Bob Dylan's Big Freeze - BBC Radio documentary

Bob Harris tells the tale of Bob Dylan's visit to a very cold Britain in 1962.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2008.

[monicacampbell]

Nice lisen to, i remember i was 11 years old, remembered the snow came up to my knees .
I only came to know about bob dylan when i was in my later teens.
When i left home. And started to explore life. 😊

[MrBallynally]

That anecdote about 'a hard rain' was fascinating. Once again shows Dylan's capability of absorbing various techniques while staying original. It stands out against the faithful copyists.

[jeremypearson]

I was born in Essex in 1962 but I don’t remember my parents ever talking about the winter. We lived in a big old house, so heating it must have been a challenge. An expat listening in sunny S Florida.

[Iazzaboyce]

I was born during _The Big Freeze_ my nappies were like floor tiles...

[sanderson]

Xcllnt documentary. Bleve Bob was 21 at the time. (Born May 24, 1941.)
Would be interesting to know where the illustration came from.
This fan will never forget the first time he heard "Masters of War" (1963).

[mrleekel]

Wonderfully put together, , really enjoyed it

[owenwilberforce]

Lord Franklin and Bob Dylan’s Dream I was just comparing the other day. I knew he had gone to England but it didn’t occur to me just how directly he lifted old folk compositions. Great artists steal they say. More importantly, they springboard from old greatness to new vistas. Britain to me always represents a very conscious awareness of its influence on the world. America influenced the Beatles and Stones, and they went from covering obscure greats to making their own brilliant compositions. I appreciate the stories this BBC broadcast recounts. It shows history being made in a casual way.

[michaellaverty]

Very interesting listen, thanks for sharing

[donhanlon]

Great documentary love Dylan and Bob, when did this go out on radio? ☘️

[sweetiepiedave]

Not a recent programme surely. Bob Davenport, the folk singer, who's interviewed, is said to be in his 70s. He's 91.

[ElizabethElliott-uzht]

Wow, how cold ❄️ that must have been., Bob Dylan is Great and wonderful 💯, Elizabeth 🌹🛣️❤️🎶🎵

[davidfinn]

‘Does Ewan MacColl live in a slum?’. Haha, a classic Dylan question. He’s riffing on the song Dirty Old Town, at one level it is a joke, at another level he’s questioning whether authenticity is important and maybe defending himself against any comments about his own background. The guys at the folk club didn't get it of course, what a crazy thing to ask…

[sweetiepiedave]

And Karl Dallas who's interviewed died in 2016.

[shuddupeyaface]

I guess he was sponsored and paid to come.
It was probably cold for everybody else also.
Pretty cold up there in Minnesota, so well prepared.
My Dad Met him.
He seemed to be having a good time he says.
But it was cold, and a foreign sound.
And most welcome.
He was cool and didn't stab anybody.
Most welcome anytime.

[markhayward]

There is absolutely zero evidence from the files that Bob Dylan was ever known around Columbia Records as "Hammond's folly." This oft repeated story (repeated here) was a later invention by John Hammond himself and a self-serving one at that. Its purpose was to publicise his role in recognising Dylan's talent when no one else did.

[robertmartinez]

having an acoustic guitar out in the snow is a good way to ruin it.

[Robert-kzpu]

He could not have been down on his luck if he could afford to go there,

[ptervin]

From the very first line, "Bob Dylan came to Britain as a down-on-his-luck twenty-one-year-old" doesn't make sense. If he was so desolate (Desolation Road?), how did he make it to England? I'll keep listening, but this isn't starting out very well.

(Edited)
Is that a five-string guitar? Ten? Interesting...

Six minutes in and I think I'll leave.

[richardloring]

Up date on the dog with pellet....Dead....Right between the eye....The left any claret....Some 12 year old girl hysterical....I sneaked off after moving dog so couldn't get a bead on the slug....Police here....

[richardloring]

Yah yah. Spiffing rich kids hanging round West End on Daddy's em in punk....New wave...Rave....hip hop....bet if went back to 1776 be same Dylan was skint hair falls out bout of hats n funny hairstyles after as a was....kids it's the image....he don't care teally