Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy Of Modern Song is set to be an audiobook, with the superstar lineup of readers just getting confirmed by Variety. Actors including Steve Buscemi and Helen Mirren will be among the famous voices reading on Dylan’s upcoming essay collection. Other notable stars reading will be Oscar Isaac, Sissy Spacek, Rita Moreno, John Goodman, Jeff Bridges, Renée Zellweger, Alfre Woodard, and Jeffrey Wright.
Dylan’s book is being released on November 1. It will include essay pieces about 66 songs that Dylan himself considers exceptional examples of songwriting, with picks from legendary artists like Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello and Townes Van Zandt. Dylan himself will also be reading throughout the audiobook version. In addition to Audible, readers can listen on Google Play, Apple Books, and other audiobook companies.
According to the book’s official website page, it will find Dylan as “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.”
“These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose,” it notes. “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.”
Bob Dylan’s The Philosophy Of Modern Song is out 11/01 via Simon and Schuster and available for pre-order here.
