The only surviving manuscript draft of Bob Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ sold today at auction for $2 million dollars.
Interesting that in addition to the scribbles and pictures interspersed with the lyrics (see the photo here), the song was at least written on the stationery of the Roger Smith Hotel in Washington, DC.
Who says Washington, DC has no cultural life, right? Okay, sorry. I’m sure I’ll hear about that. But here’s the thing. I certainly don’t know every hotel in DC. (I go to DC every few weeks but always stay at the same place.) But I hadn’t heard of the Roger Smith. So I looked it up and as near as I can tell it doesn’t exist anymore. But there’s another Roger Smith hotel in New York. And they’re taking credit for the connection.
So I assume there was one in each city and the DC location folded or was sold? Who knows the answer to this mystery?