Thin Wild Mercury: Dylan By Schatzberg

Bob Dylan by Jerry Schatzberg

An exhibition of Jerry Schatzberg’s iconic images of Bob Dylan will go on display from this Thursday (21st November to 25th January) at the Proud Gallery, London. Schatzberg shot Dylan at a period in his development in the mid-Sixties as he made his legendary transition from acoustic to electric folk.

Bob Dylan: ‘The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on … the Blonde On Blonde album. It’s that thin, that wild mercury sound.’

Famous for shooting the Blonde on Blonde album cover, Schatzberg describes the circumstances behind that seminal image in his signed limited edition book, Thin Wild Mercury:

Jerry Schatzberg: ‘It was freezing and we were very cold. The frame he [Dylan] chose for the cover is blurred and out of focus. Of course everyone was trying to interpret the meaning, saying it must represent getting high or an LSD trip. It was none of the above; we were just cold and the two of us were shivering. There were other images that were sharp and in focus, but to his credit, Dylan liked that photograph.’

Thin Wild Mercury is available to order now, click here. For more information on the Proud Gallery and this exhibition click here to visit their website.

© Jerry Schatzberg, 1965