking on Bob Dylan & the History of Rock'n'Roll. I'm heading for London, via Montreal and Paris, and then going to the University of Oslo for my final gig of the year, and on the same subject. I'll be back at my desk on November 6.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 6
I've added, right at the beginning of my imminent North American tour, a reading from my book Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell, at 1pm next Monday (12th) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Details here.
WEDNESDAY SEPT 30
I'm back from this month's UK tour of talks (all on "Bob Dylan & the History of Rock'n'Roll") and can now announce that at the end of my forthcoming North American dates I've added two extras in Europe: at Goldsmiths College, London, on November 3, and at the University of Oslo on November 4. Details have been added to my page Live Appearances.
FRIDAY AUGUST 14
I've squeezed in an extra but different date on next month's tour. On Wednesday Sept 16, I'm doing a lunchtime Q&A at the excellent Tree House Bookshop, at 7 Abbey End, Kenilworth CV8 1QH (tel 01926 856843), starting promptly at noon. Come if you can!
FRIDAY AUGUST 7
I have launched a Facebook Page (for professional purposes) - and not before time, you may feel.
FRIDAY JULY 24
Just published, by Manchester University Press in UK paperback,
Refractions of Bob Dylan: Cultural Appropriations of an American Icon, a collection of essays based on the papers delivered at the conference of the same name at the University of Vienna (Austria) in May 2011; these include my own essay 'Bob Dylan's Americanness in 1960s Britain'. The book's editor is the main organiser of the conference, Eugen Banauch, whom I wish to thank.
Less pleasurable to report is that on my forthcoming (September) UK tour of talks, the one at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, has now been cancelled. This was not at my behest, but I do offer my apologies to those who have already booked tickets, for the drag this cancellation represents.
SATURDAY JULY 11
Unveiled today - the tour poster for my UK September dates:
FRIDAY MAY 1
Two extra dates have been added to my September UK tour: the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham on Tuesday 15th, and The Forum Tunbridge Wells on Sunday 20th. See details here.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 1
I'm glad to announce that my North American tour of talks in October will now begin with two dates in Canada - in fact in Nova Scotia (a province I haven't visited since 1985): at Cape Breton University and then at Dalhousie. These and my other 2015 tour dates are detailed here.
SATURDAY MARCH 14
More dates & details are now up on my Events-Live Appearances page - including, I'm pleased to say, for a return visit to Bryanston School in Dorset for the first time since my debut there two years ago.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27
I am appearing at the Bury St. Edmunds Festival in May and then launching a new tour of talks in Britain in September; and I'll be touring universities in North America in October. Itineraries are not yet finalised but as dates are confirmed I'll be putting them up on the Events-Live Appearances page. Many are up there already.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2015
I'm delighted to say that on Friday January 23 at a ceremony at the University of York, I was awarded a D.Litt. (in this case Doctor of Letters in English & Related Literature) for my work Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan, published 15 years ago.
In the United Kingdom, Australia and various other countries, though not the USA, this degree is a higher doctorate than a Ph.D., and "may be conferred upon people who in the judgement of the University have distinguished themselves by their substantial and original contributions to the advancement of learning."
I am thrilled and greatly honoured.
Many, many people helped me during the writing of my book, but here I wish to repeat a special thanks to my family, whose forbearance was almost saintly during the long years of its composition.
A small set of photos from the day are now on the Photos page.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
I'm planning and constructing new tours - talks with loud records and rare footage - for 2015: in UK & Europe and in North America. (If you run an arts centre or college entertainments, get in touch: just e-mail michael@michaelgray.net.) Dates will be announced when they become clinched.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 10
I've accepted an invitation to speak on Bob Dylan's Chimes of Freedom at a meeting of YorkPEN at the University of York, UK, on Thursday January 22; time, room tba; for YorkPEN members only.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20
My wife, the food writer Sarah Beattie, has a new book coming out in the UK on October 24. Meat-Free Any Day has over 150 recipes and a real generosity of colour photographs - and instead of the usual division into Starters/Main Courses/Desserts, it is, brilliantly, divided into ideal recipes for Busy Days, Sunny Days, Sundays, High Days & Holidays, Hanging On 'Til Paydays, etc. etc. This is modern, imaginative, richly satisfying food, not only for people who never eat meat but for those of us who just like to reduce our meat consumption now and then, yet still want quality cuisine when we do. It can be pre-ordered now from your local bookshop or just click on this box to pre-order it from Amazon:
MONDAY AUGUST 18
The September 12-14 Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend is now sold out.
TUESDAY JULY 8
Breaking news: because of a client's illness, there is now space for either one person or one couple sharing a room, on the Dylan Discussion Weekend of September 12-14 - and there is still similar availability for the Weekend of October 3-5. Perhaps you can come after all?? See here for full details - quickly!
SUNDAY JUNE 29
Have changed the Photos page to include a picture of the room in which I wrote the vast majority ofSong & Dance Man III, which I completed 15 years ago this month. The computer in the picture was an Amstrad that couldn't be connected to the internet and that used Locoscript as its word processor. Its display was of green letters on a black screen. Text was saved on floppy disks.
THURSDAY MAY 22
Only room for 1 couple or 1 individual still available for this autumn's October 3-5 Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend at my home in SW France. Book soon if you're interested! Details here.
TUESDAY APRIL 8
The first of the two Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends on offer this autumn is now fully booked - so places are now available for the October 3-5 weekend only.
SATURDAY APRIL 5
I'm pleased to announce today that we're now offering two Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends this coming autumn/fall - one in mid-September and the other on the first weekend of October. As previously, places are limited to a maximum of six people per weekend and will offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Full details and How To Book here!
FRIDAY APRIL 4
I hope to have news tomorrow about dates for two new Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends we're planning for autumn 2014.
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19
I discovered only recently that I'm included, briefly, on the official video of Gerry Rafferty's 1979 track 'Days Gone Down', recorded and filmed at Chipping Norton Studios in the English Cotswolds. So I've inserted the footage into the Artefacts section on the Photos page.
SUNDAY JANUARY 12
I can no longer offer signed or inscribed copies of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia for sale from the Shop page. If I sold any more, I'd have none left for myself. If I can source another supply of copies - hardback or paperback - then I will. The same is true now for Song & Dance Man III: The Art of Bob Dylan, and therefore this is no longer available from here either. Thank you to all those who have already bought copies. The Shop page still offers my Dylan's Chronicles Vol. One: An Index, the audiobook Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits and two different editions of Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell. There will be more work in the future.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 24, 2013
I shall not be undertaking any speaking tours in 2014, though I shall be happy to consider invitations to speak. Meanwhile, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2013
My UK tour of talks has now ended and I am back at my desk at home. It was a good tour and I thank all who came out to hear me.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2013
My new UK tour starts the day after tomorrow! Grantham Arts Centre, Riverfront Arts Centre Newport S.Wales, Bryanston School Blandford Forum, Dorchester Arts Centre, Exeter Phoenix, The Cut Halesworth Suffolk, LAMP Leamington Spa, Belfast Crescent Arts Centre, The Met Bury, Helmlsey Arts Centre N. Yorkshire. All here. If you see me, say hello.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 15
I'm back from the States, and though it was a successful trip (and New Orleans was gorgeous) it's good to be home again. Next up is my debut gig here in France, on Friday the 25th. I've put an image up with the info on the Live Appearances page.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 12
Andrew Muir, ex-editor of Homer, the Slut and later of Judas! (both Bob Dylan fanzines) has just put almost every issue of the latter online. Issue no.2, 2002, includes a long interview with me, conducted when Song & Dance Man III had just been reprinted at a lower price than the three previous paperback printings; when I was about to start a long tour of talks; and when I was researching the life of Blind Willie McTell for the book that later became Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell. I have just put a link to the whole online issue in the Interviews section under the Work tab.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 4
I've added my first live appearance in France: at Sainte Dode, Gers (southwest of Toulouse), on Friday 25 October, 7.30pm; there's no advance booking; details see here.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23
Tonight sees the opening gig of my 2013 US tour of talks: at Brookdale College, Lincroft NJ, at 7pm; free public admission. Meanwhile my gig at LAMP, Leamington Spa, UK, on November 14, has now gone on sale. Details and links to all tour dates are here.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11
I'm pleased to say that the US date I was still waiting on, which will form the first on my tour, is now confirmed. It's at Brookdale Community College, New Jersey, and I've just posted details on my Live Appearances Page.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8
Tomorrow should see me able to announce that both my tour of talks in the US, starting later this month, and my tour in the UK in November, are finalised. (I'm still waiting on just one venue, an American college, which should have confirmed long ago but hasn't, and one UK venue that hasn't yet put tickets up on sale.) Meanwhile I've put a poster for the Daemen College NY talk, which they've created, up here.
SATURDAY AUGUST 17
Very pleased to have added an extra date to my autumn US talks tour: I'll be delivering Bob Dylan, McTell & the Blues at Tulane University, New Orleans LA, on October 7; details here.
WEDNESDAY JULY 3
I've added another date to my autumn US talks tour: I'll be discussing Searching For Blind Willie McTell at Daemen College, New York State on October 8.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 19
All tickets have now gone, and there are no more seats available, for my forthcoming York Festival of Ideas talk Bob Dylan: Northern Roots, Southern Music at the University of York this coming Sunday, June 23.
FRIDAY MAY 17
I'm delighted to say that my wife, the food writer Sarah Beattie, is one of just three people shortlisted for the UK Guild of Food Writers' annual Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist of the Year (with Yotam Ottolenghi and Diana Henry of the Telegraph). The awards ceremony will be held in London on Wednesday evening, May 29. I'm also very pleased that we will both be able to go. I have written a blogpost about Sarah's food, with photos, here.
FRIDAY APRIL 26
I've added a new date at the beginning of my US tour in the autumn/fall: on Wednesday September 25 at Thomas More College, Kentucky. More information here.
SATURDAY APRIL 20
Two further dates have been added to my UK tour of talks in the late autumn: at The Cut in Halesworth, Suffolk, on Tuesday November 12 and at Leamington Spa on Thursday November 14. More info here.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 17
Two more dates have been added to the UK leg of my tour of talks later this year: the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham, Lincolnshire, now kicks off the tour on Monday November 4, and Helmsley Arts Centre in North Yorkshire now ends the tour on Thursday November 21. Some details here.
FRIDAY APRIL 5
Three more dates have been added to my tours of talks later on this year. On October 3 I shall be 80-odd miles down the road from my Arkansas State University talk in Jonesboro AR, at the smaller Harding University in Searcy AR. In the UK, I have added Dorchester Arts Centre on November 9 and Exeter Phoenix on November 10. Details here.
TUESDAY MARCH 26
My gig at the Riverfront in Newport, South Wales, has been moved forward from November 7 to November 6 (Wednesday). Details here.
MONDAY MARCH 18
Another date has been added to the November UK tour - the first Welsh date of the year, on Thursday November 7. Details here.
SATURDAY MARCH 9
I'll be doing a short tour of North American venues in September-October, and I'm pleased to announce the first two to be clinched. These will be at Hanover College, Hanover IN on Thursday September 26 and at Arkansas State University on Tuesday October 1. Details and further dates later.
THURSDAY MARCH 7
This evening (European time) I shall be guest-hosting the Twitter feed Neglected Nuggets (@thelostrecord), scattering ten favourite but either forgotten or under-rated records stretching from the 1950s to the 2010s, along with YouTube links to them all. (My own Twitter name is @1michaelgray1 and I'm on there at some point on most days.)
TUESDAY MARCH 5
A new date has been added to my short UK tour in November: a return visit to The Met in Bury, Lancashire, where I did a sold-out gig last year. This year's date there will be on Wednesday November 20. Details here.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23
Two news items today: First, I'm now offering for sale at the special reduced price of £25 each, copies of the original hardback edition of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, 2006, each one including a fully searchable CD-Rom of the entire 750,000-word text. These are now available from the Shop page while this limited stock lasts.
Second, I'm please to announce that I've added in another UK gig for autumn 2013: a return visit to Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre in November, following my sell-out performance there in 2012. Details to come.
Second, I'm please to announce that I've added in another UK gig for autumn 2013: a return visit to Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre in November, following my sell-out performance there in 2012. Details to come.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 21
I'm sorry to have to say that I have had to cancel the second Dylan Discussion Weekend scheduled for this sping - ie April 19-21 - for personal reasons. Apologies to those who had made enquiries. The first upcoming weekend, April 12-14, is unaffected and places for one couple or one individual are still available here. Thank you.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 7
Details have been finalised for my talk/gig at the York Festival of Ideas (England) on Sunday June 23. It will be at 1.45pm in the Bowland Auditorium, Humanities Research Centre, Berrick Saul Building on the University of York campus. It’s a very good lecture theatre with good sound system & screen. Details here.
THURSDAY JANUARY 31
We already have confirmed bookings from four people for the Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend here in France on April 12-14., announced just 12 days ago. This means there are now only places still available for either 1 couple or 1 individual. Therefore we are now adding in a second weekend, April 19-21, for which a maximum of six places are offered. Anyone interested should get in touch as soon as possible. All details and booking procedure here.
TUESDAY JANUARY 29
Announcing four more live events now confirmed for this year in addition to those in Potsdam and York. I've now added evenings in Munich and Vienna in May and two gigs in Blandford Forum in early November. Details here.
SATURDAY JANUARY 19
Delighted to announce a first Dylan Discussion Weekend of 2013: this will be Friday April 12 to Sunday April 14, at our home in Southwest France. A maximum of six places are available, and prices have again been held. Bookings open NOW. Full details here!
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16
News on those upcoming live events in Potsdam, Germany, and York, England: the first will be on Monday May 13, time to be decided, as part of the 1-day Einstein Forum on Dylan in Potsdam; the second will be on Sunday June 23, time to be decided, as part of the York Festival of Ideas. More info here. Further dates in mainland Europe are expected be added shortly.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 18, 2012
Although you can still order my books, audiobook and/or Chronicles Volume One Index from the Shop, as from today no new orders can now be despatched until mid-January. Apologies if this is an inconvenience.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 15, 2012
I'm pleased to announce two 2013 live appearances, which will be at events in Potsdam, Germany, in May and at York, England, in June. Details on these and other events will follow when I have them.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 20
Today I celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first publication of my first book, SONG & DANCE MAN: The Art Of Bob Dylan, the first published study of Dylan's work. The UK hardback was published this day in 1972 by Hart-Davis, MacGibbon, part of the Granada Group. There is a three-shot slideshow on the Photos page now.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 5
We've now said goodbye to the last Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend guests of the year - and a particularly pleasant and interesting group they were. We thank our Swiss and German participants. No further such weekends will be held until at least next spring - but anyone who would like to be notified when new ones are scheduled should e-mail to have their names put on the list.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1
Tour completed, I'm back home, back at my desk and looking forward to welcoming our guests tomorrow for One More Weekend, this year's final Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27
Tomorrow night is the last night of my UK tour. The date: Sunday October 28; the place: TOTNES FM LOUNGE, Totnes, South Devon. Details here.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 21
Tomorrow night's special event at the University of York, Bringing It All Back Home, has been over-subscribed and no further tickets are available.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 16
There are still 2 places available for the BOB DYLAN DISCUSSION WEEKEND happening in SouthWest France on November 2-4. If anyone would like to make a last-minute booking they'd be welcome. See here for details.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3
My UK tour of live events - talks with loud records and rare footage - begins tomorrow. mostly on BOB DYLAN & THE POETRY OF THE BLUES but also including one on WORKING WITH GERRY RAFFERTY and another (at York University) titled BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME The full itinerary is here.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28
The special talk at the University of York on Monday October 22 has now gone online here, including ticket-booking details. (Tickets are free but need to be reserved.)
SATURDAY AUGUST 18
Tickets have now gone on sale for the live Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues events on Saturday October 13 at Paisley Arts Centre, Scotland and on Sunday October 28 at the Studio Lounge, Totnes: the last night of the tour. Details for both nights here.
TUESDAY AUGUST 14
Two places have already been booked for the Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend on offer here at my home in southwest France for the weekend of November 2-4. Places for just 4 more people are available. Anyone interested should try to confirm sooner rather than later. Full details are here.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 8
The title of my one-off talk at the University of York on Monday October 22nd has now been decided. It will be Bringing It All Back Home: York’s Pioneer of Dylan Studies and it is part of the university's public lecture series. See here for details of this and all other upcoming UK tour dates.
TUESDAY AUGUST 7
I'm pleased to announce that this morning a new Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend has been added in towards the end of the year, for a maximum of six people. Details here.
THURSDAY AUGUST 2
Another date has just been added to my Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues UK tour in October - and it will probably be the tour's final date. I'm pleased to be adding a gig in Totnes, Devon. Details here.
TUESDAY JULY 10
Belfast: tickets for my live appearance at the Crescent Arts Centre on, Saturday October 6 are now on sale. Details here.
FRIDAY JUNE 15
I've now added maps to the listings of talks/gigs on the site - both to the listing of live appearances coming up in October and to the list of all previous talks/gigs (which you'll find under the general tab Work).
THURSDAY JUNE 7
News on ticket sales for my Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues events in October. On sale now: The Tolbooth, Stirling; the Guildhall Theatre, Derby; The Met, Bury; The Gala, Durham; and Arlington Arts Centre, Newbury. On sale shortly: Down Arts Centre, Downpatrick; York University; and Bedworth Arts Centre nr Coventry & Nuneaton. On sale in July: the Island Arts Centre, Lisburn; the Queens Hall, Hexham; and Canterbury Festival. On sale in August: Paisley Arts Centre. For the other dates, information will be ready soon. Tour details here.
TUESDAY MAY 29
Just added Belfast to the Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues October 2012 UK tour. I'll be at the city's Crescent Arts Centre on Saturday October 6. Details here.
TUESDAY MAY 8
Further dates added to the October 2012 UK tour: Derby Guildhall Theatre on Tuesday October 16 (my debut in Derby), and a return to the University of York (my alma mater) on Monday October 22. Details here.
MONDAY APRIL 30
Another date has been added to my October 2012 UK tour of talks: this one in the Midlands. The venue is Bedworth Arts Centre, just outside Coventry and Nuneaton. It's Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues and the date is Friday October 26. Details here.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 26
Two more dates in Scotland added to my October 2012 UK tour: one is an extra Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues evening event at Paisley Arts Centre; the other, at lunchtime the same day, is a free lunchtime talk about my years Working With Gerry Rafferty, at Paisley Museum. Paisley was Rafferty's home town, so I'm pleased to be able to talk about my time with him at this venue. The date will be Saturday October 13. See the Events: Live Appearances page for more.
FRIDAY APRIL 19
Just finished delivering my third and final talk in the US this spring. Flying home tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 4
Both the first and second of the three Dylan Discussion Weekends are now fully booked; a tiny amount of availability still applies for the one in June. See Dylan Weekends for details.
MONDAY MARCH 26
Just added a first Scottish date to the autumn 2012 UK tour: at the Tolbooth Arts Centre in Stirling; my debut gig in this town. Details see the Events: Live Appearances page.
TUESDAY MARCH 13
Very pleased to be able to say that my autumn 2012 UK tour now includes a date at the Canterbury Festival in Kent and at the Island Arts Centre in Lisburn, Northern Ireland:
for details see the Events: Live Appearances page
for details see the Events: Live Appearances page
FRIDAY MARCH 2
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26
My autumn 2012 UK tour, still in the early stages of construction, is starting to take shape, with a new date added, on Wednesday October 17. Please see the Events Page for updates.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18
Have decided because of other commitments to limit my April US visit to just the three events already listed - BUT I have just begun to organise a new UK tour of talks for the autumn - some on Bob Dylan & the Poetry of the Blues and some on Searching For Blind Willie McTell: A Biographer in the Deep South - and the first two venues are confirmed. These are both Dylan talks, and they are: atGala Durham (Thursday October 18) and Arlington Arts Centre Newbury Berks (Thursday October 25).These and others will be listed on the Events page from the end of April.
SATURDAY JANUARY 28
FRIDAY JANUARY 20
Three gigs are now confirmed for April - in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. See the Events page for details.
SUNDAY JANUARY 15
I have called a halt, after almost six years, to my Bob Dylan Encyclopedia blog - and launched a new blog, Outtakes. It can be reached from the Blogs menu on this website or independently here.
SATURDAY JANUARY 14
I'm
pleased to say that one of the three Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends
coming up here at our home in France in May-June is now fully booked. No more
places are available for May 11-13.Places can still be booked for Friday May 4 to Sunday May 6, and for Friday June 15 to Sunday June 17.Full details here.
THURSDAY JANUARY 12 2012
Discovered yesterday that Chartwell Books in the US (part of Music Sales, apparently) did go ahead and publish a new edition of The Elvis Atlas: A Journey Through Elvis Presley's America, which I co-wrote with author Roger Osborne and which was first published by Henry Holt's Reference Books division in 1996. The new edition, originally announced for last September, emerged on November 24 (2011), according to Amazon. The publisher hasn't told me of its existence. Marketing the book in today's brutal economic climate, well, what use would an author be? They can't even spell this one's name correctly on the cover.
TUESDAY JANUARY 10 2012
Dates for a new series of Dylan Discussion Weekends have been clinched today! These will be in early May and mid-June, and details have just been posted on the Dylan Weekends tab (under the Events menu).
FRIDAY JANUARY 6 2012
I'm back online after the Christmas break, so all functions such as the Contact page and the Shop are up and running again - with signed copies of the UK paperback of Hand Me My Travelin' Shoes: In Search of Blind Willie McTell now available from the shop for the first time. PLUS: expect news very soon about a new series of Dylan Discussion Weekends to be offered for late spring / early summer here in southwest France.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 21 2011
Because Mike Marqusee was unable, through illness, to appear at the Dylan Celebration in Cardiff last weekend, I gave an unplanned talk in his place (on Friday the 18th) - but I would far rather have been able to listen to Mike Marqusee's talk. I had looked forward to hearing him and to meeting him, having read his admirable book Chimes of Freedom.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15 2011
Small news: the venue for the discussion panel The Two Dylans at Cardiff on Friday afternoon is now at the Birt Acres Theatre (see Events for detail)
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26 2011
A panel discussion on "The Two Dylans" - Bob and Mr. Thomas - has now been confirmed at Swansea's Taliesin Arts Centre for November 19, at 7.30pm (the day after its performance as part of Cardiff's Dylan At 70 programme). More info here.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18 2011
We may be offering some new Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends at home in SouthWest France - next February/May/June. Anyone interested please get in contact as soon as possible. More info here.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11 2011
Details have now been confirmed for the Dylan At 70 celebration event happening at Cardiff University on November 17-18. My own contribution, a talk with loud records and rare footage, is on the Thursday, and then on the Friday other participants include Mike Marqusee. (I'm around on the Friday too, taking part in a panel discussion about "the two Dylans": Bob and Thomas.
More info here.
More info here.
SATURDAY AUGUST 13 2011
Is my co-written book The Elvis Atlas: A Journey Through Elvis Presley's America to be republished in September after 15 years? If so, will they spell my name right? I've no idea... More here.
THURSDAY AUGUST 4 2011
New live appearances have been agreed for later in the year and next spring: I'll be in South Wales - Cardiff and Swansea - in mid-November, and I'll be a speaker at the 2012 Slippery Rock Arts Festival in Pennsylvania USA next April. More details nearer the time.
Meanwhile if any arts organisers, colleges etc. in those regions are interested in booking me to talk about either the work of Bob Dylan or about Searching For Blind Willie McTell please would they contact me at michael@michaelgray.net as early as possible.
Meanwhile if any arts organisers, colleges etc. in those regions are interested in booking me to talk about either the work of Bob Dylan or about Searching For Blind Willie McTell please would they contact me at michael@michaelgray.net as early as possible.
FRIDAY JULY 8 2011
I'm delighted to be able to announce that the University of Minnesota has acquired my papers and other material created from the late 1960s through to the late 2000s in the researching and writing of every edition of Song & Dance Man : The Art of Bob Dylan and of The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. The material is to be known as Michael Gray's Bob Dylan Papers. More details here.
WEDNESDAY JULY 6 2011
There are now no places left for the Slowly Into Autumn Bob Dylan Discussion Weekend of Friday 9th to Sunday 11th September. For details on the other weekends, see here.
SATURDAY JUNE 18 2011
On sale as from today through this website: my own carefully-compiled index to Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol. One. This is offered as a PDF file, e-mailed straight to your computer. It comprises: 31 pages; 1,384 entries; and 6,517 words & page numbers. It fits all English-language editions of the book. Invaluable for finding things inside this Dylan memoir. More information.
THURSDAY JUNE 9 2011
Rather belatedly I've discovered that my article in the Japan Times last month, One Of A Kind: Bob Dylan At 70, is the only article out of the hundreds written on the subject to have been re-published on www.bobdylan.com.
FRIDAY MAY 27 2011
A look at Bob Dylan's use of the King James Bible (a look based on a brief interview with me) is to be included in a programme on BBC Radio 3 at 12.15pm UK time tomorrow - Saturday May 28. The programme looks in general at Music And The King James Bible.
MONDAY MAY 23 2011
Now online: a BBC Audio Slideshow on the occasion of Dylan's 70th birthday, which includes snippets of an interview with me and some excellent rarely seen photographs. See here. And starting tonight and every night till Friday night on Ireland's main radio station, RTE 1, they're featuring my audio-book Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits as their Book On 1.
MONDAY MAY 16 2011
Just launched: Bob Dylan Discussion Weekends with Michael Gray in southwest France - September 2011. Residential weekends for small numbers of guests with great food in a beautiful location. See here.
SATURDAY MAY 14 2011
The competition to win a signed copy of Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits the audio-book on CD has now closed, and the winner has just been announced on http://bobdylanencyclopedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/competition-results-cd-audio-book.html
SATURDAY MAY 7 2011
Just launched! A competition to win a signed copy of Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits the audio-book on CD: Entries by the end of Friday May 13. For details see http://bobdylanencyclopedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/competition-what-next-after-frying-egg.html
WEDNESDAY APRIL 27 2011
Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits, the audio-book, is released on CD today!
See here for more information.
See here for more information.
SATURDAY APRIL 23 2011
Home for Easter, and until May 17.
THURSDAY APRIL 21 2011
Tonight at 8.30pm comes the last of my live performances/talks in Ireland (at the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda, north of Dublin. Tomorrow I head home to France in time for Easter.
SUNDAY APRIL 17 2011
Brilliant audience in Galway, Ireland, yesterday afternoon for the talk on Searching For Blind Willie: A Biographer in the Deep South. A joy to deliver it.
TUESDAY APRIL 12 2011
Official release date of the general-release version of Dylan's Brandeis CD, with my sleevenotes. A vinyl version, which is much better-looking, is released in May. Or maybe rather sooner: I'm not sure about this. Can anyone say with certainty please?
MONDAY APRIL 11 2011
Live interview with me today at about 11.40am (UK and Ireland time) on RTE Radio's 'Today with Pat Kenny' show, about both Blind Willie McTell and Bob Dylan, I think.
FRIDAY APRIL 8 2011
The Digital Download version of Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hitsis now available from all the usual outlets, including iTunes.Meanwhile I am at home, just for today, before heading for Ireland tomorrow morning to begin the third leg of my 2011 tour of talks, starting tomorrow night at the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge. (See the Events page.)
WEDNESDAY APRIL 6 2011
Tomorrow the audio-book selection of entries from the book. is D-Day: Digital Download release date for Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits. For more information on the contents of the audio-book, see here.
SATURDAY MARCH 26 2011
THURSDAY MARCH 24 2011
THURSDAY MARCH 24 2011
New date/event added: I'm pleased to say that a week today, on the evening of Thursday March 31 at 7pm - after an afternoon gig at UGA - I'll be giving a talk & book signing at Dog Ear Books in downtown Athens GA.
MONDAY MARCH 21 2011
Excitement here in France today as the first pre-release consignment of my audio-book Bob Dylan Encyclopedia Greatest Hits CDs arrives on a lorry - and I think they look terrific. I'll be putting the sleeve and label artwork up on the website soon. It was touch and go whether they'd be delivered today: only just in time for me to take some to the USA tomorrow to have them on sale at my talks. (The digital download release date is April 7; the CD release date is April 27.)
FRIDAY MARCH 18 2011
The second leg of my 2011 Spring Tour of Talks kicks off in Alabama next Thursday, March 24. And one small additional date is being added while I'm in Athens GA on the last two days of the month: a bookstore signing at Dog Ear Books (tba). See EVENTS for this leg's details.
Vinyl as well as CD general release of Bob Dylan's Brandeis album, to which I've contributed sleevenotes, is confirmed for Tuesday April 12.
Vinyl as well as CD general release of Bob Dylan's Brandeis album, to which I've contributed sleevenotes, is confirmed for Tuesday April 12.
THURSDAY MARCH 17 2011
The news is... this website is now published!
