Bob Dylan has inspired many to try and detail his life and work, yet few reach the heights of Dylan writer Andy Muir. Muir has given us such works as The Razor's Edge (2001), and One More Night (2013), where he details with insight and depth the facts behind what has been dubbed Dylan's Never-ending Tour. Though Dylan named the touring as such in an interview, he feels the term has taken on a misunderstood life of its own. What would the oft wandering mystical minstrel of rock be without controversy? And more importantly, where would we be without the likes of Muir to sit down and clear up the wide and muddy waters for us? Muir graciously Muir sat down to discuss his most up to date ruminations with us, on all matters from Shadows in the Night (2015), to the 2015 tour dates, to the rumor mill.

Readers interested in Dylan should be on the look-out for the Kindle release of Muir's classic rolling tome, Troubadour (2003). The paperback edition fetches collectible prices on online sites of over $135. The Kindle edition of the book is available at amazon.com for only $7.79. The insights provided into the early and late songs of Bob Dylan is a must read for all fans interested in rock's premiere craftsman.

Bob Wilson: Dylan has seemed at times to be tepid on heaping praise on other performers at times. Can you describe his relationship with Sinatra and his music over the years?

Andy Muir: Well, like most things in a career as lengthy as Dylan's and especially with someone who has so many sides to him - that's both true and not true. There are numerous occasions when he has heaped loads of praise on other artists too. Also, Dylan is often playing games so both warm praise and 'tepid' responses may be saying something deeper than they appear to be on the surface, perhaps the comments are made for you to think of something else, something of Dylan's in another light for example.

Firstly there is the simple admiration for a master vocal stylist. Dylan is, you will not be surprised to hear, my favourite singer of all time but Sinatra would be high up the list - what tone, what control, what phrasing and what drive to capture in his voice what he heard in his head. There may be personal connections and memories too, directly or through family and friends. I'm not sure younger folk are aware of how big Sinatra was. Sinatra was one of the (pronounced theeee) stars of the last century. Pre-Elvis, Sinatra was the one that girls swooned over in his early days and the cameras lapped up and moral outrage surrounded.

Bob Wilson: Dylan has stated that 'Shadows' isn't a Sinatra covers record, yet he recorded it in Studio B at Capitol; any thoughts on that?

Andy Muir: Different signals, certainly, but not necessarily contradictory. Dylan is careful with language, and it isn't really a "covers" album, is it? Sinatra did not write the songs, instead he too covered them. They are standards. Lots of other wonderful singers covered most of them too. The immense Sam Cooke, another with many a Dylan connection, for one.

It is, however, clearly a homage to and re-interpretation of songs associated with Sinatra whom Dylan has been at pains to extol and doff his cap to - hence the studio, the interview comment, the album cover and so forth - what was it, Dylan said? "Frank’s got to be on your mind. Because he is the mountain." Something like that - there was a day I'd know if the quote was word-perfect for sure!

Bob Wilson: Which songs stand out for your personally on Shadows in the Night? Andy Muir: My one problem with the record is that 'Lucky Old Sun' is so very good that it dwarfs everything else for me. I have always loved him singing that song and the middle part here is 'heartbreakingly' moving. My dad passed away in January and I can't help hearing "What'll I Do?" with my mother's current situation in mind, after 60 years of marriage, especially the bit about the photograph. (Sinatra was her favourite singer all her life Sinatra, until she fell in love with Bob under the onslaught of my turning the house into a non-stop Dylan soundtrack. It's her favourite track, unsurprisingly.) So, there may be a personal bias there that is affecting my judgment but I think that is very strong too, as are 'Stay With Me' and 'I'm a Fool To Want You'. I think the best thing though is how it all hangs together, the unity, the way the tracks talk to each other and often seem to speak to Dylan's own career in surprising way - the unity itself is striking rather than me pick out individual tracks here.

Bob Wilson:: It seems kind of funny that Dylan has been on such a 'roll' with critics for some time. Now he puts this record of standards out, and murmurs start that the well has run dry. What say you?

Andy Muir: Critics, schmitics. Dylan himself has been saying it all century. Remember he said there were enough songs already, and the world did not need anymore. He's often said songs don't come easily like they used to. Hasn't he given us enough masterpieces already? Anyway I don't think there's any reason to believe it has run dry altogether. I think Dylan could throw together a 'Together Through Life' any afternoon he wanted to for all his days. I hope he doesn't, of course! I guess we all always hope there is another masterpiece to come, and maybe there is but I do wonder sometimes about how greedy we are. Already people will be thinking how cover albums have led to song-writing renaissances in the past, heck you got me started thinking that way with this question, to be honest.

Bob Wilson: At the MusiCares’ ceremony Dylan filled us in on the Gospel album he almost made instead of Tempest. Can you comment on the back story there, please? (Might we see this record in the near future?).

Andy Muir: I would be careful how literally you take things Dylan says. I think he was making a point about Gospel music and his love of it there - and about his beliefs come to that. How close that album was I don't know, but I think that he was using the statement to make wider points. I'd like to hear it, as far as the Tempest comment went, I took that a different way too, I thought he was slyly pointing out that Tempest was a 'religious album'. (If that term has to be used, I'm sure he hates it which was perhaps part of the point.) I mean, it is, isn't it? As you know Robert, you don't come across many atheists as entrenched in their non-belief as I am, but that doesn't blind me to Dylan's faith. I think the way this is treated has been disgraceful. I'll never forget interviewers asking him if he still believed at a time when he was opening concerts with 'I Am The Man, Thomas', 'Wait For The Light To Shine' or he was playing 'Rock of Ages' or 'Solid Rock'. For you know Who's sake that was cringe-worthy behaviour.

Dylan didn't suddenly stop making "religious albums" after Shot of Love are Infidels, Oh Mercy and Modern Times not "religious" albums? You know, Dylan clearly and repeatedly stated that he believed Jesus was in his room with him. You don't just 'forget' or 'get over' that kind of experience or belief is my - admittedly non-experienced - opinion. I can't see how it could be any other way if you felt that had happened to you. You might waver on certain interpretations, you might be disillusioned by certain organizations or fellow believers, but it would be a seismic change to then lose the belief in that 'meeting' (that's not the right word, sorry, hopefully you know what I mean) or consequent faith and one that would shine through any artist's subsequent work. I don't see that with Dylan at all, I see further exploration of Christianity and its relationship with Judaism at times too, yes, but one or two lines apart - and seemingly soon overcome - no hint of a moving away from Belief. As a card carrying non-believer I've the opposite of motivation to say this but, anyway, all of this is, I think, the driver behind both the comments to which you are referring. I'd like to hear such a record, though, naturally.

Bob Wilson: Jimmy Carter has gone out of his way to laud Dylan over the years. Do you have any 'scoop' on the relationship between these two?

Andy Muir: I think it is just as Carter used to tell it. One of his sons, a Woodstock Festival graduate, suggested Carter invite Dylan Carter did so and apparently hit it off with Dylan (though to what degree is unknown.) The initial motivation was surely that it was a smart political move by Carter (and guaranteed a son's eternal gratitude!) as Dylan's 1974 tour was a huge thing in America at the time. The same thing stands for Carter quoting 'he not busy being born, is busy dying' two years later to remind the baby boomers that he was "down with the Dylan fans". I'm not saying it was all cynical on Carter's part but there was that motivation, surely? It was out of character for Dylan to go along with the 1974 meeting but he was quoted as having been impressed with Carter having visited Israel. According to Carter though, when he tried to talk to Bob and Sara about that they immediately changed the conversation.

Carter got a bit confused this time, mixing up his years but since I am around 44 years younger than him and I get confused with years (not where Dylan is concerned, but otherwise) all the time, I more than forgive him.

Incidentally, Dylan wasn't too impressed with being quoted by Carter, he said he'd only go out and vote himself if the likes of Franklin or Jefferson came back. Good ol' Bob, he has sure always known the period of history that interests him.

Bob Wilson: The speech Dylan gave at Music Cares was certainly a 'barn-burner'? What sticks out in that one for you?

Andy Muir: I thought it was a shame the way it was received, the focus was all on the least interesting bits, I felt. It was a wonderfully funny, open and revealing speech. There was a lot to be admired in it but unquestionably for me what 'stuck out' was the passages about the songs he listened to leading to the songs he wrote. Wonderful stuff.

Bob Wilson: The rumor mill always talks about Dylan's last show whenever he tours. It looks like he may give Willie Nelson a run for his money by the looks of things. What is a Dylan concert like in his 73rd year?

Andy Muir: I haven't seen one yet and I can't wait to - maybe there will be some surprises. All I can say with confidence is that it'll be the best show you'll see in 2015.

Bob Wilson: Dylan said he pared down the Sinatra arrangements on his takes on these songs. How did the band fare on this trip into the studio?

Andy Muir: I think they did really well. I love the sound, and I think they gave their 'band-leader' exactly what he wanted and what more can you ask for than that? Bob Wilson: There has been salacious scuttlebutt on Dylan's wife spending all of his money, when hardly any of us knew he was married again. As much as we all hate the gossip (ahem!), any insights on this situation? Maybe you can tell his side of it for a change. -Forgive us for going there, but it was in the news quite prominently.

Andy Muir: Ah, apologies - you’ve come to the wrong person. I don't really care about that sort of stuff. Sorry if that sounds snobbish but it is just true, I've not asked anyone who could be in a position to know more about that story. I just read it and shrugged. I know when I ran fanzines, and indeed for decades before I hunted down every bit of Dylan info no matter how trivial or tawdry but it was always the bottom of my interest and finally fell away altogether.

I did read it, though, I've not grown up that much! It did not feel right, that story, on a number of levels. Firstly, you'd have to really go some to spend all of Dylan's money. Secondly were you to start doing so, alarm bells would have rung in many a department and word would have got back quickly. Thirdly, after the first settlement with Sara does anyone really think that Dylan would not control such things to a sensible degree? I don't wish to sound unromantic, just realistic.

Bob Wilson: Bob Dylan will start off the current leg of the 'so-called' Never-ending Tour on April 15th at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and it winds down on April 10th, 2015 at the Morris Performing Arts Center, in South Bend, Indiana. Check bobdylan.com for a full tour schedule. ~Don't you dare miss it!