Posted on 09/25/2005 3:47:51 AM PDT by dennisw
Edited on 09/25/2005 10:11:40 AM PDT by Lead Moderator. [history]
About an hour into Bob Dylan: No Direction Home, Joan Baez—in an interview that will be edited by your PBS station—recalls an invincible young Dylan imagining what they'll be saying about him in the future: "A bunch of years from now, all these (expletive deleted) are going to be writing about all this (expletive deleted) I write, and I don't know where the (expletive deleted) it comes from and I don't know what the (expletive deleted) it's about, and they're going to write about what it's about." Here we are. This documentary comes complete with a Starbucks tie-in, an Apple logo, and a celebrity director's credit. That director is Martin Scorsese, who has surely coveted access to this footage—donated by D.A. Pennebaker, Murray Lerner, and others—having already shot Dylan as the pièce de résistance to his documentary about The Band, The Last Waltz. But before you get too excited about this crossroads meeting, viewer, beware: This project was co-produced by Dylan's manager Jeff Rosen. Scorsese was brought in well after Rosen had already conducted the interviews and approved the material. What will all these assholes be saying about Dylan? In this "Martin Scorsese Picture," whatever the Dylan people want.
We'll take it gratefully, of course. No Direction Home is framed by footage from a 1966 European tour in which Dylan was hounded by the folkie furies for plugging in with the Hawks, who later became The Band. (This footage is from Pennebaker's never-released and seldom-seen Eat the Document.) As the documentary opens, we see Dylan performing the classic rock warhorse "Like a Rolling Stone." The record had already been a No. 2 single, but it was still a rock 'n' roll Rite of Spring, too raw
Bob Dylan = Joan Baez = Martin Scorcese = all the other subverted and, ultimately, wasted talent of my g-g-generation. Nobody but aging boomers will recall this man in the not too distant future.
How do you see Dylan as wasted talent? Whether or not future generations recognize it (and they probably won't because poetry and music has to be taken in context), I think he is one of the greatest poets ever. I'm thinking particularly of songs like Tambourine Man.
the "Blood on the Tracks" alblum was his best.
mark
Wrong.
About Dylan, anyway.
Baez had no talent to waste in the first place.
My favorite Dylan joke was from a sitcom about 80s kids with 60s parents.
One of them puts a Dylan record on, and as a monotone wailing grinds out, the son says:
"Hey that's a real pick-me-up Dad! Are you sure you've got it on the right speed?"
It's all opinion, but if I were you guys I wouldn't invest my children's college money in Dylan LP's. I hate to break the news but the boomer g-g-generation is important to itself alone.
Bob Dylan who is a born again Christan and made a beautiful album about his faith is hardly Joan Biaz. As a matter of fact when he had the Band become a permanent part of his tours and music, Biaz was his most vocal critic. They never made up.
"Bob Dylan who is a born again Christan and made a beautiful album about his faith..."
Unless you know this personally, the claim means nothing. Even then, it means nothing. Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are born again Christians. Jane Fonda was born again. Brittany Spears is a born again, too. Seems like everybody is born again for some reason or another. Except when they die - then everybody is usually found to have been gay.
She was with Big Jim/But she was leaning to the Jack of Hearts.
This was on PBS last week, wasn't it? Unfortunately, I was on travel and missed it. How was it?
"Nobody but aging boomers will recall this man in the not too distant future."
LoL
I believe it's Mon & Tues nite, you didn't miss it
Thanks -- I'll set the VCR.
And Idiot Wind the best song...
"Everytime I hear Dylan, I always start thinking they're talking about former Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon. What's wrong with me?
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