Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas: The Two Dylans Paperback – Import, 18 August 2022

This fairly brief book is an interesting idea, but it doesn't quite work. The two authors alternate chapters on Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan (Jeff Towns does the chapters on Dylan Thomas, and KG Miles does the chapters on Bob Dylan). The book does show the influence of Dylan Thomas on Bob Dylan's name and works, but in reality that influence was fairly minimal. That means that the authors have to pad out the book with chapters on how other musicians, poets and writers relate to both Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. It becomes, however, a bit of a stretch (Jimmy Carter liked both of them!) and by the end the reader is left wondering what the point of it all is.Worse, the writers often refer to both Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan as simply "Dylan," so at times one is not sure which Dylan they are discussing.The book is a quick, entertaining-enough read, however, and followers of either Dylan will want to read it to learn more about the other Dylan.

Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan: The Two Dylan’s was not the book I expected: a turgid tome of dense academic literary comparisons befitting a worthy doctoral dissertation. The book's anything but & a great read. It loosely intersperses fascinating commonalities between the men. I especially enjoyed the section on Jimmy Carter, always admired that old peanut farmer. Had no idea he was instrumental in honoring D. Thomas at Westminster although I did know he was a B. Dylan fan. Very cool how Carter described himself as: “a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and the poetry of Dylan Thomas.”Lacking astute literary insights, sections of this book flew out my open window and tumbled down Highway 61. I leave them for others to pursue. Whereas those cited by Miles and Towns conjured up many a foreign influences on Bob Dylan, I see him as American made. I saw Woodie Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Leadbelly and Elvis at the crossroads. I saw Rambling Jack Elliot riding a pony and singing: “to hell with those lords o’re the sea.”This little book will shape my reading for upcoming months. Mostly regarding Dylan Thomas because I’ve known Bob Dylan for decades. Kudos to Miles and Towns for writing this book.

For all things Bob vs Dylan - a must read

I found Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas: The Two Dylans to be a pleasant experience, except for the unfortunate Monty Python-esque cover. The book is well suited to brief readings over morning coffee, and for this purpose it is appropriately configured in short chapters, alternating between the two subjects. For one not deep in the history of either figure the authors provide many interesting episodes, particularly in the case of Bob Dylan, but in the manner of history without personal relationships. In the case of Jeff Towns, acquaintance with Dylan Thomas would have been impossible, given the age difference. Contemporaneous K.G. Miles appears never to have been fortunate enough to meet Bob Dylan, even though Dylan seems to have met almost everyone. Like Dylan Thomas he did not always leave a favorable impression, but the work shows he has many admirers among those he has met. One could even say worshippers, including former President Jimmy Carter, who gushed:“There’s no doubt that his words on peace and human rights are much more incisive…powerful… permanent than those of any President of the United States.”That may be the case with Carter, but hardly true of Abraham Lincoln.Neither author attempts scholarly analysis of their respective subjects. Rather they present timelines, names, dates, places and situational anecdotes. Given Bob Dylan’s long and continuing career, Miles had considerable material to work with. Towns had a greater challenge, given Dylan Thomas’ relatively short stay, most of it spent inebriated. Towns appears to have struggled to keep pace with the Bob Dylan segments, having to go afield for peripheral figures tenuously connected.In my opinion this book does not establish a firm link between its subjects, contrary to Miles’ assertion It is true that early in Bob Dylan’s career his followers believed he derived his name as a tribute to Thomas. Dylan has denied this, saying he had, “Done more for that guy than he ever did for me.” Yet, one must remember he has a reputation for playing games with interviewers, like the time he told Ed Bradley he had “Been to the crossroads,” implying a compact with Satan after the legend of Robert Johnson. Nevertheless, beyond a few youthful mentions, I did not find a good case for a profound Thomas influence. Woody Guthrie is his best known early inspiration, and Miles makes a better argument for Arthur Rimbaud over Dylan Thomas, but one presumably not as saleable in the popular market.The book is well written, easy to read and interesting to those not well versed in the lives of its subjects. However, and again in my opinion, it is something of a “potboiler.” The material is largely drawn from acknowledged previous sources, so I doubt dedicated readers of either subject will find many epiphanies.

Interesting and often surprising stories.My only criticism would be that the authors often refer to both men as Dylan which can become, at times, confusing. Bob and Dylan or Mr. Dylan and Mr. Thomas would have been better I think ?