Bob Dylan Apologizes for Autopen-Signed Books: "Using a Machine Was an Error in Judgment"

The singer-songwriter cited "a bad case of vertigo" and COVID protocols having made it "impossible to sign anything"

BY Megan LaPierrePublished Nov 28, 2022

Last week, Simon & Schuster issued $600 refunds to Bob Dylan fans who ordered limited-edition "hand-signed" copies of the luminary's new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, after the signatures were exposed as replicas.

In a rare social media post (on Facebook, naturally), Dylan issued a statement apologizing for the "error in judgment" of using an autopen machine to create copies of his signature, citing a "bad case of vertigo" and COVID protocols having made the process of hand-signing the books "impossible."

"I've been made aware that there's some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited edition of Philosophy of Modern Song," the singer-songwriter wrote late Friday (November 25). "I've hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there's never been a problem."

He continued, "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."

Fans compared notes in various online forums once they started receiving their "hand-signed" editions of The Philosophy of Modern Song in the mail last week, identifying 17 slight variations in the signatures.

Consequently, Simon & Schuster admitted that Dylan's signature appeared in "penned replica form." They added, "We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund."

"Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately," Dylan concluded. "I'm working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that."

See the full statement from Dylan below.

 
The artist nearly known as Little Willie's new book has also prompted Talking Heads' Christ Frantz to tell him to "suck a dick." 

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