Bob Dylan may be known as an iconoclast, but he was aloof, aloof, bordering on misanthropic, and totally unsuited to the typical Hollywood treatment. But that hasn't stopped a new Dylan biopic. completely unknownfrom trying. based on a book Dylan goes electric Timothée Chalamet, who played the role of Dylan, sang live and his performance received rave reviews. However, some critics have criticized the film's many fictional liberties and the relative lack of context given about the beats of his life, which would satisfy Dylan Knight and give a sense of what happened to the newbie Dylan. I am concerned that this is not sufficient to explain why there are
Why was it such a big deal for Dylan to “go electric” – to plug in his guitar and move away from the folk music he was making in his early days? What does heritage mean and why should audiences care about it?
Luckily, I found a long-time Dylanhead who filled in many of the blanks for me. Bill DeVille, a 40-year veteran of the radio industry, is the DJ most nights at Minneapolis public radio station The Current. Minneapolis is where Dylan got his first start before going to New York. Deville explained the context I was missing and rhapsodized about his experience watching the film as a “Dylan guy.'' I may now be a fully ingrained Dylan fan.
Aja Romano: One of the central tensions in this film is the tension that seems to exist between folk and rock. I know it's part of a long-standing story about Bob Dylan, but when you were watching the movie, did you feel like it was an authentic story?
Bill Devil: I think so. I don't think his love of music was necessarily folk music from the beginning. I think it was blues and rock and roll. I don't want to say rock, because to me rock is a journey. Rock and roll is real. Fats Domino, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, I think that was the music he really loved. He discovered people like Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, which led him to folk music. Additionally, he didn't have a band at the time, so it was easy for him to busk around New York coffeehouses while playing acoustic guitar.
So the fork was more of a detour for him.
That's the impression I get. His first gig was in the late 1950s under the name Elston Gunn. He played in Bobby Vee's band and was a piano player. He also always talked about his love for Little Richard. I imagine that was his hero, as much, if not more, than Woody.
It sounds as if folk culture, more than music itself, led him down his path.
I think that makes sense, but you are bound by this timeline. It's a nifty timeline, with him leaving Minneapolis in 1961 and immediately heading to the Big Apple. In the movie, he said he did it alone, but it looks like he did it with a friend.
It has to do with the tropes this movie deals with. A boy from a small town goes to a big city, right? Can you describe the actual New York scene at the time?
Well, it was a coffee house scene. It was Dave Van Ronk and Pete Seeger. And there was Joan Baez in that scene, Cisco Huston, some old guys, Dylan — the movie shows him beating them out of the gate. And Joan Baez saw something. They saw something special in each other, which was so cool to see. It appears that Bob already had some songs he was working on at that point. Also, I was doing a lot of covers at the time. When the first album came out, it was almost all covers except for “Song to Woody.”
The first time I heard Bob Dylan's song “Song to Woody,” I cried. And in that movie, believe it or not, when Timothy sang this song, I was like, “Oh my god, this is so good.” He looks a lot like Bob. He was a very trustworthy person.
I think people were really surprised by the authenticity of the performance. I don't think people expected that from him.
He took it a step further. He shows up incognito as Bob Dylan for a big roll-out red carpet deal.
yes! It was the premiere in New York completely unknownChalamet cosplayed Dylan's infamous 2003 fashion at the Sundance premiere of his film, which was panned at the time. mask and anonymity.
He had long bangs, a stocking cap, a scarf, and a leather jacket plucked straight from Dylan. It was hysterical.
Due to the pandemic and strikes, it took him five and a half years to research the role. I don't know if he was a musician, but he sings sincerely and plays the harmonica and guitar. All the songs are performed live in the movie, which is also pretty great.
That's the draw. Most people aren't going to go see this movie thinking, “I want to know all about this Pete Seeger dynamic.” I would like to know about the Newport Folk Festival. ”Most people will come for the music, and for them to be successful really shows a level of respect.
Was there a moment that shocked you? Too much fan service? I feel like I needed to approach this film with so many layers of Dylan knowledge.
I found it a little too meh. I fell in love with that movie. I think some people in the younger generation don't understand. But a lot of it is based on what actually happened. Like Newport Folk, with Pete, they weren't really involved in power cutting much, but Pete was seriously considering doing it. Of course not, but he considered it.
The moment Pete Seeger's Edward Norton stares pointedly at an axe during Dylan's electric set at the Newport Folk Festival baffles people. And historians are divided over whether his decision to play electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival was actually controversial, especially when looking at contemporary commentary. . Looking at the primary sources, some people say that booing occurred because the sound was so bad that they couldn't hear what was going on. That it wasn't really about him playing electric.
I think it was a pretty good round. [of controversy]. That whole tour in '65 especially looked like someone yelling “Judas!” — It actually happened [Manchester],England. And they even put it in the movie, even though it took place across the pond and not in Newport, Rhode Island.
But I think there was some truth in the idea that people wanted him to be this kind of pure folkist. I think all of that was a little too precious to Dylan. He just wanted to rock.
Why do you think the movie ended at such a point?
I don't know, but I think it was important. It could have gone either way. I mean, think about it. Bob was this legendary folk musician and purist who could have been twice as popular as Pete Seeger, but he didn't. I think he didn't want to be tied down to folk stuff. The folk canon is good enough, but Bob had all these songs. He wanted to do it his way. I think he didn't want to be manipulated and playing rock and roll was his way.
He wasn't an old man. He was still in his early 20s when he first started busking with an acoustic guitar. And the British invasion was just happening. I think he understood that rock and roll was what was happening and wanted to be a part of it. No one wants to fit into a mold or be pigeonholed. And he was not just an ethnic traditionalist.
I think the fact that people didn't want him to do it made him want to do it. [play rock music] Even more. That drove him. And he still continued to play some folk songs, so it wasn't as bad as it was being made out to be. That may have been the case at the time, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. That is, “There is good music and bad music.''
The film places Pete Seeger in the very role of mentor and doppelganger. As the film begins, Seeger is in court on contempt charges for his actions before the House Un-American Activities Committee. We then see Dylan meeting Guthrie and Seeger at Guthrie's hospital bedside. He met both artists shortly after arriving in New York, but neither of these details are true.
I think it sets up Pete Seeger as a kind of rebel in his own way. He was like a king at the time. Woody was in bed with Huntington's disease and was not feeling well. I think Woody was more of a mentor to him than Pete, although it's not necessarily portrayed that way in the movie. Obviously he idolized Woody, but in the movie Pete took care of him and even stayed at his house for a few nights.
Pete didn't write many songs like Bob Dylan. It wasn't his hobby. He maintained folk norms. But I think Seger had great admiration for Dylan and considered him a hero of sorts.
Folk was an important form of resistance at the time, so it makes sense that Dylan would be drawn to it because of his personality.
yes, and [1963 March on] Washington with Joan Baez, that was big. but you see [Martin Scorsese’s Dylan documentary] No home direction The media questioned him as if he were some kind of extremist, but in reality he wasn't that extremist.
Johnny Cash was a huge Easter egg in the film, with Boyd Holbrook playing him as Dylan's pen pal. What did you think of their relationship?
[Cash] It just drove him on. he loved it. And that's true in a way, because he [Dylan] under his wings when he was johnny cash show In the late 60's, Dylan nashville skyline album. Johnny Cash had a lot of respect for Bob, and I think it was mutual respect. They exchanged letters over the years.
I think that relationship contributed to the film's commentary on genre mixing. While Dylan may not be all that familiar, especially to the younger generation that comes to see this movie, they are definitely familiar with Johnny Cash's many rock covers and mixes of other genres. It brings context into the film. film.
If this is your first time attending the film, what should you know about Dylan's legacy and influence?
You should know that he is one of the most important songwriters of all time. I want to hear it freewheelin bob dylan and Highway 61 revisited and bring everything home. These three albums are the focus of the film.
I couldn't believe it when he sat in front of Woody and Pete at the care center and sang “Song to Woody.” And then you realize the importance and importance of him meeting his hero and how important it was that he was able to find him and play the song for him.
I wasn't expecting it at all. I was expecting a touching moment at the end of the movie, and it was a touching and sweet moment. After watching it, I was so captivated and loved the whole experience of watching this movie.
Didn't you think that was cheeky?
Perhaps he was being cocky. But I think it was all he had to rally around to get it done. And he did it.
