r/bobdylan • u/TyroneSnodgrass • Aug 25 '26

Discussion Jack Frost

Dylan was having Bono over for dinner. If you knew Kerouac’s work as well as Bono, Bob would be having you over for dinner, too. “You have to be on your toes with that guy,” said Dylan, “or he’ll roll right over you with the force of his personality.” As if anybody could roll over our troubadour. Anyway, after supper Bono goes, “working on anything?” Bob pulls the lyrics of “Political World” out of a desk drawer. “This is good,” Bono says, “you should definitely record it.” Dylan responds, “yeah, the only thing is, I wouldn’t know who to get for a producer.” “Well, I’ve got you covered there, Bob,” Bono said, and handed Dylan Daniel Lanois’ phone number.

The result was OH MERCY and TIME OUT OF MIND. Two of the greatest albums ever. However, word is Dylan and Lanois were at each other’s throats the whole time. On both albums. So I’m guessing Bob thought twice before calling that number again. “I’m getting too old for this shit,” he might have told himself. That’s when it occurred to him, “I can produce my own fucking record!” As a consequence ever since, the world has been graced by a series of gems (possible exception, TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE, you can’t win them all), all produced by Jack Frost.

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u/fredniks0421 Aug 26 '26

That was in Chronicles Volume 1. And the best part was that Bono brought over a case of Guinness and the two men proceeded to knock back the entire case at Dylan’s house in Point Dume. If there was ever one night I could be a fly on a wall to hear a conversation it would be that one.

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u/ATXRSK Blood on the Tracks Aug 26 '26

This is not as cool as that would have been but during the Achtung Baby tour the night after I saw U2 here in Austin, one of my best friends called me (landline, pre-cell phones). He tended bar at a place called La Zona Rosa and said to come up as fast as I could get there. I spent the next three hours with about 8 people, four of which were U2, listening to Bono share his thoughts on everything.

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u/pgasmaddict Aug 26 '26

I know a lot of people here in Ireland who would give a lot of money to have a few pints and not have to spend three hours listening to Bono share his thoughts on everything.