I learned to play guitar by listening to his records. I only heard him perform live once, in the 80s. Even though I (shyly) hung around the periphery of the folk scene, I had no idea what it looked like from Dave's point of view. His writing alternates between brilliant, and "close enough for folk" (as we used to say when we tried to inexpertly tune our instruments) but that's to be expected when you die before finishing and need to have someone else tidy up.

This book is best read between watching Inside Llewen Davis and No Direction Home.