RKC Fish

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Bob fanatic since 1972. I have all the CD’s, books, vinyl bootlegs - way too much 😂 Seen him live 25-30 times. So - this is an excellent achievement by all involved. Timothy Chalamet plays a surprisingly convincing Bob without relegation to parody. Edward Norton is his usual awesome self and the actresses playing “Sylvie” (Suze Rotolo) and Joan Baez were absolutely on point. The Johnny Cash character provided some unexpected comic relief. Great job. The earlier songs of Bob Dylan represent the heart of dawn of the sixties- and they are beautifully performed live by the actors. The movie is much more than just a biopic. It is a moving love story and a superbly crafted period piece that captures the feel of the Greenwich Village folk scene. It should appeal to just about anyone who simply wants to see an excellent movie. The movie kind of ends at a beginning though. The subject of the story kept evolving and burning deeper into America’s music DNA as one year rolled into another. A generational genius like the enigmatic Bob Dylan is a rare gift to Universal culture. And it’s awesome that Timothy Chalamet and James Mangold are introducing Mr. D to a new generation. Go see it.

A Complete Unknown

182 likes

I wasn’t going to buy this because I have read and possess more books, DVD’s and recordings of Bob Dylan material that any sane person should have. Obviously any sane, not obsessed person that is. Huge Bob fan since 1972. Nevertheless- Costco was selling it for $60.00 so I bit. This is a handsomely assembled tome that proved to be entertaining. I’m not into picking through unfinished drafts and museum-worthy artifacts but I expected it going in. And there’s a lot of that. My biggest issue is that everything was sort of a skim. Whereas if you really want to dig into Bob you’d be better off taking it slow and doing a deep dive into each major era. I enjoyed Doug Brinkley’s closing chapter the best. I feel he truly has a read on present day Bob and has earned his trust. And Bob was straight and insightful with him. Is it essential for most deeply committed Bob heads? Probably not. Nothing really new if you’ve paid attention all along. However, if you’re into lyrical excavation of Bob’s scattershot creative process and you want some surface recaps over the 60 years of our hero’s career- this is worth the $60.

Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine

One of the four major albums Bob Dylan so far in the 21st century. The others being (IMO) Love and Theft, Modern Times and Rough and Rowdy Ways. Undoubtedly Dylan’s darkest album lyrically yet it’s anything but morose. Even the gritty lines contain a subtle wink and surprising turns of phrase. Great band that works with Bob’s folk/blues roots wonderfully. Dylan’s voice is at this point a gravelly instrument that precedes his recent vocal recovery but it delivers. As do great songs written by the greatest songwriter of our generation. Stand out tracks are Pay in Blood, Narrow Way and Tin Angel.

Tempest

2 likes