Bob Dylan photographer blames ‘really cold’ weather for ‘Blonde On Blonde’ cover being blurry

Jerry Schatzberg sets the record straight regarding mysteries over the 1966 image

Jerry Schatzberg, the photographer behind the iconic image used for Bob Dylan‘s ‘Blonde On Blonde’ artwork, has attempted to solve some of the mysteries surrounding the cover.

Dylan released his seventh studio album ‘Blonde On Blonde’ in 1966, with its front sleeve showing a blurred image of the singer-songwriter against a brick wall background.

Speaking to rock critic Bob Egan, Schatzberg claimed that the blurriness of the image wasn’t intentional but was instead due to him shivering from the cold weather.

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“It was pretty cold out,” Schatzberg says in the video below. “I know all the critics, everybody said ‘Oh, they were trying to do a drug shot’. It’s not true. It was February, [Dylan] was wearing just that jacket, and I was wearing something similar, and the two of us were really cold.”

Of the decision to use the blurred image, Schatzberg added: “To his credit, [Dylan]’s the one that chose that photograph.”

NMEGetty

The location of the photo has been questioned over the years too, with Schatzberg now saying that he “thinks” he shot it in the “meat-packing distract of downtown [New York]”.

However, he added that the original setting would now be “totally disguised” due to recent gentrification of the area.

Watch the full interview below, via Rolling Stone.

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