Bob Dylan

Short History Of...

Noiser

History

4.7 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The American singer-songwriter and musician Bob Dylan is one of the most important recording artists on the planet. A cultural icon, his work has had a profound influence on popular music since the 1960s. First gaining fame as a folk singer with songs that addressed the subjects of the Cold War and the civil rights movement, he later revolutionised rock music. But Dylan is an artist of contradictions. A magnetic performer who remains fiercely private. One of the wealthiest musicians of his generation who dresses like a vagabond. A womaniser who has penned some of the world’s most tender love songs. But how did a suburban boy from Minnesota become one of the world’s most famous artists? Why does he inspire such fierce devotion and myth-making? And after six decades of songwriting and performing, how can we begin to characterise his legacy? This is a Short History Of Bob Dylan. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Michael Gray, the pioneer of Dylan Studies, and the author of the first critical study of Bob Dylan’s work, Song & Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan. Written by Nicola Rayner | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by Oliver Sanders | Assembly edit by Anisha Deva | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact Check: Sean Coleman Unlock the next two episodes of Short History Of… right now by subscribing to Noiser+. You’ll also get ad-free listening and early access to shows across the Noiser podcast network, including Real Survival Stories and Sherlock Holmes Short Stories. Just click the subscription banner at the top of the feed, or head to www.noiser.com/subscriptions to get started. ⁠A Short History of Ancient Rome⁠ - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit ⁠⁠noiser.com/books⁠⁠ to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	How am I going to figure this out of this month?
0:02.0	So many bills.
0:03.0	Kids.
0:04.0	Lunch is at school.
0:05.0	They need any new car.
0:06.0	Rens, gas, an electric,
0:08.0	25 pounds,
0:09.0	20,000,
0:11.0	50 pesterive.
0:12.0	That is in 755.
0:14.0	New government policies are making every day easier,
0:17.0	like offering 30 hours funded childcare
0:19.0	to help working families save on average £8,000 per year.
0:23.4	This is just one of the ways the UK government is tackling the cost of living.
0:27.4	See more at gov.uk.uk slash cost of living help.
0:33.3	It is Sunday, July the 25th, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island,
0:39.6	one of the most anticipated events on the American Folk calendar.
0:47.2	Darkness has fallen on a gently rolling field crammed with eager music fans.
0:54.0	46-year-old Pete Seeger, an elder statesman of this music community and a member of the festival board, now emerges from backstage.
1:03.0	Slim, with the receding hairline, he crosses the empty stage and adjusts the microphone.
1:09.0	It's almost time for the headline act.
1:14.2	24-year-old Bob Dylan is a rising star, but the folk community still feels a sense of ownership
	...

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