Bob Dylan: Eagles Have One of the Best Songs Ever

Bob Dylan has an album of new music coming out next week, and he sat down with Rice University history professor Douglas Brinkley for a rare interview that appears in the New York Times. It is an eclectic, wide-ranging talk, and at one point Brinkley mentioned he was a bit surprised that Dylan paid tribute to Don Henley and Glenn Frey of the Eagles in the song "Murder Most Foul." Asked to name his favorite Eagles songs, Dylan responded: "'New Kid in Town,' 'Life in the Fast Lane,' 'Pretty Maids All in a Row.' That could be one of the best songs ever." (Re-listen for yourself here.)

One more snippet: Brinkley asked Dylan if he thought of the current pandemic in "biblical terms." Not so much, it turns out. "I think it’s a forerunner of something else to come," answers Dylan. "It’s an invasion for sure, and it’s widespread, but biblical? You mean like some kind of warning sign for people to repent of their wrongdoings? That would imply that the world is in line for some sort of divine punishment. Extreme arrogance can have some disastrous penalties. Maybe we are on the eve of destruction. There are numerous ways you can think about this virus. I think you just have to let it run its course." Read the full interview. (Check out "Murder Most Foul," which is about the assassination of JFK.)