Garrison Keillor rips Bob Dylan in his latest book

The former 'Prairie Home Companion' has a limerick that shares his thoughts about the Minnesota's most famous songwriter.

November 19, 2019 at 1:44PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Star Tribune photo by Leila Navidi

In his latest book, Garrison Keillor has plenty of praise for Robert Bly, Prince and Bill Holm. But he's less than kind to another fellow Minnesotan.

"Now and then people ask me why we didn't have Dylan on the show," the former host of "Prairie Home Companion" writes in "Living With Limericks," which was published last week. "Because I don't care to be associated with him, that's why."

"I think that 'My Back Pages' is one of the worst songs ever written," he continues. "I could name others. It's no wonder he took a pseudonym, so as to avoid bringing shame on the Zimmerman family."

Because it's a book of poems, Keillor can't resist sharing one he penned in "honor" of the Nobel Prize winner:

There is a songwriter named Bob
Who makes some people's hearts throb
They find a thrill in
Listening to Dylan
And for me it's more like a job.

It's safe to assume that Keillor won't be covering any Dylan tunes when he reunites with several "Prairie Home" companions Nov. 30 for a Christmas show at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis.


about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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