BEST STORY EVER: How Ian Tyson Turned On Bob Dylan (Who Turned On The Beatles)

Legendary Canadian folk singer Ian Tyson stopped by to tell a little story about Greenwich Village in the '60s.

"We were all there on MacDougal Street, and nobody had any money, but we had a lot of fun. It was a good time. And there was a little weed floating around Greenwich Village at the time, and that was considered kind of exotic."

The next part of the story? Well, Tyson's memory is a little fuzzy on the details, so in this telling he relies on a memoir by Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's girlfriend at the time and a close friend of Sylvia Fricker, who would soon become Sylvia Tyson, Ian's wife and musical collaborator (they divorced in 1975).

"She says that I turned Bob Dylan onto pot. Now I don't remember that," he said. "Of course, I don't remember last week!... But if it is [true], Bob Dylan turned on the Beatles. And I turned on Bob Dylan. That makes me the king."

Tyson is currently on tour with country singer Corb Lund in a show they call An Evening of Cowboy Stories and Song with Ian Tyson and Corb Lund. Catch them at these last two dates:

November 29 Toronto, ON @ Winter Garden Theatre
November 30 Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight airs weeknights at 7 and 11:30 pm on CBC Television

Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TheHour

Follow George
On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/strombo
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/strombo

http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/

Credits:

The Beatles - CP Images
Dylan and Harrison - CP Images
Bob Dylan performance photos - Library of Congress