In the summer of 1967, in a house in the woods outside of Woodstock, lived Bob Dylan, The Band, and a dog named Hamlet. They were recording The Basement Tapes, a part of arguably one of the most influential chapters in American music. In an interview with a Rolling Stone reporter about the album at the time, he recalled “That’s really the way to do a recording: in a peaceful, relaxed setting. In somebody’s basement. With the windows open…and a dog lying on the floor.”
We feel you, Bob Dylan.
This wouldn’t be the first or last time his love for dogs was stated publicly. He references dogs in the lyrics of his songs (“Little Buddy“, above), they’ve made appearances on album covers, and it is one topic in interviews he seemingly has no problem talking about (if you’ve got the time, his early interviews as a salty, critical youth who opposed authority are. so. good.). Recently, in 2013 he released a children’s book based on the lyrics from his song If Dogs Run Free.
There’s no denying Bob Dylan is one of the biggest cultural and musical icons ever. I grew up listening to my dad play his songs on guitar and in college I was really inspired by his writings. Something about those catchy four-chord rhythm progressions he put together, and how rad it was that he wrote songs about edgy things like opposing societal pressures and the status quo way of thinking. Lyrics like “Don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows” always really resonated with me. But finding out he’s a dog person? Next level fan for life.