Bob Dylan in Formentera (2nd part)

(by Pablo Burgués)

As I already told you last week, on 29 July 1966, the human being called Bob Dylan had a terrible motorcycle accident near his home at Woodstock. After the crash, the guy disappeared from public and stage life for almost two years and some people state that during that time the singer was living la vida loca in Formentera.

It is noteworthy that in those years the island was a real swarm of beatniks (the hipsters of that moment) and there is evidence that some of the most outstanding names of the artistic-music scene of that time went there: Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Peter Sinfield , James Taylor, Joel Zoss, Dexter Gordon, Gilberto Gil, Taj Mahal (the blues musician, not the Indian building). Facing such squad of big names it would not be strange that Bob Dylan had gone to Formentera at some point to get mixed up.

The defenders of this daring theory state that the singer lived, no more and no less, in the idyllic Mola lighthouse, a building which then was rented by a young Belgian couple, who, at the same time, subleaded a room to the artist. If all of this is true, we can say without fear of being wrong that besides reinventing American folk music Dylan also created Airbnb.

You may be thinking: well, if Bob Dylan spent a long time living in Formentera there would be some picture or something to prove it. Well, there is not. The only “reliable” proof of his stay in the island is the testimony of the late Balearic Professor and former councellor of Transport, Mr. Pío Tur Mayans, who sweared over and over that he had played chess with the singer at the small restaurant Pepe in Sant Ferran.

However, some people state that the guy with whom the councellor gambled at those times was not Dylan, but another modern American who lived in Formentera, called Eric Chefé. Apparently that guy resembled the artist very much and had the same haircut and same clothes, which on the other hand were quite usual in the late 60s. Nowadays, for instance, all the boys of reproductive age dress like Justin Bieber in case they can succeed with the girls, and the same happened at those times with Bob Dylan Folky Trunky Style.

To sum up: Of the 101 people being interviewed to carry out the present research article, 50 of them replied that Bob Dylan indeed lived in Formentera, other 50 said that is not true, and the last one who gave his opinion was a Galician gentleman who said that it is true but maybe it isn’t. Thus, from now on, and until Iker Jiménez may shed some light on this matter, it officially reaches stalemate.

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Translation: Dora Sales