A number of outlets reported that Bob Dylan announced via Instagram Stories that he’s launched a new Patreon series, Lectures From The Grave, featuring “letters never sent” from the likes of Mark Twain, and “lectures” from America’s roughest and rowdiest: Confederate guerrilla soldier Frank James, 19th-century Vice President Aaron Burr, and Old West folk hero Wild Bill Hickok. The poster for the $5-per-month Patreon account, as well as audio recordings of the lectures, appear to have been created using AI. The Nobel Prize winner, nor his team, has yet to confirm if AI tools were used to make the images, audio, or stories.
The letters, attributed to pseudonymous names and “curated by Bob Dylan” (as opposed, notably, to being written by him) are attributed to a cast of characters including “Herbert Foster” and “Marty Lombard.” The Patreon’s first post is just a video of Mahalia Jackson singing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Dylan’s decision to make Patreon his platform of choice is as confounding as the project itself. Though celebrities and creatives have flocked to Substack in recent years to charge fans for exclusive tidbits—the platform counts Dylanian compatriots like Patti Smith and protégés like Jeff Tweedy as members—typical Patreon-exclusive content includes the Chapo Trap House podcast and the fantasy audio series Dungeons and Daddies.
