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Bob Dylan will collect Nobel Prize, but he’s not talking to the press

By | Published on Thursday 10 November 2016

Bob Dylan

Hooray, Miserybob is back! He’s now said that in the event he does turn up to receive his Nobel Prize in Stockholm, he won’t speak to any journalists about it.

As previously reported, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize For Literature last month, recognising him “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. A big deal, you might think. Something worth shouting about. But Dylan said nothing, leaving us all to speculate wildly about what he might be thinking.

Although initially confident he’d accept the honour, the Swedish Academy, which organises the award, got increasingly nervous about his silence. Eventually it started putting it about that if the musician didn’t turn up to accept his prize and give the required lecture, he wouldn’t get his $900,000 in prize money.

Then, after two weeks, Dylan announced in an interview that he was super chuffed to have been chosen as this year’s winner. He also got on the phone to the Swedish Academy and gushed about what a bloody honour it was. Of course he’d turn up to pick up the prize (schedule permitting). He was just so happy about it all.

Which, to be honest, was a bit of a disappointment. Although it was quite a nice twist in the story, it didn’t really fit in with what we know of Bob Dylan. Thankfully though, it seems that negotiations over the organisation of the prize ceremony are re-introducing a good level of grumpiness into proceedings.

According to Swedish news agency TT, Dylan has now committed to attend a banquet and give a lecture in Sweden at some point in the next six months. However, if they want him to promote that fact, they’ve got another thing coming. There will be no press conference, nor will there be any other interviews. There will only be Bob.



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