The full cut of the 1986 Hearts of Fire press conference has emerged online. Anyone who has read Michael Gray's book Outtakes On Bob Dylan will know that Michael's epic essay on 'Belle Isle' ends at this press conference, where Michael's friend impulsively asks Bob about the song. It was exciting to see this finally. The question is wildly out of context, so far out that Bob almost looks like he might engage with it, which is more than can be said for all the other questions he faces. Eagled-eyed viewers will also spot Michael at the end of the video, just behind Bob as he shuffles out of the building with his leather jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape. Very odd event.
On 18 August 1986, Bob Dylan held a press conference at the National Film Theatre in London. Promoting his latest acting venture, Hearts of Fire, Dylan shared a stage with director Richard Marquand, producer Iain Smith, and fellow cast members Fiona Flanagan and Rupert Everett. In a remarkably long interview, the usually-reticent Dylan answered questions on a range of subjects including how he came to be involved in the film, why he wasn't writing funny songs about Ronald Reagan, the timeless power of The Times They Are a Changin', and moving on from his work in the 1960s. Only three minutes of the Hearts of Fire press conference footage made it into ITN's bulletin on the day of recording. The original rushes of the interview were recently recovered and digitised by the ITN Archive team, and are being shared publicly here for the first time.
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