Bob Dylan denies no eye-contact claims by former backing dancer
Bob Dylan has responded to claims that a former backing dancer was told not to make eye contact with him during rehearsals for the Grammy Awards in 1991.
The claims occurred after Dylan posted on X about the recent Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds concert in Paris, to which a woman named Cheryl Henry responded, alleging the singer initiated a hostile environment during the build-up to the coveted awards.
In her post, she accused Dylan of forcing the dancers to walk single file past his dressing room, at which point he uttered an unwarranted comment about her hair length before she was told not to return for looking the singer in the eyes.
“Nadine (who was running things) had told us all before NOT to make eye contact with you! I guess I snuck a peek as I passed you!” She wrote, adding, “I had a letter with me also from an old friend of yours Katherine Perry who knew you in your West Village days. It wasn’t meant to be Gemini Man….”
In response, the singer denied her claims, saying that he had never issued such a restriction on those around him, describing the falsity as “ridiculous.” He said: “Saw your reply. Just want you to know I’ve never told anybody not to make eye contact with me. That is just ridiculous. And the next time you see me please look straight into my eyes.”
What did Bob Dylan say about Nick Cave?
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds are currently enjoying a UK and European tour in celebration of their 18th album, Wild God. Dylan attended the show in Paris on November 17th, and appreciated the experience so much he took to X to tell everybody all about it.
In a rare moment of external gratification, the singer wrote: “Saw Nick Cave in Paris recently at the Accor Arena and I was really struck by that song Joy where he sings ‘We’ve all had too much sorrow, now it the time for joy.’ I was thinking to myself, yeah that’s about right.”
Although it appeared short and sweet, Dylan’s sentiments exuded all they needed to and proved his affinity for Cave’s work. Cave, also a big fan of Dylan’s work, was no doubt thrilled by the feedback, especially after the many instances in the past when meeting Dylan or listening to his material, which has sent him into a spiritual state of catharsis.
When he first met him, he once said the singer pushed him into a frozen state after muttering the words, “I like your stuff,” to which he felt too stunned to reply. “[He] says something like, ‘I like your stuff’, and before I can reply, he turns the boat around and rows back to his trailer,” he recalled.
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