Mikal Gilmore talked to Bob Dylan for Rolling Stone about his forthcoming album, Tempest.

I assume that what has been published is an excerpt of a longer interview that will be published later, but I don’t know that for a fact.

Dylan describes his own record as one where “anything goes and you just gotta believe it will make sense.” He also says:

I wanted to make something more religious. I just didn’t have enough [religious songs]. Intentionally, specifically religious songs is what I wanted to do. That takes a lot more concentration to pull that off 10 times with the same thread – than it does with a record like I ended up with.

That’s interesting, and also interesting is how he distinguishes “intentionally, specifically religious” songs from others that are presumably not so intentional and specific but still religious. I think we understand what he means.

The article includes some characterizations of certain songs offered by Mikal Gilmore, and some talk about the title track, which is the one long-rumored about the Titanic. Amusingly, Dylan finds a place within the fourteen-minute epic to mention Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s quoted: “Yeah, Leo. I don’t think the song would be the same without him. Or the movie.”

Dylan also dismisses the idea that he named his album after Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and that it is therefore his final album. That was already dismissed by yours truly in this space, but then it wasn’t really a difficult call.

There has been a report elsewhere that a first “single” will available on August 7th, that being the track “Early Roman Kings.”

Can’t wait.