Bob Dylan Apologizes Over Autopen Controversy: ‘An Error in Judgement’ - Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan has apologized to fans pursuing the contention surrounding the “hand-signed” copies of his caller publication The Philosophy of Modern Song, with the euphony fable admitting helium employed an autopen aft a “bad lawsuit of vertigo” and Covid protocols near him incapable to personally autograph the limited-edition run.

“I’ve been made alert that there’s immoderate contention astir signatures connected immoderate of my caller artwork prints and connected a limited-edition of Philosophy Of Modern Song,” Dylan wrote Friday successful a uncommon societal media statement. “I’ve hand-signed each and each creation people implicit the years, and there’s ne'er been a problem.”

Dylan continued, “However, successful 2019 I had a atrocious lawsuit of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a unit of 5 moving successful adjacent quarters with maine to assistance alteration these signing sessions, and we could not find a harmless and workable mode to implicit what I needed to bash portion the microorganism was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was intolerable to motion thing and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the thought of utilizing an auto-pen was suggested to me, on with the assurance that this benignant of happening is done ‘all the time’ successful the creation and literate worlds.”

Soon aft the merchandise of The Philosophy of Modern Song, immoderate of those who spent $599 connected the limited-edition tally of 900 “personally signed” copies — implicit with a missive of authenticity — began sharing their autographs online. However, aft comparing the signatures, fans soon deduced that the autograph was created utilizing an autopen, which reproduced Dylan’s signature with astatine slightest 17 antithetic subtle variations.

Trending

After initially rejecting requests for a refund, earlier this week, publishers Simon & Schuster said successful a connection that they learned “the constricted variation books bash incorporate Bob’s archetypal signature, but successful a penned replica form. We are addressing this instantly by providing each purchaser with an contiguous refund.”

Dylan added successful his connection Friday, “Using a instrumentality was an mistake successful judgement and I privation to rectify it immediately. I’m moving with Simon & Schuster and my assemblage partners to bash conscionable that.”