Bob Dylan's Reluctant Fender Photoshoot at the Blonde on Blonde Sessions
“That son of a bitch. How dare he?”
Sixty years ago today, November 30 1965, some very well-known photos of electric-era Bob Dylan were shot. In fact, in high school I had a giant poster of that top one up in my room. I didn’t know where the photo came from at the time, though I did wonder why he was playing a bass rather than a guitar.
It turns out this and many similar photos were taken during the Blonde on Blonde sessions by Columbia staff photographer Don Hunstein. They weren’t candid shots of Dylan at work in the recording studio either; these were posed shots for a Fender ad campaign.
Earlier this year, recent tour correspondent Angus Gibson connected me with Artie Martello. Martello was there for the Fender photoshoot, tagging along with his cousin who worked for the guitar company, and had a story to share—including the funny reason Dylan was holding an instrument he doesn’t actually play.
This short essay by Martello has been compiled from emails and a phone interview.
My cousin Jody Carver was the Eastern Sales Rep for Fender guitars. He called me up one day to ask if I wanted to come with him into the city. He said he had to bring some guitars and amps into a recording session and take photos of Bob Dylan. He was organizing the session as the Fender representative. I was a major Bob Dylan fan at the time, so of course I said yes.
I had been a fan of Dylan since I first saw him at a Joan Baez concert in Forest Hills. Although Peter Paul and Mary had popularized “Blowin’ in the Wind,” no one at the time knew the person who wrote it. I honestly didn’t concentrate on “writers” other than some of the well-known singer-songwriters of the day like Paul Anka, Bobby Darin or the guys who started it all, The Everly Brothers. At the Joan Baez concert, my brother-in-law who was sitting next to me poked me and said, “This guy is drunk.” Dylan had begun his brief set with “Only a Pawn in Their Game” and I told my brother-in-law to just listen to what he is saying.
From that moment on, I was hooked. I saw Dylan at every opportunity that I had to see him: Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, etc. So it was a no-brainer when my cousin called me. It was November 30 1965. I was just a tag-along, a wide-eyed kid getting to meet and shake hands with his idol.
We walked into the building and up the stairs to the studio. I heard music playing as we were getting closer and closer to the door. I knew the song because I had seen him sing it in concert. The song was “Freeze Out,” later changed to “Visions of Johanna.”
A take recorded that day, November 30 1965:
We opened the door and walked into the studio. Straight ahead of me was a bunch of people sitting at a console, including Dylan, Albert Grossman and some guys who I thought might have been members of The Byrds. I recognized the glasses that they wore. Everybody was listening to the playback of what they had just recorded.
Immediately to the left was where Dylan was singing, which is where those pictures were taken. I was just in awe of the whole thing. I stood off near the entrance, to the right of where Dylan was singing. My memory of him that day was his handshake. It was soft and gentle. So very unlike the firm grip that my father told me I should try to use.
When we walked in, I remember my cousin greeting Grossman, and Grossman telling Dylan that there are some people here to take photos of him for Fender guitars. I distinctly heard him tell Grossman “I’m not going to bastardize myself.” Not sure what he meant, but there ensued a five-minute argument between Dylan and Grossman. It was fairly hot and heavy. Finally, Grossman walked over to my cousin and said, “Mr. Dylan is ready to take the photos.”
Dylan walked over to where his microphone was set up in a huff, obviously pissed off. He grabbed a bass guitar which was not his and said, “Alright, go ahead and take the pictures.” He kept grinning over at me, like he’s pulling their leg because he doesn’t play a bass guitar. That’s the way I interpreted it.
The photo session did not take long. I remember my cousin cursing him all the way home. Because Dylan didn’t want to take the pictures, and that he gave him a hard time. “That son of a bitch. How dare he?”
So, despite the many rumors about this picture and the conjecture about Dylan playing a bass guitar, the fact of the matter is that Dylan never wanted to take this picture, did so unwillingly and quite pissed off. But, despite it all, it remains one of the iconic photos of him.
The aftermath of the photo is a bit comical. One day down the line, they crossed paths again—but not in person.
My cousin, you see, was also a steel guitar player who is in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. There’s this mural in California that Fender put up using Jody’s publicity photo, him with a cowboy suit and fringes sitting at a steel guitar. Standing to his right, they had Bob Dylan, posed as in that photo. Jody was annoyed about that. He said, “I don’t believe it. They put him right next to me.”
Thank Artie for sharing your story! Thanks also to Angus for connecting me. Here’s one more ad that came from that shoot:
I love everything about this story. And, I love the look on Bob's face in that last Fender ad. That smile -- pissed off, incorrigible, and angelic all in a single frame. Yup, that tracks. Thanks always for everything you share!
I had always guessed it was a posed photo because I didn't think Dylan would have played a bass guitar at a recording session. I did actually wonder if he's done it as a joke, so this story all makes total sense. Fabulous account - including the juxtaposed photos at the end! Thanks!