How Bob Dylan’s Biggest Fan Became His Biggest Nemesis

In 2006, a documentary was released following the life and times of AJ Weberman, an obsessed Bob Dylan fan and self-proclaimed garbologist. He named himself an expert in Dylanology, writing several books about the singer-songwriter. But he came about much of his knowledge through unconventional means.

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If you’re wondering what garbology is, it happens to be the lynchpin in this whole saga. Weberman devised this method of information gathering by digging through celebrity garbage. He searched Bob Dylan’s garbage and learned about him through his trash.

Weberman also studied Dylan’s lyrics and general comings and goings. In the 1960s, when Dylan was at the height of his fame, Weberman became obsessed with his lyrical messages, meanings, and symbolism. He would stop at nothing to get close to Dylan, but at the same time challenged him. Rumor has it that this challenge was why Bob Dylan entertained Weberman for so long; it was something different than the sycophantic encounters he often experienced.

Still, Weberman was somewhat of a loose cannon. Not only did he dig through Dylan’s trash, but he also harassed him outside his home. Weberman would often stage demonstrations along with the “Dylan Liberation Front,” which consisted of students from his Dylanology classes.

Bob Dylan Once Got Into a Physical Altercation With His Obsessed Stalker, AJ Weberman

In the 1970s, Bob Dylan and AJ Weberman had a series of phone conversations that were eventually turned into the LP Bob Dylan vs AJ Weberman. According to a report from Dangerous Minds, Weberman had interviewed Dylan in the past for underground publications before crossing over into a weird obsession.

All this culminated in Bob Dylan getting into a physical altercation with Weberman. Speaking to Rolling Stone many years after the fact, Weberman recalled the incident.

“I’d agreed not to hassle Dylan anymore, but I was a publicity-hungry motherf—er … I went to MacDougal Street, and Dylan’s wife comes out and starts screaming about me going through the garbage,” he said.

“Dylan said if I ever f—ed with his wife, he’d beat the s–t out of me. A couple of days later, I’m on Elizabeth Street and someone jumps me, starts punching me,” Weberman continued. “I turn around and it’s like—Dylan. I’m thinking, ‘Can you believe this? I’m getting the crap beat out of me by Bob Dylan!’”

He continued, “I said, ‘Hey, man, how you doin’?’ But he keeps knocking my head against the sidewalk. He’s little, but he’s strong. He works out. I wouldn’t fight back, you know, because I knew I was wrong. He gets up, rips off my ‘Free Bob Dylan’ button, and walks away. Never says a word.”

Weberman concluded, “I guess you got to hand it to Dylan, coming over himself, not sending some f—ing lawyer.”

Photo by Gai Terrell/Redferns