Rotolo’s dubious fame
Suze Rotolo and Bob Dylan became a couple when she was 17 and he was 20, but his increasing fame strained their relationship.
Suze Rotolo came to regret falling in love with Bob Dylan, says Damien Love in Uncut. She and the aspiring folk singer became a couple when she was 17 and Dylan was 20, and for a few years they were inseparable. In 1963, they were photographed walking lovingly arm in arm down a Greenwich Village street. That iconic image graced the cover of the folk singer’s second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, the record that made him a star. The fame quickly strained their relationship. “It was hard for him to deal with that and keep moving,” says Rotolo. “He was closing himself off, becoming more protective. I saw early on how insane it all was.” As Dylan’s celebrity grew, she rebelled against being known as “Dylan’s chick,” and they began bickering constantly. Rotolo had an abortion and Dylan had an affair with Joan Baez. When they broke up, in 1964, Rotolo came to hate seeing herself on the album cover. “People would just see me as the girl on the arm of this god. For a long time, I was angry at it. I was left with the paranoia of always wanting to be seen as a whole person. And I did it by running away from it. Just run the hell away.” Now, at 64, she’s at peace with her past. “That picture, it’s become a symbol of a time.” She’s even resumed contact with Dylan. “Infrequently,” she emphasizes, laughing. “Our parallel lives have converged. I’ve relaxed and realized it’s okay, you know?”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Arizona kicks off swing-state early voting
Speed Read The voting began with less than a month to go before the presidential election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 10, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - Donald's DNA, deficit blues, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Biden, Netanyahu talk ahead of Israeli hit on Iran
Speed Read The pair spoke for the first time since August
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published