Bob Dylan: Heroin addict?

Newly discovered tapes of a long ago interview with legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan reveal he had a heroin addiction and some heavy duty suicidal tendencies.

Bob Dylan has never confirmed speculation that he had used heroin -- at least, that's what we thought until a previously unheard interview was found.

A tape dating back to March 1966 in which the folk singer chats with friend Robert Shelton about his drug use and suicidal thoughts sheds light on the mythical past of Dylan, who turns 70 today.

"I kicked a heroin habit in New York City," Dylan says on the tape. "I got very, very strung out for a while, I mean really, very strung out. And I kicked the habit. I had about a $25-a-day habit and I kicked it." ($25 back then would have been about $185 today.)

Dylan also told Shelton he contemplated suicide when he became famous. "Death to me is nothing... death to me means nothing as long as I can die fast. Many times I've known I could have been able to die fast, and I could have easily gone over and done it. I'll admit to having this suicidal thing... but I came through this time."

"I'm not the kind of cat that's going to cut off an ear if I can't do something. I'm the kind of cat that would just commit suicide. I'd shoot myself in the brain if things got bad. I'd jump from a window... man, I would shoot myself. You know I can think about death, man, openly."

Wanna see the formerly suicidal ex-heroin addict perform? Bob Dylan comes to the U.S. on July 15 when he will play the Pacific Ampitheatre in Costa Mesa, California.