Chronicles: Volume One

Part 1 introduces Dylan’s non-linear storytelling techniques. For example, rather than begin with specific details about time period or even giving contextual information about the year the narrative is taking place, the section simply starts with Dylan in a taxi with Lou Levy of Leeds Music Publishing, leaving the reader somewhat disoriented. Then, the text goes back to tell of Dylan’s arrival in New York in the winter of 1961, without specifying how much elapsed between that winter and the opening cab ride. The reader must thus reconstruct the timeline of Dylan’s story based on their own knowledge. Heightening the reader’s experience of listening to someone tell a story, Dylan writes in a colloquial, conversational prose style—as though talking loosely about his experiences to an acquaintance. This approach is evident from even the section’s title, “Markin’ up the Score.” By dropping the “g” from the word “marking,” Dylan aligns his writing with everyday, loose pronunciation that mirrors the purposefully imprecise sound of folk music and its ties to a less formally educated tradition.

Dylan’s early days in Greenwich Village  are described as a period of encountering influential people, exploring musically significant spaces, and having impactful experiences—all of which point to one of the memoir’s key themes: Inspiration, Imitation, and Cultural Legacy. There is tension in Dylan’s understanding of these interlinked concepts. While Dylan told Leeds Music’s publicist that folk music consists of “handed down songs” (8), Chronicles describes traditional melodies being recycled, with words changed or put to new tunes as musicians shared and learned from one another. At the same time, Dylan was obsessed with specific performers like Woody Guthrie and Dave Van Ronk, and less interested in the anonymous musicians who participated in the “handing down” that Dylan claimed to value. Despite maintaining a deep respect for those who had come before him and a commitment to honoring the folk music tradition, Dylan craved popularity and success, aspiring to play the more prestigious venues like the Gaslight and thrilled to be signed to a record deal. Illustrating the blending that defined folk music, Dylan first played traditional songs that he learned from records and other musicians, but then began incorporating new influences while actively seeking the guidance of more seasoned artists and developing his own sound. 

Playing into the book’s interest in The Impact of Social Expectations on Artists, Dylan contrasts the popular music of the late 1950s and early 1960s with the musical genres he was interested in. Although folk music in the early 60s “was considered junky, second rate and only released on small labels” (5), he resisted creating the “sanitized and pasteurized” (5) pop that the public and the music industry wanted. Moreover, not only did Dylan’s music not “match up with anything on the radio” (6), but he also bucked the trends of the folk scene, where his “hard-core folk songs backed by incessantly loud strumming” (17-18) were controversial with audiences. Another aspect of commercial success that Dylan pushed back against was the need to become a personality. Whereas “[m]ost of the other performers tried to put themselves across,” he was focused on “putting the song across” (18) instead, refusing to share details of his life with audiences. He “didn’t feel the need to explain anything to anybody” (8); for example, he answered Leeds Music’s publicist’s questions with blatant lies, like that he’d come to New York in a boxcar. Ironically, this aloofness and indifference became Dylan’s artistic identity, creating the persona he inhabited onstage, which eventually grew into a larger-than-life, mythical figure like his idols.