Bob Dylan Picks His Stand-In for Nobel Ceremony

Bob Dylan says he's too busy to attend the Nobel ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10 to pick up his literature prize, but he's sending quite the stand-in. Rock legend Patti Smith will be there in his place and will perform Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," reports Rolling Stone. The prize committee also announced that Dylan will provide a speech—some kind of lecture is actually a requirement of receiving the $870,000 award—and a member of the Swedish Academy will read it on his behalf, according to local media reports cited by Reuters. (More Bob Dylan stories.)