I was lucky to be introduced to Bob Dylan’s first album by a friend back in 1962. Since then I’ve bought most of his work in one form or another, including several bootlegs. I’ve also seen him play live a few times (not always a great experience). I’ve always recognised that, like anyone, he has his faults but, in my humble opinion, is still the best singer-songwriter of the past fifty years.

So I got Suze Rotolo’s memoir of her early life in New York, focusing especially on her time as Bob Dylan’s girlfriend (the one on ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’), hoping for some insights into the great man. I suppose I didn’t learn anything new but had suspicions confirmed. He wasn’t, it turns out, very honest or trustworthy as a person (though Suze was as much in awe of his talent as anyone else). Dylan was, she says, “funny, engaging, intense, and he was persistent. These words completely describe who he was throughout the time we were together; only the order of the words would shift depending on mood or circumstance.” As his fame grew he also became paranoid and critical of others she says, and; ‘People close to me felt I was defending his bad behaviour, but I saw things in another light, even though I was more than grateful for their loyalty to me. Yeah, he was a lying shit of a guy with women, an adept juggler, really; and when he was on his ‘’telling it like it is’’ truth mission, he could be cruel.’

Despite this, Rotolo is, on the whole, more than generous to Dylan. They were very much in love but, after all, were also young and under great pressure from fans, friends, family, the media and public expectations generally. It was a doomed relationship, but nevertheless each acknowledged its inspirational importance for both of them. Many of Dylan’s early songs came directly out of this affair (he was, in effect, dumped although was probably also having flings with other people, e.g. Joan Baez).

As Suze says several times in her book, Bob Dylan is (was) a remarkable person with many gifts, but not a reliable friend or lover. No surprise. Of course, none of that makes him a bad songwriter. Indeed, considering what a genius he is (or, as many people have said), it’s surprising he wasn’t more of a shit.