News piece:
Bob Dylan launches Patreon featuring potentially AI generated content
The 10-time grammy winning singer songwriter announces a Patreon page with seemingly AI based content priced at $5 a month.
Richard Choat,
Monday March 30 2026, 12.00pm, The Times
Yesterday, Bob Dylan announced via Instagram that he has launched a Patreon page, said to feature “A Living archive of lectures from the grave, letters never sent, and original short stories curated by Bob Dylan”. A subscription to the page costs $5 (£4) a month.
The 84-year-old singer songwriter was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 2016 for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. He has released 40 studio albums over the past 64 years, with several receiving widespread critical acclaim. Yesterday’s announcement comes as an unexpected move from the famously elusive ‘Knocking on Heavens Door’ writer who hasn’tgiven an interview since 2020 and placed a ban on the use of phones at his recent tour dates.
Thus far there are only six posts on Dylan’s page on the membership platform, several of which seem to apply the use of AI. The posts include a video of a live performance by Mahalia Jackson, three supposedly AI voiced audio essays dubbed ‘Lectures from the grave’, the first instalment of a series called ‘Letters never sent’ and a short story called ‘Bull Rider’. None of the works on the page site Dylan as an author, ‘Bull Rider’ is attributed to Marty Lombard and the ‘Letters never sent’ from Mark Twain to Rudolph Valentino claims Herbert Foster as its author. There is no available record on who these authors are or whether they are pseudonyms Dylan has employed.
Furthermore, Dylan’s website has not acknowledged the existence of his Patreon page. Dylan, and his team are also yet to comment on the potential use of AI.
The Move has sparked discourse within his fanbase, with some taking to reddit outraged at the potential use of AI and others praising the works that are featured on the page.
Dylan has gained a reputation over the years of doing things that may seem unusual to those unacquainted with him as a public figure, last year voicing the trailer for Machine Gun Kelly’s album ‘Lost Americana’.
The Patreon page under the name ‘bobdylan180’ is another in a long list of unexpected moves the singer songwriter has made.
Opinion Piece:
I Contain Multitudes: Bob Dylan is the ultimate contrarian and his bizarre new Patreon proves it
Richard Choat
Mon 30 March 2026
Bob Dylan has done what is probably the most ‘Dylanesque’ thing he could’ve done this year and started a Patreon filled with seemingly AI generated content.
Blonde on blonde: Dylan sports a blonde wig at the Sundance film festival, 2003
In an interview in The Express George Harrison once described Bob Dylan as “The looniest person I know”
There is no denying the fact that the Nobel Laureate has always been a bit of an oddball in terms of public figures. Over the years he has done several strange things, trading an Andy Warhol painting for a sofa, his blonde wig moment at Sundance in 2003 and last year posting a clip of Machine Gun Kelly rapping on his Instagram. Several of the things Dylan does publicly come with no explanation with many of them just being outright weird, but that is the character Dylan has always played, he always seems to be doing weird things to throw the public off of the scent of who he truly is.
Many aspects of Dylans recent journey into the world of Patreon are bizarre. Firstly, why Patreon of all platforms? When his contemporaries and disciples alike including Patti Smith, Jeff Tweedy and Charli XCX have all chosen Substack as their platform to provide fans with exclusive content, why does Bob Dylan choose Patreon which primarily boasts the monetised content of YouTubers and influencers?
Another important question that arises when delving into Bob Dylan’s foray into monetised online content is whether the content he is charging for is his at all? Many of the posts on his Patreon are seemingly AI-generated, his ‘Lectures from beyond the grave’ series which appears to have AI voiceovers of historical figures like Aaron Burr, Frank James and Folk hero Wild Bill. None of the content on the page under the username bobdylan180 (he’s either a big darts fan or got beaten to the punch on that one) is credited to Dylan himself with his ‘letters never sent’ from Mark Twain to Rudolph Valentino being credited to Hubert Foster and the short story ‘Bull Rider’ is attributed to Marty Lombard. Seemingly, these two writers do not exist and are either pseudonyms for Dylan himself or whatever AI program he may be using to write them.
Bob Dylan nor his team have commented on the supposed use of AI in his Patreon content. Dylans page on the monthly subscription platform is also not listed anywhere on his official website.
For a man whom Joan Baez once described as writing “like ticker tape” It seems Dylan has decided to cast his trusty typewriter aside and replace it with an Ipad sporting the latest iteration of ChatGPT. Why write like ticker tape if you can get an AI to do it for you?
But that is the essence of what Bob Dylan is, an ever-mercurial presence within culture. However, the potential use of AI within the content on his Patreon and his lack of comment on it brings into question whether we can ever truly trust that anything he releases from this point onwards isn’t AI generated.
Profile interview:
Features > Music Interviews
Fraser Morgan: “You don’t see an elephant at a desk”
The up-and-coming folk-punk artist on touring, mental health and the importance of compassion
By Richard Choat | 21st March 2026
When you first meet Fraser Morgan, you’re greeted by a very loud “Hello Mate!” in an Essex accent so thick, it sounds like the cast of TOWIE speaking in unison. Soon after, a rather short man with an eye-wateringly bright shirt and a haircut that sits somewhere between a mohawk and a pompadour shuffles over to you, musical equipment hanging off every limb. It’s a look that’s part punk, part skiffle band, part Guy Fieri and very reminiscent of buckaroo.
We’re sat in the attic of Doghouse bar and bagel shop on Kirkgate street ahead of his 1228th gig at Wapentake next door. He has one word to describe his journey to the venue, awkwardly placed within the vast maze of one-way systems that is Leeds city centre. “Awful”. He also discloses that he apparently had to “break some laws” to finally get there.
You wouldn’t be remiss if you safely assumed that the extensive amount of touring that he does musteventually catch up with him. “I’m tired” he says stifling a laugh.
“I think because of all the things I’ve learned along the way, it hasn’t taken its toll on me, because I’ve been mindful and I’ve been open to learning and recognising what’s good for me and what isn’t.”
Last year Morgan released his latest single, “Call Me Mate”, a clip of him playing the song recently went viral garnering over 1 million views. The song tackles the difficult subject matter of mental health and suicide, “I wrote it after, obviously, my friend took his life and I wrote it, because I used to want to be a therapist”, he continued, “I love helping people. So, I wrote Call Me Mate to help people. That was the intention of it.”.
As it turns out, the song did help people, one message he received said “I tried to take my life last night. I was going to try and do it again tonight, but I found your video, now I’m not.”. Morgan then ended up getting into contact with the fan and his partner, eventually meeting them both at one of his shows, “That was beautiful to me and so with that, it’s not about me. It’s about everyone else and the fact that it’s now doing what I intended for it to do, that means so much to me.”.
Hailing from a council estate in Braintree, Essex, Fraser Morgan grew up around “a whole spectrum of people”. It’s clearly shaped both who he is as a person and an artist, his ability to find joy everywhere he looks and his friendly demeanour are infectious and not just when you’re in a room with him.
The community he has built around his music online is teeming with positivity and support.
“This is the best job in the world if you let it be.”
His openness about his own struggles as a person and a musician have allowed fans to connect with him on a much more personal level. For a fanbase that stretches across the entirety of the UK, it feels like the tight knit local community of a small town.
“I have been finding the world quite overwhelming.”
Fraser Morgan speaks with an earnestness and a vulnerability that is hard to come by in an age of nonchalance. “I think there needs to be added compassion in the world.” He is an artist that is unafraid to speak out about his worldview and criticise the current status quo.
“I think all these people who are pursuing greed, they’re all just sociopaths and maniacs. Someone once said like all the sociopaths they aren’t in padded cells. They’re in the boardroom”
Theres an unrelenting honesty to the way Morgan passionately describes his views. As a whollyindependent artist there is little risk to him being this publicly open about his views, no record deal to lose, just a fanbase that continues to grow. “The money’s going somewhere and it’s not going in the right places, and I think until that’s solved. It’s not gonna get much better.” It’s clear when speaking to him that this isn’t performative activism, this is a hill he is very much prepared to die on.
“Get off your phone.” Is the advice Fraser Morgan would give to anyone struggling in the current global climate. He encourages people to interact with the real world more stating that “we’re so far removed from where we started.”. He’s often talked about the ways in which modern life, social media and the ways in which people overwork themselves feel unnatural, “Go for a little walk and look at the bugs on the ground, on the trees and watch animals for 5 minutes, watch how they interact with each other.”. He apologises for sounding “Hippie-dippie” but there’s a lot of truth in what he preaches, it’s widely accepted that social media and overworking yourself can be unhealthy and his advocacy for escaping the modern day ‘grindset’ and spending time outside of the digital realm for the sake of your own mental health is wholly commendable.
In Fraser Morgan’s words: ‘You don’t see elephants at a desk’.
Live Review:
Reviews > Live Reviews
Wednesday Live in Leeds: The band we were chosen to deserve
O2 Academy Leeds, February 24, 2026: the North Carolinian ‘Countrygaze’ trailblazers prove why they’re one of the most talked about bands of the year.
By Richard Choat | 25th February 2026
As Wednesday Power through their raucous, squealing cover of ‘She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinking Doubles)’ by Gary Stewart shrouded in a wash of warm light, the crowd adorn a collective look of sheer awe whilst screaming along, continuing to flail themselves and their belongings in every which direction in the mosh pit.
“What the f**k is up Leeds” Announces lead singer Karly Hartzman between swigs from a bottle of rosé wine as the band take to the stage in a sold out O2 academy.
She fronts the band with a palpable charisma and writes songs with the scale of a southern gothic novel that paint graphic, intimate pictures of life in modern America.
The show comes at the tail end of the bands UK and European tour in support of their latest album ‘Bleeds’. Explosive walls of sound broken up occasionally by the gentle twang of tender country songs populate the North Carolina natives’ stellar set. The crowd is a hodgepodge of the bald heads of radio 6 dads, tote bag toting arts students and a horde of uncharacteristically delighted goths, a testament to the band’s expansive and ever-growing fanbase.
Wednesday have been experiencing a huge surge in popularity since the release of ‘Bleeds’ despite the departure of lead guitarist Mj Lenderman (Hartzman’s ex partner of 6 years and indie rock darling in his own right). Lenderman’s absence is hardly even noticeable tonight though, apart from the whines of “Where’s Lenderman?” from one overzealous audience member.
The Band plough through their anthemic hits like ‘Chosen to Deserve’, ‘Elderberry Wine’ and ‘Townies’ with an electrifying energy bolstered by Hartzman’s dynamic vocal performance. It’s almost cathartic to watch as each song is enhanced by the band’s fluid chemistry.
The crowd take a moment between songs to cheer and display a sign for the bands steel guitarist Xandy Chelmis, whose contributions to the band are arguably one of its defining characteristics. Each member of the band gets a moment to shine during the set, Wednesday are a sum of their parts and not constrained by any singular ego within the group.
Before the final two songs of the evening ‘Bull Believer’ and ‘Wasp’, Hartzman takes a moment to address the crowd and comment on the problematic nature of the world in its current state.
“F**k Ice! F**k Paedophiles! Free Palestine!”
The concise statement is met with an eruption of applause.
Wednesday have proved themselves as a band that is not only integral to the developing cultural DNA of the 2020’s but also as one that is unafraid to use their platform to take a stand for what they believe in.
A fittingly noisy end to a night of carefully crafted cacophony.
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