Brief

As the author states, “It was at summer camp that I first met Bobby Zimmerman. He was twelve years old and had a guitar. He would tell everybody that he was going to be a rock-and-roll star. I believed him.” So begins this honest, funny, and deep account of Bob Dylan’s story, by his friend and tour manager.

What We Liked

- This unique perspective of Bob Dylan's origin story is illuminating;
- The two friends find themselves all over the world with fascinating people;
- This piece could be broken down into a mini-series. While movies and documentaries already exist, a series could provide a fresh and stylized approach to the material;
- Key points: Audiences love Bob Dylan; biography films/series are popular; plenty of diverse characters to work with; relatable underlying themes; overall this is a fun, upbeat story.

Synopsis

Louie Kemp, in his mid-twenties, sits in a rocking chair overlooking a sea of people. Next to him, just behind the curtain on-stage, his lifelong friend tunes a guitar. Suddenly, a small flicker of light appears in the dark that multiplies and spreads like a virus across the crowd. Taking in the remarkable moment, the two men admire the glow from all the lighters. Then leaving Louie in his chair, the other man steps up to the microphone and instantaneously commands the gaze of the cheering mass. It becomes clear Louie is as big of a fan as anyone else in the stadium. After all, his friend is the iconic American folk-singer, Bob Dylan.

Their friendship starts twenty years prior in 1953 at a youth camp in small-town Minnesota. At 11-years old, Louie is a regular attendee. He meets a new boy with a guitar that confidently proclaims he’s going to be a rock star someday. By the end of the season, Bobby Zimmerman gives his first public performance singing rock and roll cover songs to his adoring peers. The performances continue over the years and Bobby breaks off on his own, black leather jacket in hand, and moves to New York City. Louie takes over the family business back at home and watches his friend become famous from afar. After the release of the hit “Blowin’ in the Wind”, stardom arrives, fully transforming Bobby Zimmerman into Bob Dylan.

After six years, Louie travels to New York to reunite with Bob. The two friends don’t skip a beat and discover their friendship is strong as ever. The filmmaker, Sam Peckinpah, casts Bob Dylan to sing “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” for his latest movie filming in Mexico. Louie tags along to the film set and Bob, liking the company, invites him to join on his next tour. Louie handles the tour in stride as limos, five-star accommodations, private jets, and new celebrity friends become the norm. He plans a birthday party with Cher, gives Marlon Brando’s son a job at his business back home, and dines with Francis Ford Coppola. Louie again accepts Bob’s next offer which is to produce his upcoming tour, The Rolling Thunder Revue, that would become legendary amongst performers. As the planning phase commences, Louie discovers how much work really goes into these productions.

After years of success, Bob mentions something that catches Louie off guard. He confesses that he constantly has an urge, perhaps a need, to seek something else. At this point, Louie and Bob have traveled the world together, married and raised families, made plenty of money, yet now he explicitly communicates a feeling of emptiness. Enter religion. Now in his late 40s, Bob goes above and beyond to seek counsel from numerous rabbis’ to guide him on a quest to understand Judaism. They provide a valuable insight to an already insightful man, that the urge to continue his education and consistently seek more is his blessing and not a symptom of emptiness at all. The two men still tour together, are devout to their religion, family men, activists, and lifelong friends.

About The Author

Louie Kemp, Bob Dylan’s tour manager for years, provides a first-hand account of his experiences.