Can Bob Dylan be trusted? (with Elizabeth Cantalamessa)

About this episode

The episode explores the complex relationship between Bob Dylan and his audience through a philosophical lens with guest Elizabeth Cantalamessa.

Being a Bob Dylan fan is a spectrum –whether you identify as a casual enjoyer if his music or a die-hard Bobcat, the umbrella is large and leaves room for multitudes. Over the past year, many Definitely Dylan episodes have circled around the relationship between artist and audience, how Bob Dylan presents himself and how he is perceived. In the final conversation of 2025 (which you’re hearing in early 2026), we’re approaching this topic from a new angle. My guest is Elizabeth Cantalamessa, an honest to god philosopher and one of the most fun people you can run into at a Bob Dylan show. We talk about Bob Dylan as the villain and trickster, selling out, and art as spiritual labour.

People in this episode

Host: Laura Tenschert

Guest: Elizabeth Cantalamessa

Topics covered

• Bob Dylan
• artist-audience relationship
• philosophy
• art as spiritual labour
• selling out
• villain and trickster

Keywords

• Bob Dylan
• philosophy
• art
• audience
• selling out
• trickster

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Bob Dylan

More episodes of Definitely Dylan

• Bob Dylan and Nostalgia (with Court Carney) · June 8, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Bob Dylan, Magic & Alchemy (Bob Dylan Hotline #6) · June 1, 2026 · 1h 13m
• "Brownsville Girl": Bob Dylan's Most Cinematic Song (Bob Dylan Hotline #5) · May 18, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Bob Dylan Hotline #4: Dylan for Beginners (We love the 80s) · May 4, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Bob Dylan and The Beatles (with Jim Windolf) · April 27, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Bob Dylan Hotline #3: What does Bob Dylan owe us? · April 20, 2026 · 60 min