Bob Dylan comments on being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature

Bob Dylan thinks he has “done something pretty good” by being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature

The 75-year-old icon was announced as the winner of the coveted accolade in October and even though he will not travel to Stockholm, Sweden for the ceremony on December 10, Dylan feels honoured to have been given the award, according to Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood.

Recalling a recent encounter with Dylan at the Desert Trip mega-festival – at which the two acts played on the same bill – Wood shared: “He kept calling me Sir Ronnie, and when (bandmate Charlie Watts) walked in he said, ‘And Sir Charlie, too! Everyone from England is a sir, right?’

“And we said, ‘Yeah Bob, but it’s not like … it’s really good about your Nobel prize.’ And he went, ‘You think so? It’s good, huh?’ And we said, ‘You deserve it.’ And he said, ‘That’s great – thanks.’ He didn’t really know how to accept it but he thought he had done something pretty good.”

Fellow Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards also admitted to being blown away by Dylan’s on-stage performance at Desert Trip.

He told The Guardian newspaper: “I did notice that Bob was standing up at the piano like Little Richard and he’s got this little flash Nudie s**t going down – s**t, dog, go for it.

“Mick (Jagger) and I were watching Bob’s first set and it sounded good, the band was great, and I said, ‘Mick, notice – very little concession to showbusiness,’ and Mick went, ‘Yeah, right.’ ”

Meanwhile, Watts admitted to being surprised by how much he enjoyed performing with the band – which also features Darryl Jones – at the Desert Trip and Glastonbury festivals.

Charlie said: “Glastonbury was the first one that I said, ‘We don’t want to do that, it’s a load of crap,’ and actually it was very nice.

“I’d never go to see a band in a bloody field playing – I wouldn’t go to a stadium to see a band either – but Glastonbury and the desert thing were fun.”