I'm sure some of the thinking behind the request for me to write about Bob Dylan's new album, "Slow Train Coming," was the assumption that because Bob and I shared the same times we must have shared the same space. Therefore, to provide the perspective in which to discuss this record. I must recount the Dylan-Stookey "relationship."

I met Bob in Greenwich Village in 1960, when he sang at the Gaslight, a coffee house (remember those?). His impact on me was considerable: the first night he was a singer of traditional ballads: the second night he was an innovator, using the folk idiom to speak in parables. Following his performance that second night, I asked him if he had heard of the counterfeit ticket scam that resulted in the sinking of the Bear Mountain Picnic vessel, when holders of all tickets (real or fake) boarded the ship, heedless of its capacity. The next night he returned with "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues."

We had sporadic contact from 1961 to 1967. There was the Newport Folk Festival, where Bob's electric presentation was welcomed by a crowd thirsty for the perception and content in his music.

Then Woodstock, 1967: I'm looking for truth; Bob is recovering from a motorcycle accident. He graciously allows a friend and me into the house to ask questions of the universe. He is totally honest with me, kind—and suggests I do some Bible reading. Thanks, Bob.

1968, Dylan's movie time: I'm a seeker in monk's clothing, cavorting with Tiny Tim and Howard Alk and a winterscape. I end up on the cutting room floor.

Again 1968: Bob returns from the Holy Land; there is excitement in his voice. He has slides. I have slides. We have families. Some maybes are exchanged.

1974. I've moved to Maine. Bob passes through with the Rolling Thunder Review, close enough to attend. I don't.

People speak of the " Dylan enigma"; I see growth. The "basement tapes" are so scriptural I can't believe that everyone doesn't know who the Mighty Quinn is or in which "book" too much of nothing transpires.

1979. I hear a rumor: Dylan's a Christian. I hear of a personal encounter that speaks so eloquently of a changed heart I know the rumor must be true. I hear "Slow Train."