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Thirteen artists take on Bob Dylan’s most famous tunes, re-imagining them in graphic-novel style in the beautifully illustrated Bob Dylan Revisited.
Grouping together luminaries such as Neil Gaiman co-conspirator Dave McKean and Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, the book visually interprets essential Dylan, from the giddy “I Want You” to the somber “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Each song is recreated in sequential format, perfectly suiting Dylan’s folk-story songwriting.
Detached from the music, the graphic-accompanied lyrics emphasize the stark — at times unsettling — nature of Dylan’s imagery. Seeing the “black branch with blood that kept drippin’” described in “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” evokes entirely different emotions than the words alone, which are normally masked behind bright major chords.
Enter to win a copy of Bob Dylan Revisited! We’re giving away copies of the book to four lucky readers. Enter by leaving a comment below pairing a graphic artist with a song that you think would make a fantastic visual interpretation. Be sure to use a valid email address so we can contact you if you win.
Refamiliarize yourself with Dylan on his MySpace page, visit Dave McKean and Lorenzo Mattotti’s official websites, and buy the book
Excerpt from “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” (1963), interpreted by Lorenzo Mattotti
“Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’,
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin’,
I saw a white ladder all covered with water . . . ”
-Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”
Excerpt from “Hurricane” (1975), interpreted by Gradimir Smudja
“Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, “My God, they killed them all!”
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin’ that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.”
-Bob Dylan, “Hurricane”
Featured illustrations:
1. “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Thierry Murat
2. “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” by Lorenzo Mattotti
3. “I Want You” by Nicolas Nemiri
4. “Girl From the North Country” by Francois Avril
5. “Lay, Lady, Lay” by Jeane-Claude Gotting
6. “Positively 4th Street” by Christopher
7. “Tombstone Blues” by Bezian
8. “Desolation Row” by Dave McKean
9. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Alfred, Raphaelle Le Rio, Mael Le Mae, and Henri Meunier
10. “Hurricane” by Gradimir Smudja
11. “Blind Willie McTell” by Benjamin Flao
12. “Knockin’ on Heavin’s Door” by Jean-Philippe Bramanti
13. “Not Dark Yet” by Zep
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109 Responses
Is it too easy to pair T Rex’s Rip Off with one Mr. Shepard Fairey?
Venetian Snares envisioned by Justin Broadbent would be pretty rad
I’d like to see Mike Allred’s take on “Hard Day’s Night.” Or anything, really.
“The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lonesome_Death_of_Hattie_Carroll ) with Richard Sala ( http://www.richardsala.com/ )
Girl from North Country by Nikki McClure
frank miller doing the smith’s “the queen is dead.” it could be dark and melodramatic, as well as epic.
I always thought that Dave McKean’s style would be perfect for DJ Shadow’s “Midnight in a Perfect World” (a number of DJ shadow instrumentals from the old days, actually).
No Sleep Till Brooklyn by Beastie Boys paired with Joseph Stella’s 1941 “Brooklyn Bridge”.
Actually – Venetian Snares “senki dala ” by Justin Broadbent. how about that
Hurricane by Mick Jagger
How about Art speigelman doing “Ballad of a Thin Man”?
How about Eddie Campbell (the From Hell guy) with something from the Misfits’ “Walk Among Us”?
“Isis” by Dylan Illustrated by Charles Vess would be fantastic. Steranko illustrating anything on Nas’ Illmatic would be pretty dope as well.
Los Bros Hernandez should take on “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
Or Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon could do “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.”
How about the song “Picture in a Frame” by Tom Waits, illustrated by Ward Jenkins? That would be something to see. In case you’re curious about Ward Jenkins … http://www.flickr.com/photos/wardomatic/
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue and Francis Bacon
i would say, Belle and Sebastian “Piazza New York Catcher” illustrated by Marc Johns
Norwegian cartoonist Jason’s dead-eyed anthropomorphic characters surely could travel through a Radiohead soundscape like “No Surprises.” Or maybe Chris Ware could design some sort of fold-up architectural schemata for Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba.”
Ben Templesmith getting his hands on Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’.
“Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues” done by Randy McQuien Jr. would be freaking sweet. He did a Dylan caricature while back, along with a few other artists. Here’s his site:
http://www.righthandillustrator.com/home.html
“But little did I realize
I was in for a picnic surprise.
Had nothin’ to do with mountains.
I didn’t even come close to a bear.”
Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons, who recently did the AD for Coppola’s One Story magazine) doing Just Like a Woman. And I mean this un-ironically and sincerely.
Thank you for encouraging these replies – I think they’re really interesting! And I can’t wait to get this book.
The Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” or “Day in the Life” with Edward Hopper
Marjane Satrapi does “All I Wanta Do Is Make Love To You” by Heart.
As corny as it sounds, I think Dave Gibbon’s could do a pretty incredible rendition of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ and make it a whole lot darker and a whole less Glee-er.
man of peace ….hunter thompson
I would love to see Leah Hayes interpret Patty Griffin’s “Tony”.
I would like to see Gradimir Smudja interpret I dreamed I saw St. Augustine, “alive as you or me.”
“love sick” illustrated by j.h. williams 3
Frank Miller interpretating Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Two-Headed Boy.” That’d be rad!
Gradimir Smudja does ‘Jesus Inc’ by Wilco.
Ralph Steadman – Johnny Cash “Hurt”
A perfect pairing would be Ethan Van Sciver (“Flash: Rebirth”)with “Ballad Of A Thin Man”. Oh, yes!!!
Joe Ledbetter doing run chicken run by The Felice Brothers
Dave McKean – “Samson” by Regina Spektor.
Dylan’s “Forever Young” or Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” illustrated by Norman Rockwell
I’d like to see Mark Erikson do Visions of Johanna…or maybe Salvadore Dali do Desolation Row.
Dylan’s “Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” drawn by Chris Ware.
Would love to see Mattotti’s take on “Isis.”
Obscure Basement Tapes Dylan: “Wallflower” with R. Crumb’s artistic touch to imagine Dylan’s honky tonk date.
The Mariner’s Revenge Song (by The Decemberists) done by Benjamin Flao
“Tangled Up in Blue” as drawn by Kim Deitch or Adrian Tomine doing Belle & Sebastian’s “Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying” (or really anything by them)
Forever Young would be great fodder for Bezian? And I would say thank you from the bottom (top and middle) of my heart if I won a copy.
i’d like to see “faith/void” by Bill Callahan illustrated by Gianluigi Toccafondo, i love them both!!
David Bowie and Tara McPherson (http://www.taramcpherson.com/)
sorry, specifically “Space Oddity” or “China Girl”.
Pink Floyd – Echoes
F.X. Tobin interpreting the Hurricane.
fxtobinartwork.com
Van Gogh tackles Bob Dylan’s “Positively Van Gogh.”
Egon Schiele doing “Search and Destroy” by the Stooges
chuck close does ’she belongs to me’
Rainy Day women #12 & 35 with Milton Glaser
Lorenzo Mattotti doing “Echoes” by Pink Floyd
Poems and lyrics make great graphic art. I have been doing this kind of work with a poet recently & an excited to see this new book (hint, hint) ;> I am currently building this website http://www.horseradishhen.com that shows some other examples of poems meeting graphic art..
roy lichtenstein and broken social scene’s “stars and sons”
imagine Tim Burton’s take on “Love You to Death” by type o negative
Paul Pope doing Mr Tambourine Man
Roz Chast: The Times They Are A Changin’
Oh yeah!!!
Ain’t Talkin – Lisel Jane
http://www.liseljane.com/
Artist: Shaun Tan (http://www.shauntan.net/) – Suzanne (Leonard Cohen)
“alison’s restaurant masacree” as illustrated by maurice sendak.
meatloaf’s “i would do anything for love,” illustrated by just about anybody. does that already exist? cause it should.
R. Crumb does the Clash’s “Brand New Cadillac.”
Creative visual artist Mike Tesch, http://www.teschart.com/, would create an entirely new perception for Visions of Johanna.
René Magritte does the Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Peter Horvath illustration for “Nature Boy”
How about “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” executed by Jeff Koons?
Steve miller band ” the joker”
Have Max Inc reimagine “Lay Lady Lay.”
Tim Burton is an amazing visual artist as well as a filmmaker, and I would love to see him rendering the graphics to “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Jack Johnson does Peggy Day
“Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes illustrated by Todd McFarlane
Hotel california (eagles) with graphics by frank miller. or the same artist interpreting stairway to heaven led zeppelin.
Craig Thompson does “Sweet Disposition” by the Temper Trap.
Frank Miller doing Steely Dan’s “Don’t Take Me Alive.”
Nick Drake’s “One of These Things First” illustrated by Maira Kalman.
“white rabbit” illustrated by ralph steadman
Bob Dylan draw for his ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’
I think that if Dylan felt like it he could do an awesome graphic interpretation of any of his songs.
I would love Joan Miró on ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’
Dylan’s “Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts” illustrated by R. Crumb.
How about Emily Martin of The Black Apple drawing something for “Ramona”
Something about a tattooist? David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” is something Don Ed Hardy could do.
Rutu Modan doing “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side” by the Smiths
Wes Wilson interprets Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
R. Crumb doing “Just like tom thumb’s Blues”
Jeff Lemire doing XTC Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
I’d really like to see David Mack do Gates of Eden.
The song has a lot of Dylan’s obscure analogies and Mack is an artist who can pull off a coherent story with a ton of visual symbolism embedded in the sequential visualization of the storytelling. Definitely.
It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) with the guy who did the top one, the one on the top, above the bloody ones … revisited –
Paula Scher doing “Help!” by the Beatles
Visual Artist>DAWOOD MARION MUSICAL ARTIST>J DILLA SONG> SAY YES
-BLESSus
Neckface does Holiday in Cambodia by Dead Kennedys
ralph steadman for NIN perfect drug. i would buy it. ten times!
Stawberry Fields (The Beatles) illustrated by somefield (somefield.com)
Meaning of Life (Disturbed) illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (he did FLCL character designs)
I’d like to see the first two songs of Mars Volta’s ablum “De-Loused in the Comatorium” (“Son et Lumiere” and “Intertiatic Esp”) illustrated by David Gibbons.
Desolation Row done by Frank Frazetta.
Chris Ware doing Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”. Both are influenced by a Chicago aesthetic.
Visions of Johanna, from Blonde on Blonde, takes the listener into the Orsay Museum in Paris, where there are Monet and Manet pictures. The Impressionism movement influenced Bob in the writing of this song. Maybe while he was seeing these pictures he had some ideas about his next songs, the same ideas that made shape in Visions of Johanna.
George Rodrique illustrating “Tangled Up in Blue”
Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Ben Templesmith.
no..no ..no….i meant Ralph Steadman for ‘man of peace’ sheesh
“To Ramona” by Vladimir Suchánek
The Waterboys song Fisherman Blues by Salvador Dali
Ballad of a Thin Man, by Rene Magritte
Zak Smith. “Sister Ray.”
Peter Max’s take on Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country”
I’d like to see James Jean do Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Like A Rollin Stone…
I think Chris Ware would do an interesting take on something like If You See Her Say Hello
or Peter Bagge doing Idiot Wind
S. Clay Wilson, “Things Have Changed”
I’d really like to see Positively 4th Street revisited by Daniel Johnston.
ancient memories (skream remix) – digital mystikz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFzdhVyZYww
David Shrigley
http://www.davidshrigley.com