A fascinating account of the life of Bob Dylan. It covers his youth as Robert Allen Zimmerman, his name change, his early fame, all that stuff up to 2001. It is slightly out of date due to that, since as of this post, I believe he is still alive. So he is 15 years older and whatnot. I certainly hope things have turned out for him with his record sales and all of that, but meh.

The book does cover a lot of the gossipy details of his life, but it also covers his craft and how he is inspired to write the stuff he does. So I really enjoyed it quite a bit. ( )

Bob Dylan is a genius. He was/is inspired and perhaps one of the greatest poets of our time. However, he does not come across as being a particularly faithful friend or lover. And forced to make do after some difficult/expensive divorces, he may have sold out to a certain extent (selling songs to advertisers). But he is a great man and this a good biography. ( )

I think Sounes stopped admiring Dylan somewhere about page 450. A great corrective to Dylan's own Chronicles if anyone thought Chronicles told the straight goods. Sara took a lot of c--p after 1972 I d be guessing. The songs after Time Out of Mind *(1997) put anything older in the shade, compel listening, but I just think "womanizer" when I listen to the 60s and 70s stuff except for the Basement Tapes (1967). Well, who knows what relation to reality any of this reflection has: the movie "I'm Not There" with its multiple actors -- including Cate Blanchett as Dylan (!) -- might really tell all that's able to be told. Sounes will somewhat straighten a person out from uncritical admiration, not on the surface, between the lines. ( )

Well written and researched bio of Bob Dylan.

Surprising in many ways. ( )

Down the Highway is a biography of Bob Dylan, which spans his early life, through to the beginning of his career to music, and his subsequent rise to his current status, which it is no exaggeration to say, is probably that of legend.

The book has obviously been meticulously researched, and is crammed with facts and figures. It pulls no punches in describing the low times in Dylan's career, as well as the highlights.

I am not generally a fan of biographies, but this one was a fascinating read. Although, as stated earlier, it is stuffed full with facts, the writing is not 'dry', and the story of Dylan's life unfolds at a satisfying pace.

What I found particularly interesting is that Dylan himself doesn't really come out of this biography very well! He appears at best a mass of contradictions, but prior knowledge of him suggests that that is no fault of the author - it's just representative of what Dylan is like. It is refreshing to read a biography that is not constantly gushing about it's subject.

Sounes interviewed fellow musicians, past lovers and family members for the book (although, not surprisingly, there is no contribution from Dylan himself). As with any biography, the book will be more interesting to fans, but even for someone with just a passing interest in Dylan's music, this is an interesting read. ( )