The Bobcats, A Bob Dylan Fan Podcast

Nancy Cobb joins the show from California. She shares stories from her nearly 60 years of fandom, going back to her first concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1965. She tells us what it was like to attend Berkeley in the '60s, what brought her back to Bob in the late '90s, what she appreciates about Bob as a live performer, and what she's enjoyed about getting to know other fans. 

We're joined by author Andrew Muir, who has seen about 200 Dylan shows since becoming a fan in the early 70s. He shares stories from his travels, including when upon meeting his wife he traded one-liners about Bob, when he chatted with Bob in Camden during the Blood In My Eyes video shoot, and when he traveled to St. Andrews to see Bob receive his honorary doctorate. He also talks about his book One More Night: Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour, friendships with other fans, tape trading, information hotlines, fanzines, and how Bob's career and art parallel Shakespeare's. Listen as we barely scratch the surface while breaking the 2-hour barrier. 

You can find Andrew's work at a-muir.co.uk. You can follow him on Twitter @Muir_CSF. 

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter @Matt_Stike.

Host Matt Steichen shares how a series of twists of fate, starting with hearing Ring them Bells on the radio in 1999, led to him attending his first Bob Dylan concert in 2000. 

Katie Fredeen, President of the Hibbing Dylan Project, joins the show. She shares what it was like growing up in Hibbing, how viewing the Bob Dylan's American Journey exhibition helped her understand Dylan's influence, and how the Hibbing Dylan Project came together to build a public work of art in honor of Bob in his hometown. 

Host Matt Steichen shares how, as a middle-schooler, his appreciation for the underdog and three packages sent by his brother escalated his Bob Dylan fandom.

For Bob Dylan news and updates, follow Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

Scott Warmuth joins the show from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Scott shares how he excavates Dylan's songs to find the hidden sources Bob incorporates into his lyrics, as well as connections he's discovered between the songs, interviews, paintings, Masked & Anonymous, and Chronicles Vol. 1. 

You can follow Scott Warmuth on Twitter @ScottWarmuth1 and read his work at swarmuth.blogspot.com. 

Scott's Bob Dylan Bookshelf: https://www.pinterest.com/scottwarmuth/a-bob-dylan-bookshelf/

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter @Matt_Stike

Host Matt Steichen shares how his Bob Dylan fandom began when he was seven years old in the summer of 1991. (Part 1)

For Bob Dylan news and updates, follow Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

Gene LaFond shares stories from his life as it's intertwined with Bob's through their mutual best friend Larry Kegan. Geno talks about music, friendship and inspiration as he takes us from Dinkytown, to Guadalajara, Belize, the Rolling Thunder Revue, the Infidels sessions, the Bridge School Benefit, and Bob's farm in Minnesota.

Geno's website: http://genelafond.com/

For Geno and Amy's schedule, check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GeneandAmy

I'm joined by historian, tour guide, author and musician Adam Selzer, who shares a song he wrote about Bob rhyming the words taco lips and apocalypse, how his collector mentality and early appreciation of protest music paved the way for his Dylan fandom, his memories of seeing Bob live in Atlanta in '95 and Newport in '02, how he would have rather chanced electrocution than lose his spot on the rail, and how he appreciates Bob's effort to seek what's true rather than what's contemporary.

You can find Adam here:

Twitter: @adamselzer

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/adamselzer

Blog: http://adamselzer.blogspot.com/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Selzer

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

I'm joined by fan and concert photographer Duncan Hume, who gives me the scoop on how he captures so many great pictures of Bob, how listening to Desire back in '76 inspired him to copy down all the lyrics by hand, and how attending over 250 shows around the world has led to him forming lasting friendships and briefly meeting Bob, his band members, Allen Ginsberg, Joan Baez, and others.

You can follow Duncan on Twitter at @dylan_mostly

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

I'm joined from Scotland by James Crane, who shares how Time out of Mind sparked his obsession with Bob, his thoughts on the differences between the fan bases in Europe and the United States, what made the 2019 shows great, and what inspires him about Bob's odyssey of exploration and creation. 

You can read James' blog entry here: https://asnaturalasrain.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/notes-from-prague/

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

Linda Whiteside joins me to talk about how hearing Positively Fourth Street, Like a Rolling Stone and John Wesley Harding impacted her thinking as a teenager, how moving to Hibbing in 1992 rekindled her interest in Bob's music, her time spent with Golden Chords drummer LeRoy Hoikkala, and the uplifting power of Dylan's lyrics and singing. 

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

Jesse Meehl joins me to talk about how washing dishes led to him discovering his dad's copy of Street-Legal, why it's worth putting in the effort to see Bob perform up close, the magic of seeing the only live performance of "Suzie Baby," the core truths that are at the heart of Bob's music, why "My Own Version of You" captures his imagination, how starting The Freddy Koella Fan Club led to him meeting the Never-Ending Tour guitarist, and how Bob taught him to follow his own road.

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

We're joined by Harold Lepidus, author of Friends and Other Strangers: Bob Dylan Examined. Harold tells us about his adventures attending Dylan shows as a teenager in the 1970s, why Street-Legal is worth re-examining, how a Bob joke about becoming a GPS voice began his stint as the Dylan Examiner, the power of the live performances of the song Forgetful Heart, and how Bob has taken ownership of his legacy through the Never-Ending Tour. 

You can follow Harold on Twitter at @DylanExaminer

Friends and Other Strangers: Bob Dylan Examined is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Friends-Other-Strangers-Dylan-Examined/dp/1910773409

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

Sometimes Iowans named Matt S. hear Bob Dylan's music and it changes their lives. Sometimes they get together to talk about it on a podcast. What price do we he have to pay to get out of going through all these things twice? In today's episode, Matt Simonsen joins us to talk about his appreciation for Bob's 1980s studio work, his 1990s live shows, the time Bob stared him down, the upcoming Infidels Bootleg Series, and the ability of Bob's music to inspire millions of people all over the world. 

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

Ed Newman is a writer, artist, historian, and big Bob Dylan fan. The Duluthian joins us this week and talks about how the internet expanded fan culture and led to the creation of his blog, how the song It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) helped him get through a traumatic time in his childhood, his involvement in the Duluth Dylan Fest, the spiritual thread that runs through Bob's work, what makes Bob an interesting subject for artists, and the importance of Buddy Holly and the Duluth Armory to the Bob Dylan story. 

You can read Ed's work and view his art at PioneerProductions.blogspot.com

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

We're joined by the co-founder of the Bob Dylan Fan Club, the only fan club started at Bob's personal request, Caroline Schwarz! Caroline attended her first Bob show in 1981 and hasn't looked back, attending over 300 over the last 40 years, most from her familiar spot on the rail. Check out thebobdylanfanclub.com and join 45,000 other fans on the group's Facebook page. 

For Bob Dylan news, follow host Matt Steichen on Twitter at Matt_Stike

If you have questions or comments, or are interested in appearing as a guest on The Bobcats, email the show at steichenm@yahoo.com

What is The Bobcats? It's a podcast by Bob Dylan fans, for Bob Dylan fans, about Bob Dylan fans. Every episode, host Matt Steichen interviews a fellow fan about their life and their connection to Bob Dylan's music.