To hear Jeff Tweedy tell it, Bob Dylan is “the prettiest girl at the party.” Jeff, you might ask, with all due respect, what the hell does that mean? Apparently, Tweedy came to this conclusion after playing the messenger between Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples, relaying several flirtations while on tour in 2013.
Speaking to Uncut in June 2021 for a massive oral history of Dylan, Tweedy recalled the “oddly uplifting and encouraging” tour. The U.S. summer excursion was named Americanarama Festival of Music, with Bob Dylan headlining alongside Wilco and My Morning Jacket as openers for the majority of the summer. Other support acts joined for limited dates or one-offs, like Bob Weir, Dawes, Richard Thompson Electric Trio, and Beck.
But Tweedy recalled a moment on stage with Dylan that brought the iconic Mavis Staples into the fold. First, he admitted he could never play it cool while talking with Dylan on stage, which led to his recollection.
“One night I told him that Mavis Staples said hi. He said, ‘Tell her she should have married me,’” Tweedy explained. “So the next night I said, ‘She says she’s still available.’ He said, ‘Yeah, right. I wish!’”
Jeff Tweedy Recalls Having a ‘Great Time’ On Tour With Bob Dylan in 2013
Was Mavis Staples actually there, and did she actually say those things? Jeff Tweedy neither confirmed nor denied by way of not providing context. We’re just going to have to take his word for it. So, yeah, Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples did, in fact, engage in a friendly flirt through Jeff Tweedy. And not just because it’s the funniest combination of words we’ve seen in a while.
“There were a lot of people there who just can’t get enough of this guy, who’s given zero s—ts for so many years if they’re there or not,” Tweedy also said of Dylan. Americanarama was part of Dylan’s unofficially named Never Ending Tour that year. Additionally, it was celebrating the 25th anniversary of the extended tour. His live shows have fans traveling from all over to catch him on the road. But, as Tweedy said, Dylan doesn’t do it to fill seats.
“That’s so life-affirming!” Tweedy exclaimed. “What he’s doing is way weirder than the music he was making when he was young. I had a great time.” He added that “[Bob Dylan] said hi to me at the start of the tour on the way to the stage, and he knew my name, and it was about all I needed. I was really thrilled. There was no way to play it cool.”
So what did Jeff Tweedy think of Bob Dylan after touring with him for a summer? “My impression of him was always like he’s the prettiest girl at the party, where everybody’s afraid to talk to him,” Tweedy explained. “When you had a moment to, the only thing shocking was that they were human.”
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