Update: On October 13, 2016, Bob Dylan was named as the recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.   

One of the longest-running programs in radio history is the WNYC show Folksong Festival, which has run continuously since it debuted on Dec. 10, 1945. Hosted by Oscar Brand, the show has always sought out and highlighted the best and brightest folk stars of the day; Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, Huddie Ledbetter, and Pete Seeger all made their debuts on Folksong Festival. As did a certain singer and guitar player from Minnesota who sounded much older than his then-20 years, Bob Dylan.

In Oct. 1961, Bob Dylan joined Brand for his first radio appearance. At the time, Dylan was a few weeks away from his first New York City performance; he played at the small Carnegie Chapter Hall (a small rehearsal space adjacent to the more famous Hall) on Nov. 4 for a small audience of only 53. Tickets cost $2. 

Dylan biographer and former LA Times reporter Dennis McDougal joins Soundcheck host John Schaefer to listen to some highlights from Dylan's interview with Brand -- and to help decipher and call out the blatant lying and misdirection the young bard employed (not for the last time) in constructing his own myth.

Hear Oscar Brand introducing Bob Dylan, featuring a wealth of false biographical details, followed by a performance of the song "Sally Gal": 

Hear Oscar Brand re-introducing Dylan, and a performance of "The Girl I Left Behind":