"Using a machine was an error in judgment"- When Bob Dylan addressed the book controversy in rare public statement 

Bob Dylan is known for many things and boasts a huge repertoire of exceptional achievements that make him one of the foremost figures of the century, but what he is not known for is making public statements.

The controversial, and often eccentric figure, has been making headlines for multiple decades and is no stranger to a bit of controversy. But a post-pandemic event forced Dylan to come out and address the crowd directly, and not from stage.

Simon & Schuster, the publisher of Dylan’s book of essays about more than 60 pop songs, sold signed special editions for as high as $600, which was purchased by many takers.

But soon fans realized that the signature was not exactly real. According to reports, Dylan used an autopen, a contraption that automatically replicates a person’s signature, to sign the 900 copies.

To explain this very non-Dylan-esque move, the singer took to social media and addressed fans directly, apologizing for the ordeal and promising to fix it. He said:

"Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that,"

With his publishers, Bob Dylan did manage to clear up the controversy eventually. He also expanded on why he failed to sign the copies himself.

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"I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years"- Bob Dylan on his inability to deliver authentic signatures

Again, in a very non-Dylan-esque move, Bob Dylan explained himself to his fans, which he never seemed to do during his younger years, saying how his sickness prevented him from properly signing all the copies.

He expanded:

"I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited-edition of Philosophy Of Modern Song. I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem,...However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years."

He added:

"It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds."

This was, of course, also clarified by the publishers later and this controversy did not brew into something bigger.

But it did give long-term fans of the singer a look at his rare side, one where he actually reaches out to the public, something quite unlike his stage persona, which dominated world music for a considerable amount of time.

Apart from statements, Bob Dylan has also been steadily cryptic in most of his interviews over the years, more often confounding fans than not.

Meanwhile, Bob Dylan's music continues to endure the test of time, perhaps becoming more relevant now than ever.