Bob Dylan on XM

Walking to "work" today - reading the newspaper - I was stopped dead in my tracks by the totally unexpected news that Bob Dylan is to host his own weekly (!) radio show on XM, which is a satellite radio station straight out of Nashville Tennessee.

If you've listened to his music or read his biography "Chronicles" then you'll know that the thing that defines him as a musician is restless creative spirit and his admiration for other artists, something that will no doubt be reflected in his choice of music. In a statement, Dylan is reported as saying:

"Songs and music have always inspired me. A lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mic. It'll be as exciting for me as it is for XM."

He isn't the only one who is excited, I so thrilled by the news that I'm considering subscribing to XM, especially as it seems to be a pretty funky broadcaster. Lee Abrams, XM's chief creative officer, told the New York Times he had been wooing Dylan for 18 months, and the programme would offer fans a close connection with him.

"We want to make it as comfortable for him as possible," Mr Abrams said, adding that the satellite radio show would be broadcast from "a combination of home and hotel rooms and buses. He'll really be in his element.

"This will be a peek inside the mind of one of the most important singer-songwriters of the 20th century. He's a mystery to most people."