Some details from A Complete Unknown - Timothée Chalamet, Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning

 

I’m not the one you want, babe
I’m not the one you need
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe

It ain’t me you’re looking’ for, babe

Timothée Chalamet & Monica Barbaro as Bob Dylan & Joan Baez

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN│2024

“Don’t ask for the moon. We have the stars.”

ELLE FANNING as Sylvie Russo

sorry should have credited source . . . . . 

Pooneil Corners . . . .

Bob Dylan’s 215th Dream!

Not entirely sure Joan and ’Suze’ ever looked like this . . . 

artistic licence?

Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as ‘Sylvie’ - [Suze Rotolo figure]

what do you reckon?

 

Dave Van Ronk - Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger (Prestige, 1962) | ZERO G Sound

Dave Van Ronk - Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger (Prestige, 1962)

Zero G hat gesagt… "Many die-hard folkies consider Dave Van Ronk in a class apart from his contemporaries — such as Bob Dylan, Eric Von Schmidt, or Jean Ritchie.

Likewise, when asked to pick their favorite of his recordings, "Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger" is likely among the first mentioned. The original LP features a baker's dozen of Van Ronk's most memorable performances, presented in the intimate context of his own solo guitar accompaniment.
This unadorned musical approach seemingly raised the bar for many Washington Square folk devotees. His deceptively simplistic delivery acts as both a gateway to, as well as an archetypal interpreter of, a roots-based folk music that is steeped in the American experience. "Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger" is the first in a series of sides that Van Ronk would cut for Prestige and features a selection of traditional material, most of which hadn't been included on his earlier Folkways albums.

What is most immediately striking about Van Ronk's approach is the overwhelming solitude inherent within his delivery. The unadorned humanity is expressed practically by default. Examples can be found throughout the disc, be it in the soul-rendering visage of a junkie in "Cocaine Blues" or the lamentations of "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me." As well as forging a unique style, Van Ronk also reflects the enormous inspiration of his varied influences. The rambunctious "Samson and Delilah" certainly takes a page from the talkin' blues delivery of Rev. Gary Davis. The mournful and despondent "He Was a Friend of Mine" comes from the same mold that forged Bob Dylan's original. Van Ronk was a vocal supporter of Dylan in that he was one of, if not the first artist to have covered one of his tunes. The version heard here can be likened to Dylan's paternal twin, as the song's essence remains true to form. However, not all of Van Ronk's material is so somber. John Henry's bawdy blues "You've Been a Good Old Wagon" and the traditional "Chicken Is Nice" are charming in their unaffected, almost accidental whimsy. As there is nothing new about the material, once again the impassive delivery and subtle intonations are at the core of making these readings so amusing. In the case of the former, Van Ronk's assertion to keep the narrative voice either feminine - or possibly gay - allows tremendous insight into the type of humor Van Ronk successfully asserts. This is a vital touchstone of Americana and likewise is highly recommended as a key component of any serious collection of 20th century folk music."

Tracklist:

A1 Samson & Delilah 3:35 

A2 Cocaine Blues 4:13 

A3 You've Been A Good Old Wagon 2:16 

A4 Fixin' To Die 2:50 

A5 Hang Me, Oh Hang Me 3:07 

A6 Long John 2:10 

A7 Chicken Is Nice 2:29 

B1 He Was A Friend Of Mine 3:29 

B2 Motherless Children 3:45 

B3 Stackalee 3:32 

B4 Mr. Noah 1:28 

B5 Come Back Baby 3:48 

B6 Poor Lazarus 5:06

now here’s a weird one . . . I rarely post things any bands or artists that I don’t like (sic!) but I cannot stand Dave Van Ronk and am aware I may be alone in this and especially recently with all the increase of interest in early Dylan post ‘Complete Unknown’  . . . . . . my brother liked Van Ronk and certainly appreciated him . . . . . I found him faux, self conscious and excruciating to listen to, maybe pretentious somehow and despite lauding our Bobby early on, could not bear to listen to his voice! Now I appreciated his place (bit part actor!) on the Dylan Folk Scene circuit and history and his choice of songs is palpably brilliant and numbers classic songs of which he was precociously aware of from Cocaine Blues, Fixin' to Die, Motherless Children and Stackolee (which the perspicacious amongst you will know I collect versions of! sic!) but this is still hard for me to listen to!

Anyone? 

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo (Brit DJ’s and journos) discuss 'A Complete Unknown'

 Funnily I was dreading what Mark would say but feel somewhere between the two . . . I did find myself smiling all the way through. I did get irritated by the axe scene with Seeger and the ‘Judas’ reference at Newport was a joke (literally I guess)  . . . . .would I buy it on DVD? Probably but I also agree that I prefer Haynes’ I’m Not There' and watched it again last night and will do so again. Would I watch A Complete Unknown over and over? Probably not . . . . .once you’ve seen it you’ve seen it, it was light and frothy and lovely but not a ‘deep’ film!

advert break - A Complete Unknown

 What WAS the first Bob Dylan song you ever heard?!

Advert Break - A complete unknown . . . . .

 play it loud . . . . . .  

Advert Break - A Complete Unknown -

 the gang arrive in the UK for the British premiere 

Advert Break - A Complete Unknown

 "Who do you wanna be?" . . . . . Well everybody wants you to be just like them

In Tribute to the Bob Dylan biopic film ‘A Complete Unknown’ . . .

 George Wein on Dylan taking Over Newport Folk Festival

George Wein, founder and producer of the Newport Folk Festival, tells the story of Bob Dylan's pivotal role as the "Crown Prince" of the Festival in the years leading up to his epic and transformative electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and the effect that the performance had on the Festival itself. In this interview filmed in 2018, we get a full picture of the folk music revival, which was led by Pete Seeger, and how Dylan's performance upended all that Seeger had built over many years. George Wein, who also created and produced the Newport Jazz Festival until his passing in 2021, also co-created and co-produced the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The impact that George had on so many genres of music -- all of which were a joy to him -- was and is indelible. George was also a highly accomplished professional musician who performed and toured until shortly before his passing.

Of course the context only make sense if you consider it in relationship to the Newport Folk Festival itself as his first single was indeed an electric band playing on ‘Mixed Up Confusion’ and B-side 'Corinna Corinna’ which although it sounded like an acoustic song was in fact electric at first here and it was the poor old folkies who struggled to keep up.

Boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same eh, Pete!? 

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