It ain't no use to sit and wonder why, Suze

One presumably cold day in 1962 Don Hunstein, a staff photographer for CBS, took some photographs, in The Village on at the corner (positively) west 4th street and Jones street, of Bob Dylan and a girl with flowy hair and a pretty smile. One of these photos became the cover of Dylan’s second album, “The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan” (Columbia Records, 1963). This iconic album contained such songs as "Blowin' in the Wind", “A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall”, “Masters of War”, “Don't Think Twice it's Alright* (*my personal favorite and the song which I can play best on the acoustic guitar). More or less, this was the seminal album that put the former Robert Allen Zimmerman on the proverbial map.

But who is this mystery girl on the cove of the album? It isn’t short time lover Edie Sedgwick or first wife romance Sara Lownds…and yet something about her image holding Bob’s arm so youthfully and full of adventure cannot help but fill ones heart with hope and grinning joy.

Her name is Suze Rotolo and she dated Dylan in the early 60’s, back in the Café Wah? days. Evidently, she was a member of Brechtian Theater and this was the introduction for Dylan to the works and lyricism of Bertolt Brecht. She was a protester for civil rights and went on marches and attended rallies. Also, she apparently become pregnant by Bob Dylan, but the couple had an abortion. She appeared in No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's documentary and you can see her speak. In 1962 she left the city to study in Italy. This distance, which they say makes the heart grow fonder, inspired a love sick Dylan to write several songs, including "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright", which as I said has a special place in my heart. There is not much more to say about lovely Suze, she is now a teacher at Parsons and works in literature publishing. Obviously she did not marry Bob, but regardless, there was a time when passions flowed like wine and hearts where strummed on the sleeves of guitar strummers beat up jackets. Although obscurity found Suze and the spotlight found Bob, the photos are there, and as long as they are the moment will live and breath forever, the two lovers, dancing like James Dean down the honey dew street.


-Robert K.