Machine Gun Kellyhas officially confirmed the obvious — that it wasBob Dylan narrating his recent album announcementtrailer. But in Dylan-esque fashion, MGK declined to give a straight answer as to how the collaboration came about.
When asked point blank about Dylan’s cameo onToday, MGK quipped, “A magician never reveals his secrets.” He then continued with something resembling an answer, but still clearly jokey: “Pure desperation. Just knocking on his door relentlessly, not going away.”
That’s not to say Machine Gun Kelly wasn’t extremely grateful for Dylan’s contribution to theLost Americanatrailer. “I have been blessed with… I don’t know, maybe it’s just one pioneer seeing something that I am doing that, in the long term, will be looked back [at] and be understood,” MGK said, before quickly adding: “Not calling myself a pioneer, but him.”
Despite not knowing many specifics, it is possible to paint a pretty broad picture of the MGK-Dylan relationship. Earlier this year, Dylan,seemingly out of nowhere, posted on a videoon Instagram of MGK rapping at a record store. One (very believable) theory as to how the singer-songwriter stumbled across the clip in the first place was floated by Dylan scholar Ray Padgett, who suggested onBluesky, “All because the dude has the same name as anold gangsterBob was googling.”
Then in May, evidence emerged of an in-person meeting when MGK attended the Los Angeles stop ofWillie Nelson’s Outlaw Festival Tour, which Dylan is a part of. The day after the show, MGKtweetednot-so-cryptically, “i met and had a conversation with someone last night that i never thought i’d get the honor to meet all because of a video of me rapping in a music store 10 years ago. i love music.”Trending StoriesDr. Demento, Madcap Radio DJ Who Launched Weird Al’s Career, Announces RetirementBonnaroo Pivots to Full Refunds for Canceled Festival, 'Not Announcing Future Dates'Treasured Public Lands on the Auction Block in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’Benson Boone Can't Land the Backflip
MGK released theLost Americanatrailer earlier this month. The clip features a montage of home movie-style footage, with Dylan delivering koans such as, “Lost Americanais a personal excavation of the American dream — a journey to find what’s been lost” and, “From the gold neon diners to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the in-between spaces. Where the past is reimagined and the future is forged on your own terms.”
Lost Americanais set to arrive Aug. 8. The album marks MGK’s first in three years following 2022’sMainstream Sellout. The musician has yet to reveal the full track list for the album, but it will feature hisrecent single, “Cliché.”
