१८ डिसेंबर, २०२४

"From the very first scenes, as played by Chalamet, this Dylan has no use for anything other than his own songs and his desperate, entirely internalized, need to keep making them."

"Everyone else... they’re all just obstacles that stand in his way. Chalamet’s Dylan is aloof, peevish and, frankly, kind of a jerk. Nearly everyone in his orbit suffers accordingly. The closer they try to get, the more Dylan vaporizes and wafts away. But this doesn’t happen because of fame or riches or drugs, like it would in most music biopics. It happens because of who Dylan is. He just doesn’t care. He lives his life and writes his music and manages his career like a man who knows everyone around him is trying to write a biopic about him."

Writes Will Leitch, in "Don’t think twice, Dylan fans. ‘A Complete Unknown’ is all right. The impossibility of ever truly understanding Bob Dylan is the movie’s central tension" (WaPo).

I wonder if Will Leitch is related to Donovan (Leitch). Just an idle thought. It's hard to see how it would matter. Anyway, are you planning to watch this movie? Bob Dylan recommended the movie. I blogged about that 13 days ago, here. He also recommended the book the movie is based on — "Dylan Goes Electric" (commission earned) — saying, "After you’ve seen the movie read the book." But the movie doesn't premiere until Christmas, so I went and read the book out of order. I do some of the things Bob tells me to do. Some of them. Not all of them. 

Here's something from the book that I happened to highlight:
In those first months a lot of people regarded Dylan as just another young folksinger with a particularly abrasive voice, and some are still baffled by his success. But others say he stood out immediately: “He just had it,” Kweskin recalls: 
He was electric. You couldn’t take your eyes off him. He was magnetic. At the time, to me, it was more his presence than it was his music. I liked his music, but what was special was his personality. He was just one of those people that he got up onstage and he owned it. 
Van Ronk noted that Dylan’s performances in this period were very different from anything he did in later years: 
Back then, he always seemed to be winging it, free-associating, and he was one of the funniest people I have ever seen onstage. . . . He had a stage persona that I can only compare to Charlie Chaplin’s “Little Fellow.” He was a very kinetic performer, he never stood still, and he had all these nervous mannerisms and gestures. He was obviously quaking in his boots a lot of the time, but he made that part of the show. There would be a one-liner, a mutter, a mumble, another one-liner, a slam at the guitar. Above all, his sense of timing was uncanny: he would get all of these pseudo-clumsy bits of business going, fiddling with his harmonica rack and things like that, and he could put an audience in stitches without saying a word. 
The Village scene provided Dylan with a unique opportunity to learn and polish his skills.... Dylan was playing the standard neo-ethnic mix of old ballads and blues, but unlike most people on the folk scene he did not present them as museum pieces. He made the music come alive in new ways....

That is, he was something special as a performer aside from and before all those famous words. 

४६ टिप्पण्या:

Joe Bar म्हणाले...

"Anyway, are you planning to watch this movie?"

No. It's not a genre I am attracted to. I saw Dylan many years ago. He was in that phase where he was a bit incoherent, hard to understand. No one recognized any of the songs he was playing; all new stuff that never went anywhere. It was disappointing.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

All of which is to say, "You had to be there."

Clyde म्हणाले...

I think that's probably true for any musical artist that has been around for a few decades, whether it's a group like the Rolling Stones or The Who, or an individual like Frank Sinatra or Bob Dylan. Over that period of time, there will be highs and lows. Nobody wants to do the same thing over and over for years, so they have to explore different things, go down different musical paths. Sometimes the results are great, many times they're not. And while the fans want to hear the greatest hits every night, you can't expect the musicians to do only the greatest hits every night. It's a lot easier for musicians who had a shorter career and then just play reunion tours years later. There's a lot less catalog to have to scroll through to select the set list for the night.

DKWalser म्हणाले...

I've never attended a Dylan concert or watched a live performance on TV, so my impression of him as a singer comes solely from listening to his recorded music. I think he's a great songwriter, but I'd much rather hear another artist sing his songs. I fell in love with Dylan-the-songwriter by listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary (or the dozens of others who sang his songs). I never warmed up to Dylan-the-singer.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

I will probably watch the film at some point. I have been a big fan of Dylan's since I was a teenager (long after his most productive period). I can't think of a single musical star of that magnitude about whom less is known.

Aggie म्हणाले...

Nope, not a Dylan fan. Anybody I ever hear recommending his music kind of gives me the sense that they're trying to explain why a crappy musician is actually great because of his niche following. I like some of his songs, but I've never been convinced that Dylan is some kind of transcendent musician-poet phenomenon that people seem to genuinely believe. There's no denying his success though, in all fairness, so maybe it's just me.

rrsafety म्हणाले...

I'm a Chalamet fan, so yes.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"I think he's a great songwriter, but I'd much rather hear another artist sing his songs."

I can't think of any examples where I prefer the cover version. Maybe "Tears of Rage" by The Band.

Kate म्हणाले...

My weird Thanksgiving playlist (generated by Amazon Music) included "Shelter from the Storm" and "Diamonds and Rust". The Baez lyrics, about a post-romance reunion with Dylan, include, "My poetry was lousy, you said." That song is so vulnerable and beautiful, especially the bridge.

No, I won't be watching the Chalamet biopic.

john mosby म्हणाले...

Bryan Ferry does great Dylan covers. Turns them into crooner songs. Some even with a big band orchestra behind him.

JSM

hawkeyedjb म्हणाले...

"I can't think of any examples where I prefer the cover version."

"All Along the Watchtower." Jimi Hendrix made it a completely different song than the original.

john mosby म्हणाले...

Rob Halford does two great versions of Diamonds and Rust with Judas Priest. One basically the same way Joan does it, the other a speeded up heavy metal version.

JSM

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

Chalamet’s Dylan is aloof, peevish and, frankly, kind of a jerk.

Spoken like someone who hasn’t seen video of Dylan in that era.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

A completely different, inferior, song.

baghdadbob म्हणाले...

"I can't think of any examples where I prefer the cover version."
PP&M's Blowin' in the Wind is superior to Bob's IMHO. And yes, we plan to see the new film.

MOfarmer म्हणाले...

I liked Dave Mason's version of All Along the Watchtower so much I bought Blood on the Tracks. I was never a Dylan fan but that is a great album. Good to see Bob still going at 83.

Dan म्हणाले...

I was a huge Dylan fan when Blood on the Tracks came out. Had to learn everything he had after that. Certainly was a poet and wrote lyrics for songs that would rival a small book. Saw Dylan at Summerfest a number of years ago. 2nd row so I was able to see his mannerisms and read his lips and watch his eyes. His backing band watched him all the time too as he would give them their orders just by watching him. Quite extraordinary if you ask me. John Wesley Harding is magnificent!

Michel म्हणाले...

If you drop the mention of the guitar and harmonica, Van Ronk's words also perfectly describe a Woody Allen stand-up routine from the same period.

Narr म्हणाले...

I'm not that big a Dylan fan, and no longer try to keep up with the latest stars, so I doubt I'll be watching this one.

Ted म्हणाले...

My favorite Dylan cover is folk/bluegrass artist Sarah Jarosz singing "Ring Them Bells." (In keeping with the movie's themes, I prefer her all-acoustic version to her performances with a full "electric" band.)

Will Leitch isn't related to Donovan -- he's the founding editor of Deadspin and mostly writes about sports (in addition to popular culture).

David53 म्हणाले...

"I can't think of any examples where I prefer the cover version. Maybe "Tears of Rage" by The Band."

Like a Rolling Stone, live version, by The Stones. Jagger owned it.

Joe Bar म्हणाले...

"Quinn the Eskimo" released as "Mighty Quinn", done by Manfred Mann.

Joe Bar म्हणाले...

The 80 Greatest Dylan Covers of All Time From Rolling Stone.

"Mr. Tambourine Man", by The Byrds. Forgot that one.

Diamondhead म्हणाले...

Tears of Rage is actually the one I always think of too. I Shall Be Released is maybe a close second. Other than that, no, I prefer the original every time - even (perhaps especially) in the case of All Along the Watchtower. I think Leonard Cohen was always his own best interpreter too.

Luke Lea म्हणाले...

Van Morrison does a beautiful version of "It's all over now, Baby Blue"

David53 म्हणाले...

Thanks for the great link.

Valentine Smith म्हणाले...

You really did have to be there.
Love love, love Dylan‘s love songs. Oh we kissed in the wild blazing nighttime. She said she would never forget but now morning is clear. It’s like I ain’t here….
Still, I’m with Terry Teachout and believe The Band was the greatest rock group of all time.
And Van the Man is a very close second to Dylan. And he had a great voice.

John म्हणाले...

I've seen Dylan about 10 times, mostly since 1990, and I always get a kick of of how some people expect him to be doing his early 1960s hits in the same way. But regarding the question of covers, I recall one concert where he did "All along the watchtower" and a friend, more of a Stones fan than a Dylan fan, said to me the next day that Dylan did it in Hendrix's style, not his own. I had to agree. So maybe even Dylan liked that cover better than his own version.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

“ "All Along the Watchtower." Jimi Hendrix made it a completely different song than the original.”

True and the Byrds made Mr. Tambourine Man completely different, but I still prefer Bob’s version in both cases.

There are many great cover versions of Dylan songs. I’m not saying I don’t like them. I love a lot of them. I’m just saying I like Bob the best. To me, he’s the best singer— the very best. And I’m not the only person who thinks this way.

Diamondhead म्हणाले...

Yeah, I saw him do it a few times in the late 90s/early 2000s and it was definitely more of a Hendrix-tinged arrangement so I agree he voted with his feet on that one (I think mistakenly!). But my preference for Dylan’s own versions is really more about the fact I think his voice is the ideal instrument for the words.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

“ "Quinn the Eskimo" released as "Mighty Quinn", done by Manfred Mann.”

I think I read somewhere that that’s Bob’s favorite cover version of one of his songs

Diamondhead म्हणाले...

I’ve seen him at least 20 times starting in 99 so the idea of expecting the songs to sound like they did in the 60s (or 70s, 80s, or 90s, or…) is funny. I’ve taken casual Dylan fans to his shows and I generally played bootleg live versions for them so they’d know more what to expect.

mccullough म्हणाले...

Dylan’s singing is like a great actor performing. Lot of nuance in tone and subtle shifts.

Like a Rolling Stone he never sings the chorus the same but it’s close. Very subtle.

Dylan’s voice isn’t mellifluous but his tone range and subtlety surpasses any pop singer.

guitar joe म्हणाले...

I doubt you can do better than No Direction Home, the Scorsese doc about Dylan. I also liked I'm Not There because it captured the myriad Dylans there have been and the fact that he can't be nailed down. Do we need another Dylan movie? No, just as we don't need yet another Beatles doc. But they keep coming.

I'm with you on Mr. Tambourine Man. Much as I love the Byrds' version of the song--I love pretty much everything by the Byrds--I also prefer Dylan's version of the song. Watchtower is tough because it's such a masterpiece by Hendrix. The guitar is so brilliant, but he also gets the mystery and depth of the lyrics. Dylan actually liked that version of the song. And yet, there is something deep in the original version that Hendrix's version falls a bit short off.

There are plenty of great Dylan interpreters. I've often thought that Rod Stewart should have done an album of Dylan songs rather than those awful songbook albums. I'm with you, though. I think Dylan's the best singer of his own songs and a great singer period. Hell, I even like the Christmas album!

AMDG म्हणाले...

The first thing that jumps in my head is the Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower”.

Clyde म्हणाले...

I'll just say that my #1 new song of 2023 was Sarah Jarosz singing "Jealous Moon." Electric suits her just fine, in my opinion.

Clyde म्हणाले...

So did Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs.

hawkeyedjb म्हणाले...

Some great comments and links here. I will certainly see the film as I am a fan of All Things Dylan, for many decades. He is, to me, the greatest contemporary songwriter, and his voice does great justice to his songs. I can’t think of anyone who has created such a varied oeuvre over so many decades. How many songwriters have been covered by such an array of artists?

Amexpat म्हणाले...

"I can't think of any examples where I prefer the cover version. Maybe "Tears of Rage" by The Band."

I agree, but the only exception for me is not "Tears of Rage", but "When I paint my Masterpiece" also by The Band. Levon Helm betters Dylan on his own turf.
It's the only Dylan cover that has happened for me, so much so that I find Dylan's version lacking.

Hendrix's cover of AATW was not on Dylan's turf - it was in another galaxy previously not explored. And the Byrds and Manfred Mann have done very nice Pop Dylan covers, but that is in a different genre.

I don't plan on seeing the movie. Better to watch the documentary material footage of Dylan himself from that period, unless someone as interesting as Cate Banchard will be recreating it. Pretty boy TC ain't in that league.

hawkeyedjb म्हणाले...

And by the way, “Like a Rolling Stone” gets my vote for Greatest Dylan Song, as well as greatest rock song of all time.

Amexpat म्हणाले...

"I do some of the things Bob tells me to do. Some of them. Not all of them. "

Bob Dylan can be all right part of the time, but he can't be all right all of the time. I think I heard that when some kid was airing the laundry. Or maybe it was in a crazy dream that came to me.

Paul From Minneapolis म्हणाले...

I have a number of acquaintances who basically refuse to believe that what a lot of us totally loved about Dylan "back in the day" was his voice. They think we're lying, or something; that we actually just put up with the voice. But no - there was just something so perfect about his voice, singing those words or other old songs. His voice imparted a sense of drama, of importance, even when you weren't absolutely sure what the song was about. I read somewhere Joan Baez talking about his emergence, and she said something like "And that voice..."

He's maybe the main source for one of my personal rules for a great song - the words have to sound good, and the words (and the performance) have to convey the idea that a story of signifance is being told. Those criteria are both way more important than the listener actually being able to understand the story.

Some of my favorite Dylan songs, I still couldn't tell you confidently what happens, with Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts being maybe the prime example.

Joe Bar म्हणाले...

I shall treasure this approval by the great professor.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

Thank you for this.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

@Amexpat Thanks for noticing

Southern Pessimist म्हणाले...

Many years ago I was at a seminar featuring Robert Pinsky, the Poet Laureate of the US at that time. At the cocktail reception I asked him if he thought Bob Dylan was a worthy poet. He seemed offended by my question but did admit that some songwriters are good poets and specifically mentioned that he had worked with Felice and Boudloux Bryant. I can only imagine how he felt when Dylan won his Nobel prize for literature.