Nothing Is Revealed / The Dylanologists Archive

An Album Deep Dive "Bringing It All Back Home" is one of the most influential albums ever. The opening alarm bell of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" signified a paradigm shift—Dylan was mixing up the medicine and changing up the formula. The world of music would never be the same again. This week we explore how this spectacular album came to be, while unpacking its impact.    The Podcast: @TheDylano...

Ross Wylde is the mythical legend behind the ever-popular Bob Dylan YouTube channel, Swingin’ Pig. He started the page in July of 2014 and has well over 30 million views across his 290 videos. His page also boasts nearly 57,000 subscribers. On this episode, we chat with Ross about the page—how he made his videos, why the channel went dark, the good and bad of running a Dylan YouTube page, and much...

We may be a Bob Dylan podcast, but we are fans of all kinds of music. 2024 was one of the best years in recent memory in terms of new music releases, so you know we had to share our favorites. In total, 25 different albums from this year are discussed, along with a handful of non-2024 albums that we particularly enjoyed this year. Jens also shared his thoughts on "A Complete Unknown" to kick off t...

An Album Deep Dive "When Bob Dylan—the patron saint of sneering, disaffected poets—announced he was releasing a collection of classic Christmas songs for charity, smirkers got smirkier: What, after all, is more absurd than a beloved iconoclast embracing the schmaltziest, most achingly commercial genre of all? It sounded insane. And it is insane, sort of..." On this episode the guys break down the...

A Conversation About Bob Dylan's Alternate Takes. Bob Dylan has never played a song the same way twice, whether in the studio or on the big stage. The Bootleg Series has made this abundantly clear. So, what if Dylan had released Take 5 of Visions of Johanna from The Cutting Edge? What if he had released only the New York sessions for Blood On The Tracks? Dylan's unparalleled output, especially ear...

A Conversation About Bob Dylan's Album Outtakes. Bob Dylan has released many incredible albums over his illustrious career, but it is often said that he leaves his best material on the cutting room floor. Is that true? Would these respective albums be even better if we replaced some of the tracks with outtakes? Is there an inherent phenomenon with Dylan outtakes? These questions, and more, are con...

Original Episode Title: "Planet Waves — "Hotter Than A Crotch"?" An Album Deep Dive Planet Waves is the fourteenth studio album by Bob Dylan. It is significant in Dylan's discography, as it is the only official studio album to feature longtime collaborators The Band. This album is often overshadowed by his early 60's output, along with Blood On The Tracks, which was released only a year after Plan...

Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific recording artists of all time. He has 40 studio albums and over 650 songs in his discography. So, what are his best songs? Do the most played songs on Spotify and Apple Music tell an accurate story? This week we explore what his "top" songs communicate about his popularity, how streaming services compare to more formal lists, and why there can never be an obje...

Bob Dylan currently has 40 studio albums. Jens's favorite album is Blonde On Blonde. Adam's favorite is Blood On The Tracks. While these aren't shocking albums to find at the top of a list, there are deeply personal reasons that a person resonates with a particular album. So, why are Blonde On Blonde and Blood On The Tracks at the top of our lists? Tune in to find out.   The Podcast: @TheDylanolog...

Bob Dylan once said, "Well, I've been in jail, where all the mail showed that a man can't give his address out to bad company." Well, in this case, the (digital) mail showed that we can give our Instagram out to all sorts of company. This week we are answering some Bob Dylan questions submitted by listeners on Instagram. Some are funny. Some are serious. Some are just weird. Everyone has an opinio...

Original Episode Title: "Wiggling Under The Red Sky" An "Under The Red Sky" Retrospective / An Album Deep Dive Slick production, nursery rhymes, and a whole lot of wiggling make for a strange Bob Dylan album. As such, Under The Red Sky is often the butt of internet jokes. Is the album as bad as many say it is? How can such a star-studded cast make such a lackluster album? Why is “Wiggle Wiggle” cr...

Bob Dylan is a significant figure, not only in the history of music, but in popular culture more broadly. He is even the subject of rigorous study in higher education.  Meet Jon: a psychology professor turned Dylan professor who is currently teaching a class on Bob Dylan at Texas State University. With him we discuss why Dylan is worth studying in an academic context alongside the likes of other s...

Is ‘he had a face like a mask’, from Man In The Long Black Coat, Bob Dylan’s most autobiographical lyric? Bob Dylan is the chameleon poet. He is constantly evolving his voice, appearance, and writing style. Who is the real Bob Dylan?   The Podcast: @TheDylanologistsPod Adam: @dylan.ology Jens: @dylan.ologist Email us: nothingisrevealedpod@gmail.com   Thank you, Thomas Francis (@thomasfrancisfolk),...

This week the guys discuss Dylan's use of the bible, religious imagery, and spirituality in his work prior to his conversion to Christianity in the late 1970's.  -Why does Dylan make use of the Bible and religious imagery so frequently in the 1960's? -What does his use of the Bible suggest about his relationship to it? -What can be learned about the way he chooses to utilize language?   Book recom...

Original Episode Title: "Deep Down In The Groove" A "Down In The Groove" Retrospective / An Album Deep Dive The music critic Michael Gallucci once stated: “Dylan has made some perplexing and even lazy records over the years; none, though, sounds as pointless as Down in the Groove."  Is this true? Does the album really deserve the hate that is often receives? Is it objectively bad?  These questions...

This is part two of our conversation about Dylan's track placement. This week we are discussing album-closing tracks. If you missed our conversation about album-opening tracks, be sure to check out last week's episode. -What can we learn from the songs Bob chooses to close his albums with? -What categories do these songs fall into? -What themes have become apparent as his career has progressed?  ...

This is part one of our conversation about Dylan's track placement. This week we are discussing album-opening tracks. Next week we will discuss album-closing tracks. -What can we learn from the songs Bob chooses to open his albums with? -What categories do these songs fall into? -What themes have become apparent as his career has progressed?   Where to find us: The Podcast: @TheDylanologistsPod Ad...

What is Bob’s approach to recording? How does he compare to his contemporaries? How has his approach changed over the years? These questions, and more, are explored on this week's episode of Nothing is Revealed: A Bob Dylan Podcast. [In honor of Bob, we left in a few mistakes and threw in an overdub for good measure.]   Books Mentioned: "That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound" by Daryl Sanders "Simple Twis...

What are liner notes? What kind of liner notes do Dylan albums have? What do they communicate about Dylan and his music? These questions and more are explored on this week's episode of Nothing Is Revealed.   The Podcast: @TheDylanologistsPod Adam: @dylan.ology Jens: @dylan.ologist   Email us: nothingisrevealedpod@gmail.com   Thank you, Thomas Francis (@thomasfrancisfolk), for the podcast soundtrac...

Welcome to Nothing Is Revealed, a Bob Dylan Podcast that seeks to answer the questions no one is asking. On our first episode, we discuss a bit about our background as Dylan fans, explain why another Bob Dylan podcast should exist, and answer some rapid-fire questions about our favorite and least favorite Dylan material.    The Podcast: @TheDylanologistsPod Adam: @dylan.ology Jens: @dylan.ologist...