“I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.”
Bob Dylan
His muse was born in Brooklyn, a daughter of the red way. A political activist when she emerged in the Greenwich Village folk scene. Fate revealed Suze Rotolo to Bob at a folk concert in July 1961. “Cupid’s arrow… hit me in the heart”, he said.
Suze became his mindful muse. Yesteryear’s yarns now paled for Dylan, focusing instead on current social inequities. They moved in together in early 1962. As Bob’s social consciousness grew, so did his fame, and outside pressure on the relationship. It failed to survive an abortion, and Dylan’s affair with Joan Baez. Suze and Dylan ultimately separated in 1964.
Dylan credits Suze with his social consciousness, and his interest in French poet Arthur Rimbaud, and German playwright Bertolt Brecht, both nihilists — who impacted the darkness of his future songwriting. “To her, death is quite romantic. I understand her fascination.”
rob kistner © 2022
Poetry at: dVerse
Following here, Bob’s iconic song sbout death.
You have captured Dylan well. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Doors is one of my favorite. Now, that song is looping in my head.
Thank you True… 🙂
Excellent essay on this part of Dylan’s life. I like your clear reporting style with insightful conclusion. So funny how muses can shift over time. I wonder who/what he considers his muse these days. Someone is watching over him, that is certain.
Thank you Lisa. 🙂
Suze da Muse!
Nicely done RK! Thanks
You are most welcome bother. It was fun and interesting researching deeper into his “Freewheelin’” cover girl. I had known her name, but had never gone deeper.
Very nicely done, Rob! An interesting bit of history here.
Thank you Dwight… 🙂
The first and possibly only piece of non-fiction written for this prompt, Rob, and it is perfect. I love what he said about their first encounter, but how sad their relationship couldn’t survive.
Thank you Kim, I got very excited by the facts. These were unique and wonderful people. A relationship beautiful but doomed.
Behind every great man there is a woman.
Not these days Bjorn — they stand proudly, and rightfully by his side.
This is absolutely splendid writing, Rob! I especially like the insightful conclusion. Bravo!
They were quite a couple in my early college days, ever since they appeared together on his freewheeling Bob Dylan album. Bob then turned his attentions to Joan. But Dylan had been forever changed by Suze. She was responsible for Dylan‘s move to protest and eventually his switch from acoustic to electric guitar performance. Suze had the most significant impact on Bob’s early direction. It was the Bob that grew out of their relationship that eventually became the icon, and the one we got to know best.