The Story That Stopped a Songwriting Collaboration for the Ages: Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt

Bob Dylan—a songwriting giant with worldwide fame for his work who still performs to this day. Townes Van Zandt—another songwriting giant who strayed away from the limelight and died at 52. Two wildly different stories with one similarity: they are both considered some of the best songwriters to ever have put pen to paper.

That being so, why didn’t the two collaborate and make potentially the song of a generation? In short, Dylan was used to appealing to the masses. Whereas Van Zandt readily played on dim-lit stages somewhere in or around Austin, Texas. Needless to say, their views on fame highly differed.

Dylan Reaches Out

According to Susanna Clark, Guy Clark’s wife, Van Zandt turned down numerous invitations from Dylan regarding a collaboration. Even though they were fans of one another, Van Zandt knew if he worked with Dylan he could say goodbye to the anonymity he had.

There have been a vast amount of rumors circling the Dylan and Van Zandt universe about the two meeting incidentally in front of a costume shop in Austin. Additionally and allegedly, Dylan invited Van Zandt into his trailer to play a few songs. Much like the folkloric nature of both these artists, none of these stories have been confirmed true. Rather, it all floats around in myth.

Dylan vs Townes Van Zandt

When these rumors hit mainstream media fans started speculating about a collaboration and—consequently—comparisons arose. It seemed people were constantly asking the question as to who was the better songwriter. A fruitless question given the subjective nature of this business, except for one man: Steve Earle, a longtime friend of Van Zandt.

Earle once said, “Townes Van Zandt’s the best songwriter in the world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” In response to the polarizing comment, Van Zandt responded with, “I’ve met Bob Dylan’s bodyguards, and if Steve Earle thinks he can stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table, he’s sadly mistaken.”

Regardless of this made-up feud between Van Zandt and Dylan, it is a shame that the two never collaborated. Both are known for their ability to capture the essence of emotion within their given characters. Furthermore, the two have a sensitivity and intuition that no one can replicate. With their combined skills, the product they would have created would have been a generational staple.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns