Bob Dylan could play a tribute show for late poet Dylan Thomas in Wales, according to a Welsh MP.
Reuters reports that Dylan is mulling over an offer to play a gig to mark the 100th birthday of Thomas, with MP for West Swansea Geraint Davies revealing that he has been in touch with the singer to convince him to play the concert.
There have often been theories that Dylan, who was born Robert Zimmerman, took his adopted name from the Welsh poet and he is a self-confessed fan of Thomas’ work, although there have also been suggestions that his moniker was inspired by a character from US TV Western Gunsmoke called Marshal Matt Dillon.
Davies, however, is hopeful that the link between Dylan and the deceased poet will convince him to visit Swansea as part of a series of commemorative events next year. “Bob Dylan named himself after Dylan Thomas,” he said. “I have asked Bob Dylan whether he would be prepared to give a centenary concert in Swansea, in order that he could blend his music with Dylan Thomas’s poetry.”
He added: “Sony Music has come back and said that Mr. Dylan is thinking very positively about the idea.”
Dylan released his 35th studio album, Tempest, last year. It contains a total of 10 tracks and was produced by Dylan himself, although, as with his recent studio albums, the producer was named as ‘Jack Frost’.