1965 was a pivotal year in Bob Dylan's career. In the early part of the year, he released BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME, the first album that saw him move distinctly away from his folk music origins. In the summer, he followed it with HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED, an out and out rock & roll album, and the single “Like a Rolling Stone” hit No. 2 on the U.S. charts. His appearance at that year's Newport Folk Festival saw him use an electric guitar on stage, a hugely controversial move at the time that saw him booed by much of the audience.

Against this background, Dylan went into the studios of TV station KQED in San Francisco for a broadcast press conference hosted by Ralph J. Gleason, his only one from this era ever to be filmed.

User Review

“Dylan toys with the press for 50 minutes – Fun! In December 1965 – less than 6 months after Dylan went "electric” at the Newport Folk Festival, he was in San Francisco for 3 concerts. Jazz critic Ralph Gleason arranged for a televised hour-long press conference at WQED and recorded it on video. Thanks to the late Gleason's son Toby (who has made many of his father's Jazz Casual" jazz shows available on DVD), the full press conference is now available. This is a MUST for true Dylan fans and an entertaining curiosity for those who were fascinated by Martin Scorsese's do­cumentary…By technical standards, the print is top notch and sharp. The sound is the best that can be expected when the questioners did not use microphones to ask Dylan their questions. (You can hear his answers just fine!).

There were about 30 reporters in the room, including poet Allen Ginsburg (who Dylan lists – in answer to one question – as one of his favorite poets). I won't give away all of the gems which come from Dylan during the 50-minute conference but He's really prophetic when asked: “If you were to sell out to `commercial interests', what would they be ?”. He replies “Ladies garments” . 40 years later he was doing commercials for Victoria's Secret! Dylan is VERY relaxed in his manner and quite open. He chain smokes through the whole session." Steven I. Ramm