Hollywood Foto-Rhetoric

The portrait of a very young Bob Dylan on the cover of The Times They Are a-Changin is among the most iconic album covers in music history. That photograph along with many others capturing Dylan throughout his career was taken by renowned photographer Barry Feinstein. His images published and celebrated worldwide have become closely tied to our understanding of a transformative era in rock and folk music. Inspired by a series of Feinsteins photographs from Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s Bob Dylan wrote a collection of poems that remained unpublished for decades. These pieces are thought-provoking witty and intellectually rich reflections on the world around him. When paired with Feinsteins photographs the poems create a layered narrative that captures the anonymous faces and shadowed corners of Los Angeles while offering sharp commentary on the glamour and ghosts of the entertainment industry. Throughout the book images of Frank Sinatra Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland appear alongside poignant scenes of casting couches employment agencies and palm-lined streets. Feinsteins lens recorded both the unforgettable eventslike Marilyn Monroes memorial serviceand the seemingly mundane moments each frozen in time. Dylans distinctive voice runs through every page providing an interpretive thread that gives new depth to Feinsteins visuals. Together their collaboration becomes a compelling meditation on fame obscurity and the stories that live between the frames.