Iconic American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan (real name Robert Zimmerman) has apologized to fans who bought his new book, Philosophy of Modern Song.
Bob Dylan has issued a rare public statement, apologizing for an “error of judgment” amid controversy over his use of a machine to sign private copies of his new book which were advertised as “hand-signed.”
Initially, it was claimed that the copies were being sold with the musician’s own signature, but it later turned out that some of them contained copies of it.
On his social media, Dylan said he “never had a problem” with book signatures until he began suffering from severe vertigo in 2019, which was exacerbated the following year by COVID-19.
They are autopenned. Fraudulent. Printed by a machine, not hand signed. pic.twitter.com/Bxsyv6JElC
— geewiz (@thmcdonald1) November 19, 2022
“I was assured that this kind of thing is done all the time in the art and literature world,” the singer said, explaining how he resorted to use copies instead of the original. Now, however, he wants to “fix it right away.”
According to media reports, Dylan’s publisher Simon & Schuster initially refused to refund the money (a signed book costs $599), but later apologized for the mix-up and offered a refund. Readers discovered the copies after they were able to identify 17 completely identical Dylan signatures.
