# Bob Dylan on being famous

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-bob-dylan-fame-is-terrible
- Themes: fame, craving
- Life situations: wanting recognition, social media fame, celebrity

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A fellow monk, Garry, who grew up in Los Angeles among the famous, once sneaked into Bob Dylan's hotel and spent an evening with him. When Garry said it must be great being famous, Dylan swore: it's terrible — such a pain to be well known.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

Even when I was a young monk, there was a fellow monk his name was Garry, and I remember as a young man he grew up in Los Angeles, he met that filmstat who was that who played 'dirty harry' what was his name? Clint Eastwood, he met Clint Eastwood in his early days because they went to the same university together he told all these stories about being with the rich and the famous but he remembered once when that Singer Bob Dylan was in Los Angles he found out from his friends which hotel he was in and managed to use on of his contacts to sneak in the back and spend a whole evening and night with Bob Dylan. This is a famous man, at that time he was multi famous and Bob Dylan was saying ... no he was saying to Bob Dylan Ah it must be great being famous; Bob Dylan swore no its xxxx whatever it is, I can't repeat it here its terrible being famous. It's such a pain to be well known.

## Teaching point

Fame is a misplaced craving; it brings suffering, not happiness.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A fellow monk who sneaked into Bob Dylan's hotel told him fame must be wonderful; Dylan, as the monk told it, swore it was terrible. Ajahn Brahm adds his own version: strangers stopping him with meditation questions on the way to the loo. Before chasing attention, count its costs. Ordinary anonymity has freedoms we rarely notice.

## Source

- [The Secret | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Dec 2007](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e-y1Xn4N8Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 21:17 to 22:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e-y1Xn4N8Q&t=1277s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Jealousy | by Ajahn Brahm | 15-11-2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nBSPHe1RCc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:07 to 16:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nBSPHe1RCc&t=847s
- [How do you judge the year? | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Dec 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw_Hk4umSNs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:14 to 18:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw_Hk4umSNs&t=1094s