Bob Dylan has just published his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song. In 60 essays he deals with the songs of his musical contemporaries. But not everyone is flattered. Chris Frántz, drummer of the Talking Heads, was particularly clear – neither he nor his band were even mentioned by Dylan.
“I love Bob Dylan’s new book […], but I have a little problem with that,” Frántz wrote on Facebook. The sentence that bothers him is: “Elvis Costello and the Attractions were a better band than any other band of their time. Light years better.” As a contemporary, Frántz apparently felt left out: “With all due respect to the Attractions, and drummer Pete Thomas in particular, I’d like to say something to Bob that he once said to a buddy of mine,” he continued. “‘Suck a cock.'”
“When I read that, I was like, My God, Bob,” Frántz told US ROLLING STIONE. “I understand you like Elvis Costello, but did you have to put it that way?” He also explained his comment with an old anecdote: In the 80s, a friend of his tried to compliment Dylan after a concert, but he dismissed him brusquely and said: “Do I know you? No I do not know you. Suck a cock.”
“I’m not trying to pit the Heads against the other bands of that era. There were so many good bands back then,” Frántz said more diplomatically. “But I would say to Bob, ‘How can you generalize like that?’ I think it’s a very good book – despite that one chapter.”
Here you can read a chapter from Bob Dylan’s new book exclusively with us.
“It wouldn’t work with someone like Joe Satriani”
Other mentions in Dylan’s book are not always nicely worded. In the chapter on Hank Williams’ song “Your Cheatin’ Heart” he writes: “If Hank sang this song and someone like Joe Satriani answered it with licks like you do in the blues, it just wouldn’t work, and the great song would be gone.”
The US ROLLING STONE drew Satriani’s attention to the passage. “Bob Dylan knows my name?” he replied, apparently flattered as well. But he added, “I think the great Hank Williams and I could have worked things out and made great music together.”
Dylan, on the other hand, had praise for US singer Perry Como. In the chapter on the jazz standard “Without a Song” he writes about Como: “When he got up and sang, the song belonged to him and he shared it with others, we believed every single word he said”. Como’s daughter, Terri Como Thibadeau, was delighted at her father’s credits upon learning of it: “It’s wonderful that Bob Dylan remembered Perry Como as the dedicated musician that he was,” she said. “Wow, Bob Dylan! Thanks.”