Call it an excuse, call it over-worked, call it what you want, but the truth is I should have seen this exhibit months ago. Thank god I had a chance to see it today. Now, with only a few weeks remaining (till June 8), I’m urging all Angelenos and LA visitors to check out the Skirball Cultural Center and experience the most interactive exhibit in Los Angeles — Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956–1966.

Hint, hint…this is a fraction of what we’re going to see when the GRAMMY Museum opens in December (marking the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of The Recording Academy).

From the Skirball:

Featuring more than 160 artifacts, including Dylan’s handwritten drafts of classic songs, rare concert posters and a recording of his first concert, which has never been commercially released, Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966 focuses on the first decade of his celebrated career. From his beginnings as Robert Zimmerman in the post-war industrial town of Hibbing, Minnesota, to his debut on the Greenwich Village folk scene, to his rise to unprecedented fame as the rock star/poet who “electrified” contemporary songwriting, the exhibition chronicles Dylan’s first ten years as a public figure, an artistic innovator, and a compelling voice of social conscience.

The Skirball presentation of the exhibition is complemented by a newly developed satellite exhibit, which offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the creative process. Simulate playing along with Dylan on keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, drums and organs, as well as experiment with a mixing board on an authentic Dylan recording.

$10 General; $7 Seniors and Full-Time Students; $5 Children 2-12; Free to Members and Children under 2; Free to all on Thursdays