Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ draft lyrics auctioned for $508,000
Bob Dylan’s words remain as valuable as ever. Draft lyrics to his iconic song “Mr. Tambourine Man” recently sold for $508,000 at auction.
Sixty of Dylan’s personal items were sold on Saturday, Jan. 18, through Julien’s Auctions. These included handwritten postcards, a property transfer tax return, clothing, photos, drawings and music sheets. Altogether, the auction generated $1.5 million in sales from in-person and online bidding.
The auction’s standout piece was two leaves of yellow paper. Annotated in Dylan’s handwriting, the pages feature three drafts of the legendary song “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
The song became a cultural phenomenon when The Byrds released their cover version in 1965. The cover hit number one on the Billboard charts, introducing Dylan’s music to a wider audience.
A newspaper article featured on Julien’s Auctions’ website, written by journalist Al Aronowitz, offers insight into Dylan’s creative process. Aronowitz described how Dylan began writing “Mr. Tambourine Man” at his breakfast bar, surrounded by a “swirl of chain-lit cigarette smoke.”
Other top-selling items included an original oil painting by Dylan, which fetched $260,000, and an electric guitar he owned and played, which sold for $222,000.
Dylan’s legacy continues to inspire generations. The recent release of the biopic “A Complete Unknown” highlights his transformative journey in the 1960s.
The film, starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, chronicles his evolution from folk music roots to his controversial electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Chalamet’s portrayal includes live renditions of Dylan’s iconic music, adding authenticity to the story.
Rare Al Capone artifacts on display for first time at Vegas’ Mob Museum
Al Capone, one of America’s most infamous mobsters, is taking center stage at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas. The new exhibit, “The First Public Enemy,” offers visitors a rare glimpse into the legendary gangster’s personal life.
The exhibit highlights Capone’s personal Colt 1911 pistol, nicknamed “Sweetheart.” The .45-caliber firearm was with Capone during some of his most dangerous moments, and is now on display for true crime enthusiasts.
The exhibit also features a 1929 silent home video filmed by Capone himself. The footage shows him relaxing poolside with fellow mobsters Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello, offering a unique look at his life outside the criminal spotlight.
Capone’s granddaughter, Diane Capone Pette, recently auctioned off some of his belongings, according to the Associated Press. She and her sisters wanted to ensure these items would not be lost to wildfires, or mishandled after their lifetimes.
Their goal is to preserve Capone’s legacy as they knew him — as a grandfather, not just a gangster.
The exhibit officially opens to the public on Wednesday, Jan. 15. As a bonus, guests will receive one complimentary cocktail with admission.
12 unreleased Michael Jackson songs discovered in abandoned storage unit
Twelve unreleased Michael Jackson songs were found in an abandoned storage unit in California. The tapes, uncovered by “treasure hunter” Gregg Musgrove, offer a rare glimpse into the King of Pop’s unreleased catalog.
A treasure trove of Michael Jackson songs
Musgrove, a former California Highway Patrol officer, told The Hollywood Reporter he made the discovery in the San Fernando Valley. Inside the storage unit, he found cassette and digital audio tapes containing a dozen unheard tracks by Jackson.
The unit once belonged to singer and producer Bryan Loren, known for producing the 1990 hit song “Do the Bartman” for “The Simpsons.” According to Musgrove, Loren’s current whereabouts are unknown.
Tracks unlikely to reach the public
Unfortunately for fans, the songs are unlikely to be released. Musgrove told The Hollywood Reporter that Jackson’s estate declined to purchase the tapes for undisclosed reasons.
In a letter, the estate clarified that neither Musgrove nor any future buyer would own the copyrights to the recordings. Without copyright ownership, the songs cannot be shared publicly.
Snippets and collaborations
Despite the legal roadblocks, snippets of the songs have reportedly leaked on fan sites. One track, titled “Don’t Believe It,” appears to address certain media stories about Jackson.
Another song, “Truth on Youth,” features a rap duet between Jackson and LL Cool J. The rapper spoke to Variety in September about working with Jackson, saying, “His talent speaks for itself.”
Tapes secure, future uncertain
As of Thursday, Dec. 12, the tapes are being stored in a secure facility under the control of Musgrove’s attorney. However, he plans to bring the collection to four major auction houses, estimating their value to be in the seven-figure range.
Ten Commandments tablet dating back more than 1,500 years to be sold
The oldest known Ten Commandments tablet is going up for sale at the auction house Sotheby’s in New York City. The BBC showcased it on Monday, Dec. 9, and it is set to be bid on this month.
Sotheby’s International senior specialist Sharon Liberman Mintz told the BBC, “We have one of the most important treasures that I have ever handled. It dates back to the late Roman-Byzantine period from over 1,500 years ago, and it is inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew script with the words of the Ten Commandments.”
The ancient marble slab will go up for auction on Wednesday, Dec. 18. It’s on track to fetch between $1 million to $2 million.
Archaeologists uncovered the artifact during railroad excavations in 1913 along Israel’s southern coast. The relic remained in a home as a paving stone until a scholar with a keen eye bought it in 1943, revealing its historical significance.
Liberman Mintz told the BBC, “In fact, this is exactly the same measurements that the rabbis from the early centuries agreed was the measurements of the original Ten Commandments that Moses carried down from the mountain.”
Sotheby’s said the inscriptions carved into the slab include all but the third verse. That verse is the commandment against taking the Lord’s name in vain. Instead, this portion consists of an order to worship Mount Gerizim, an ancient holy site.
Winning bidder pays $6.2 million for duct-taped banana artwork
A duct-taped banana sold for $6.2 million on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in New York City. The work of art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is called “Comedian.”
After more than six minutes of bidding at Sotheby’s auction house, the winner was declared. Justin Sun, the Chinese-born founder of the cryptocurrency platform TRON, who watched the auction from Hong Kong, was the work’s new owner.
“Comedian” comes with installation instructions — 14 pages — that double as the certificate of authenticity. It instructs the owner to replace the fruit when needed with a supply of his own and to position the banana so it curves to the right and always displays vertically.
The piece was estimated to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million, but bidders went far beyond that to be the top banana. Cattelan has said he crafted his work as a satirical jab at market speculation.
“Comedian” first debuted at a Miami Beach art event in 2019, where the Perrotin Gallery sold three editions for between $120,000 and $150,000 each. However, the work proved “ripe for the taking” for one performance artist, David Datuna, who ripped the banana right off the wall and ate it.
The piece has even caused an uproar in the crypto world. Earlier this month Sotheby’s executive Michael Bouhanna created a memecoin, crypto inspired by online trends or memes, based on Cattelan’s banana called “BAN.” It was direct competition with another “Comedian”-inspired memecoin minted in August called “BTW,” short for “banana tape wall.”
Sun said he will pay for the work in crypto. But what did the tycoon find so “appealing” about the duct-taped banana?
In a statement, Sun said the work “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.”
As for what he’ll do with it, he plans to “personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture.”
AI humanoid robot artist’s Alan Turing painting sells for over $1M
A portrait of WWII codebreaker Alan Turing, painted by a humanoid robot named Ai-Da, has sold for a record-breaking $1,084,800 at auction. The sale, handled by Sotheby’s, marks the highest auction price for any artwork created by an AI-driven humanoid.
Ai-Da, a robot developed by British gallerist Aidan Meller, created the painting titled “AI God: Portrait of Alan Turing,” which surpassed its estimated price of $120,000 to $180,000 after drawing 27 bids.
The Ai-Da Robot Project
The artwork, a fragmented portrait of Turing using dark colors and abstract details, reflects Turing’s pioneering role in computer science and his legacy in artificial intelligence.
An undisclosed buyer placed the winning bid for this painting, which included elements of Turing’s WWII codebreaking Bombe Machine in the background.
Sotheby’s auction house described the sale as “a moment in the history of modern and contemporary art” and pointed to the growing intersection of AI and the global art market.
Ai-Da, launched in 2019, has been designed to mimic human-like artistry with a black bob haircut, robotic arms, and advanced cameras that allow it to scan images, create sketches, and paint sections of its subjects.
Each part of Turing’s face took Ai-Da six to eight hours to complete, and the final portrait was assembled with intricate attention to detail and printed on a larger canvas using 3D technology.
Meller sees Ai-Da’s work as a lens into a “post-human” future where decisions and creative expression may be increasingly driven by AI. “This is more than just an artwork,” Meller said, emphasizing the societal questions posed by the painting. “Ai-Da’s creation is a mirror to where we’re going.”
The painting has stirred debate on AI’s role in art, with Meller comparing its impact to that of photography’s invention, while critics like The Telegraph’s Alastair Sooke, liken it to “a sophisticated novelty.”
Ai-Da defended its artistic value in a statement, emphasizing the artwork’s purpose as a catalyst for ethical and societal dialogue.
“Alan Turing recognized this potential, and stares at us, as we race toward a future shaped by AI,” Ai-Da stated.
The Ai-Da Robot Project
In recent years, Ai-Da has gained global recognition, including participating in the United Nations Global Summit on AI for Good, highlighting the robot’s role in international discussions on AI and society.
Would you pay over a million dollars for a banana & duct tape?
Sotheby’s announced it would auction a piece titled “Comedian” in November 2024 in New York, estimating it will sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million. The artwork includes a banana, a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity, and instructions on how to properly display the unconventional sculpture.
The piece made waves when artist Maurizio Cattelan first duct-taped a banana to a wall in 2019, titled it “Comedian,” and sold it for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami Beach.
The art world reacted strongly — someone ate the banana, another person claimed they had the idea first, a lawsuit followed, and a student even ate another “installation” of the artwork. The work sparked countless think pieces on the meaning and value of art.
Now, one of the last editions of “Comedian” is returning to auction at Sotheby’s in New York this November. Sotheby’s expects the price to reach as high as $1.5 million.
According to CNN, the banana and tape in this auction are not the originals, as the original fruit has long since perished. Sotheby’s stated that this sale allows the public to decide the work’s “true value.”
So, is it an art statement or a clever marketing piece? Would you spend a million on it, or are your bananas strictly for breakfast?
Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking 50/50 ball scores $4.39M at auction
Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run ball sold at auction for a record-breaking $4.39 million Tuesday, Oct. 22, despite being at the center of ongoing legal battles. The record-breaking auction comes days before Ohtani is set to play in the first game of the World Series.
The sale also came despite ongoing litigation playing out in Florida, where two different people have filed lawsuits claiming they caught the ball first. However, it ultimately ended up in the hands of the fan who put it up for auction.
Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 home run ball sold for a record-breaking $4.39 million, per @GoldinCo.
It doesn’t matter who ends up hitting a home run in the lawsuits, though. The ball will still be pitched to the anonymous person who won Tuesday’s bidding war because the auction house said “all parties” claiming ownership of the baseball agreed on the sale.
Meanwhile, Ohtani and the Dodgers are gearing up for Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Friday, Oct. 25.
Biden, Netanyahu react after Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu react after Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. And billionaires Mark Cuban and Elon Musk speak to voters in battleground states. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
Israel says it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces have killed the man they say was the chief architect of the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which started the ongoing war in Gaza. They had been trying to get Yahya Sinwar for a year, describing him as a “dead man walking” in the days after Hamas’ first attack.
However, it appears that while Israeli forces had been tipped off Sinwar was in the Rafah area, troops just happened to come across him unknowingly during battle. It was not until later they realized they had killed Israel’s most wanted man.
The IDF released drone video of what appears to be Sinwar’s final moments, showing a man with a wounded hand, who they say is Sinwar, sitting down in a destroyed building and throwing a piece of wood at the drone. They say Sinwar’s body was found with a bulletproof vest, grenades, and 40,000 Israeli shekels.
“Since the beginning of this war that Sinwar started on October 7 — we’ve said: Our war is with Hamas, not the people of Gaza. We mean it.”
IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on the elimination of Yahya Sinwar and our operational goals in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/OgkgUc5Bhi
Israeli leaders celebrated his killing as a settling of scores and said it could be a turning point in the war.
“While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: this war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.”
U.S. officials are hoping with Sinwar out of the picture, a cease-fire can finally be reached between Israel and Hamas. President Joe Biden, who has already tried to broker cease-fire deals, seemed to have renewed hope when speaking to reporters Thursday, Oct. 17.
“Now’s the time to move on,” he said. “Move on, move toward a ceasefire in Gaza, make sure that we move in a direction that we’re able to make things better for the whole world. It’s time for this war to end and bring these hostages home.”
President Biden said he’s sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to help figure out what’s next. Netanyahu has said Israel will keep fighting until all the hostages taken on Oct. 7 are free, and that it will keep control over Gaza long enough to ensure Hamas does not rearm.
While Sinwar’s death has sparked optimism the war in Gaza will soon end, it won’t be the end of fighting in the Middle East.
Just this month, Israel opened a new front against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon after a year of trading cross-border fire. Hezbollah had been striking Israel as a show of solidarity with Hamas.
In the wake of Sinwar’s death, Hezbollah announced a “transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel.”
Musk, Cuban talk election as candidates take part in charity event
As the 2024 presidential campaign inches closer to its final two weeks, the candidates each garnered the support of two billionaire representatives to spread their message to voters on Thursday.
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has appeared alongside Republican candidate former President Donald Trump at recent events, held a town hall at a Pennsylvania high school near Philadelphia. Musk called on Pennsylvanians to register to vote and described the importance of the battleground state to this election.
“You show what matters by your actions, not your words, and my actions are I’m here,” Musk said. “I’m in Pennsylvania, and I’m here for a very important reason, which, yeah, which is, I can’t emphasize, I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is, I think, the linchpin in this election. And this election, I think is going to decide the fate of America, and along with the fate of America, the fate of Western civilization.”
Meanwhile Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris called on NBA team owner and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban to reach voters during a rally at a college campus in Wisconsin. In his address to the crowd, Cuban took aim at Trump’s trade policies.
“I mean back in the 90s, in the early 2000s, he was a little bit coherent when he talked about trade policy, and he actually made a little bit of sense,” Cuban said, “but I don’t know what happened to him. The way he’s been thinking about tariffs and trade now, something’s a little bit lost. And now his trade policies, particularly with tariffs, are basically just gibberish.”
As for the candidates themselves, they both made an appearance at Thursday night’s Al Smith charity dinner in New York City, which raises millions of dollars for Catholic charities and is a traditional stop for both parties toward the end of the election cycle. However, breaking from tradition, Vice President Harris did not appear in person.
Instead, she sent in a video in which she appeared alongside former Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon, who reprised her famous character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
“It is a very important dinner, and it’s an important tradition. And I’m so proud to be a part of,” Harris said.
In his speech, former President Trump criticized Harris for not showing up to the event in person. Harris is the first presidential candidate to do that since 1984.
“It’s been a long tradition for both Democrat and Republican candidates for President of the United States to attend this dinner,” Trump said. “You know, it is a rule; you got to go to the dinner. You got to do it. Otherwise bad things are going to happen to you from up there. You can’t do what I just saw on that screen. But my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and, in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.”
In a statement regarding her absence, the Harris campaign said the vice president was campaigning Thursday and “the campaign wants to maximize her time in battlegrounds this close to the election.”
Texas execution of man in shaken baby case halted
The Texas Supreme Court halted the execution of a man sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of his 2-year-old daughter.
A jury convicted Robert Roberson of killing the toddler in a case of “shaken baby syndrome,” which his attorneys, as well as Texas lawmakers and medical experts, now say was based on faulty and outdated scientific evidence related to the diagnosis.
The last-minute stay came just over one-hour before Roberson’s death warrant was set to expire. However, a legal battle is still ongoing, and a new execution date could be set after Roberson’s potential testimony before Texas lawmakers next week. A House committee subpoenaed him on Wednesday, Oct. 16, as it reconsiders the lawfulness of his conviction.
Liam Payne’s preliminary autopsy report released; One Direction statement
A preliminary autopsy report from the Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office said pop singer Liam Payne died of “multiple traumas” and “internal and external bleeding.” The 31-year-old died Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
The autopsy found a total of 25 injuries on the singer’s body, suffered from the fall. The prosecutor’s office has requested additional studies to help in the investigation.
On social media, Payne’s One Direction bandmates paid tribute to their friend in a joint statement Thursday, saying, “We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
Phoenix ends 21-day streak of record hot temperatures
The city of Phoenix, Arizona is getting its first feel of fall, relatively speaking, after 21 straight days of record-breaking hot temperatures.
From Sept. 24 to this past Monday, Oct. 14, the Weather Service recorded 19 new all-time highs and two days tied previous records; all temperatures well into the triple digits.
Parts of Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have been gripped by the recent heat wave, with unseasonably warm temperatures 10 to 20 degrees higher than normal for this time of year.
A cold front is expected to move in this weekend and cool things down.
Rare copy of US Constitution sells for $9 million
You don’t have to be in a Nicholas Cage movie to get your hands on an important document from American history — but you do need millions of dollars. A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution sold at auction Thursday evening in North Carolina for $9 million.
The document was printed 237 years ago and is the only copy of its type believed to be privately owned. The copy of the Constitution was found two years ago when a property in North Carolina was being cleared out.
The property was once owned by Samuel Johnston, the state’s governor in the 1780s. The document also came with a letter from George Washington asking for the Constitution to be ratified.
Rare 1787 US Constitution copy goes up for auction
A rare 237-year-old copy of the U.S. Constitution is up for auction in North Carolina, with bids already starting at $1 million. Brunk Auctions is handling the sale of the document, believed to be the only privately owned copy of its kind. There is no reserve price set for the auction.
This particular copy was printed in 1787 after the Constitutional Convention completed its draft of the nation’s framework. It was then sent to Congress under the Articles of Confederation, requesting that the states ratify it.
Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress, printed about 100 copies of the document. Only eight are known to still exist, with the other seven held in public collections.
The history of this specific copy remains unclear. Thomson likely signed two copies for each of the original 13 states, but the whereabouts of this document over the centuries is largely unknown. It resurfaced just two years ago in Edenton, North Carolina, during the clearing of a property once owned by Samuel Johnston, North Carolina’s governor in the late 1780s.
The Constitution was found in a metal filing cabinet in a neglected room filled with old furniture.
Along with the Constitution, the document included a letter from George Washington, urging states to ratify the document and noting the need for compromise to secure the nation’s future.
Auction officials have not estimated what the final sale price might be, as few similar sales offer comparison.
The last time a comparable copy of the Constitution sold was in 1891 for $400. However, in 2021, Sotheby’s auctioned a different copy, printed for the Continental Congress, for $43.2 million, setting a record for a book or document.
Other historic items up for auction include a first draft of the 1776 Articles of Confederation and a journal from North Carolina’s 1788 convention, where representatives debated whether to ratify the Constitution.
