You think you’re a Dylan expert? Test your knowledge with Rolling Stone‘s 25-question challenge
Bob Dylan has all sorts of fans. There are causal ones who dig “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” are fairly certain he didn’t write “Stuck in the Middle With You,” and know about his days as a protest singer in the Sixties. There are moderate ones who have worn copies of Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft and try to see him every few years when the Never Ending Tour comes to town. And there are hardcore types with large bootleg collections and the ability to detect the difference between a 1997 rendition of “Cold Irons Bound” and a 2002 version. There’s also a smaller breed of true fanatics who follow Dylan’s tour all across the globe, know the names of all his grandchildren and dogs, and actually believe that Knocked Out Loaded is an overlooked classic. No matter where you fall on the fan spectrum, this is a quiz for you.
Scorecard:
Zero to 30% correct: It’s time to head to your local library, pick up a copy of Behind the Shades or Down the Highway, and brush up on the Bob basics. All sorts of delightful surprises await you. The chapters on his Christian-conversion period alone will leave you stunned.
31 to 60% correct: Congrats. You’re quite well-versed in the life and times of Robert Allen Zimmerman. In all likelihood, you can separate the shitty Eighties records from the great ones. (Don’t sleep on Infidels. It’s a hidden masterpiece.) To reach the next level, spend the next few days listening to all 36 discs of The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965–1966.
61 to 100% correct: Mazel Tov! You practically have a doctorate in Dylanology. You probably even read Tarantula and understood every word. To learn more, you’d have to pull an A.J. Weberman and start digging through his garbage cans.
