Bob Dylan apologises after fans spot £499 autographed books were not signed by singer himself
Bob Dylan has issued a rare public statement to apologise to fans, after it was noticed that ‘signed’ copies of his book were not signed by the man himself.
Instead, an autopen machine was used to duplicate his signature onto limited-edition copies of his book, which were sold for £499.
Fans online had started comparing their autographed editions of The Philosophy of Modern Rock and noticed they were machine-made signatures.
Both Dylan and publisher Simon and Schuster have apologised to those who purchased a book, with Dylan saying it was an ‘error in judgement’.
The legendary singer and Nobel Prize in Literature-winning poet said that a bad case of vertigo, coupled with social distancing restrictions in the pandemic, made it impossible for him to hand-sign his books.
He wrote in a lengthy and transparent statement: “I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.
“However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable 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, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.
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“Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”
Simon and Schuster announced that the publisher would offer refunds to fans, writing on Instagram: “To those who purchased The Philosophy of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologize. As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form.
“We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons