Bob Dylan Revealed Why He Thanked Dunkin’ Donuts Workers in His Latest Book
In 2022, Bob Dylan released The Philosophy of Modern Song, his first book since his 2004 memoir Chronicles, Volume One. In the book, Dylan provided commentary on a number of songs by other artists. The book’s release caused some controversy — people realized Dylan hadn’t actually signed the autographed copies — but it has generally been met with praise. In the dedication, Dylan had a chance to offer praise of his own to the crew at Dunkin’ Donuts. He explained why, though vaguely.
Bob Dylan published a new book in 2022
The Philosophy of Modern Song is Dylan’s first book since he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. He wrote over 60 essays about other artists’ music, including Nina Simone, Cher, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland.
“He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal,” his publisher Simon & Schuster wrote. “These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. They are mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny. And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition. Running throughout the book are nearly 150 carefully curated photos as well as a series of dream-like riffs that, taken together, resemble an epic poem and add to the work’s transcendence.”
Dylan released the book on Nov. 1, 2022.
He explained why he thanked workers at Dunkin’ Donuts
Readers of The Philosophy of Modern Song may notice that in the dedication, Dylan thanks, among others, “all the crew at Dunkin’ Donuts.” He did not specify why he was thanking them, but clearly, Dunkin’ Donuts played an important role in the book’s publication.
“Not a lot of writers are so interesting that even their dedication page is hilariously weird, but there goes Bob Dylan giving a special thanks at the top of his book to ‘all the crew at Dunkin’ Donuts,’” a Twitter user posted.
While Dylan hasn’t explained if he wrote portions of the book at a Dunkin’ Donuts or fueled long writing sessions with their coffee, he did give a little more insight into the dedication.
“In the book, I thank: the ‘crew from Dunkin’ Donuts’ because they were compassionate, supportive and they went the extra mile,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Bob Dylan apologized for the autographed copies of his book
The Philosophy of Modern Song revealed Dylan’s love of Dunkin’ Donuts, but it also landed him in a bit of hot water. Fans who bought the $600 autographed copy of the book began to doubt the signature’s authenticity when they noticed it looked identical across multiple copies. As it turned out, he had used an autopen, which automatically replicates a person’s signature. Dylan offered a rare public apology.
“Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately,” he wrote. “I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”
Simon & Schuster issued full refunds to anyone who purchased the autographed book.
