University of Virginia Library

Jester

American Pie then tells of
the "Jester" stealing the King's
crown. Most people that I've
talked to have concluded that
the Jester is Bob Dylan. When
Presley's popularity began to
fade in the early 1960's, the
only man who emerged with
anything close to a parallel
influence on music was Bob
Dylan. And, Dylan did wear a
black, leather jacket on a
couple of celebrated occasions:
on the album cover of,
"Highway 61," and on stage at
the 1965 Newport Folk
Festival. This would explain
Don McLean's line about the
Jester wearing a "coat he
borrowed from James Dean."
Dean, a youthful movie actor
who lost his life in 1955, was
synonymous with the black
leather, motorcycle jacket. The
public was the "court-room
that adjourned without
returning a verdict" on that
era's contemporary music
leader and direction.

Photo by John Bueacher