Don’t Talk To Bob Dylan When He Wears This Piece Of Clothing

Bob Dylan is known for his eccentricities, as most geniuses are. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, renowned guitarist and songwriter Billy Burnette spoke about an item of clothing Dylan wears signaling to leave him alone.

Being Bob’s touring guitarist in 2003, Burnette was able to get fairly close to the elusive legend. As Burnette noted, the tour was one of the last where Dylan played guitar. Bob’s early years as an acoustic guitar-wielding folk troubadour locked in the archetype of the 20th century singer-songwriter. In the interview with RS, Burnette recalled Bob letting him know this.

“I remember at the first day of rehearsal, Dylan picks up his acoustic guitar. He goes, ‘This is my thing.’ I go, ‘You’re right about that.'”

Burnette also talked about Dylan’s exercise habits as well as his ability to dodge just about anyone.

“He went out and ran every day. I’d see him in his sweats in the hotel, but he’s slippery. He can walk in an airport…they lost him one day. They couldn’t find him anywhere. I’m in this little gift shop and I turn around, and there he is. He goes, ‘Hi Billy.’ I was like, ‘How did you get in here?’ He moves around. It’s a weird thing.”

Perhaps most eccentric and yet very relatable was Bob wearing a hood as a signal that he is to be left alone, as Burnette recalled.

“When he wears the hood, you’re not supposed to talk to him. I didn’t know that until one day we were in line to get on a plane at the airport. I tapped him on the shoulder. The drummer said, ‘No, no. He don’t talk to anyone when he’s got the hood on.’ I was like, ‘OK. I’m glad you told me.'” Head to Rolling Stone for more from Burnette including about his short tenure in Fleetwood Mac.