Dylan to host show on US satellite radio station

by Staff, Brand Republic 14-Dec-05, 08:50

NEW YORK - Bob Dylan is to host his own weekly show on satellite radio in the US in a major coup for XM Satellite Radio.

The legendary, 64-year-old singer/songwriter of 'Blood on the Tracks' and 'Blonde on Blonde' fame is not known for embracing public life and is often called a recluse, so the move to satellite radio is going to take his army of fans by surprise.

XM said it had been talking to Dylan for 18 months before he agreed to the hour-long show, which will feature talk and music and will be recorded in a combination of home and hotel rooms and tour buses.

"Songs and music have always inspired me. A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mic. It'll be as exciting for me as it is for XM," Dylan said.

The radio show represents another public outing for Dylan, so to speak. Earlier this year, Dylan teamed up with 'Goodfellas' director Martin Scorsese for a feature-length film on the singer's life, which ran on BBC Two and PBS in September and is now out on DVD.

'No Direction Home - Bob Dylan' lifted the lid on Dylan's key creative years between 1961 and 1966, during which he wrote his best work including, 'Like a Rollin' Stone', 'The Times They Are A-Changin', 'Bringing it All Back Home' and 'Highway 61 Revisited' among others.

Dylan surprised fans further two years ago after he starred in a Victoria's Secrets ad campaign.

For XM, the deal is major coup and gives it a boost against its rival Sirius Satellite Radio, which in four weeks' time will be home to high-profile shock jock Howard Stern.

Sirius has also attracted the likes of Eminem and Jimmy Buffett, who have lent their names to stations on Sirius, while XM has signed Snoop Dogg to create a rap channel.

The Dylan show will be on XM's rock album channel Deep Tracks.

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