Singer cites ‘bad case of vertigo’ and Covid protocols for not exactly ‘hand-signed’ copies of The Philosophy of Modern Song
Bob Dylan has apologized to fans over controversy surrounding ‘hand-signed’ copies of his new book The Philosophy of Modern Songthe music legend admitting he used an autopen after a “bad case of vertigo” and Covid protocols left him unable to personally autograph the limited edition.
“I have been informed that there is controversy over the signatures on some of my recent art prints and a limited edition of modern song philosophy“Dylan wrote Friday in a rare statement on social media. “I have hand-signed every fine art print over the years, and there has never been a problem.
Dylan continued: “However, in 2019 I had a severe case of vertigo and this has continued through the pandemic years. It takes a team of five people working closely with me to enable these signings, and we couldn’t find a safe and convenient way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging. So during the pandemic it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the world of art and literature.
Shortly after the release of The Philosophy of Modern Song, some of those who spent $599 on the limited edition of 900 “personally signed” copies – complete with a letter of authenticity – have started sharing their autographs online. However, after comparing the signatures, fans quickly deduced that the autograph was created using an autopen, which replicated Dylan’s signature with at least 17 different subtle variations.
After initially rejecting refund requests, publishers Simon & Schuster said in a statement earlier this week that they learned that “the limited edition books contain Bob’s original signature, but in a written replica form. We are settling this problem immediately by offering every buyer an immediate refund.
Dylan added in his statement on Friday: “Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I work with Simon & Schuster and my partner galleries to achieve this.