Scorsese's movie about Dylan

Levy is very briefly identified.

― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Saturday, June 15, 2019 7:39 PM (forty-nine minutes ago)

That Gleiberman Variety piece is interesting, the (disapproving) connection of the fakery with Trump. But saying Scorsese is "playing catch-up to the 'reality' era" seems off--surely he was already anticipating, along with Albert Brooks, the blurring of that line with King of Comedy.

I didn’t read the piece but I think it makes more sense to connect it to Dylan’s entire career than Donald fucking Trump.

He's talking about his reaction to the film, not really the film itself--that for him it didn't sit right in the Trump moment.

Sometimes wonder if Dylan got the idea for the name Rolling Thunder from the lyrics of "How Great Thou Art," maybe whilst listening to Elvis sing it.

surely the Vietnam War

Yes, that's most likely it, but I still wonder if this other use of the phrase influenced his thinking as well.

They also called the band 'Guam'.

Dylan named the tour after hearing the continuous sounds of thunder one day.[6]

Oh yeah, forgot about Guam.

Yet don’t see Stoner, Ronson, or Dylan dancing
Think I saw some of them briefly joining in on some Native American dance.

Enjoying this right now, or at least I thought it was. It turns out I was only enjoying it while Bob Dylan was performing or talking, and the rest of it I really wasn't paying attention.

Suddenly occured to me that Sam Sheppard has been dead for two full years. I wonder how long ago this movie got moving?

Also, jesus, these people are on all of the drugs. I know it is looking from the wrong end of the timeline, but I kept thinking of those clips of Fleetwood Mac on the Mirage tour, and especially Lindsay Buckingham, wigging out.

bug-eyed sweaty McGuinn is peak cocaine

I wonder how long ago this movie got moving?

My guess is that it’s something that “Marty” fiddled with for a while — maybe in between other projects — and finally said “OK, good enough.” The editing feels somewhat random.

Rubin Carter is interviewed, I assume by Scorsese(?), and he died in 2014.

...or maybe Scorsese got some of those interview clips from elsewhere; after all, there are also retrospective interviews with an older Allen Ginsberg, and he died in ‘97.

Anyway, I finally watched the final half hour tonight. I’ve seen far better docs, about subjects I was far less interested in. Great to see all the old tour footage, anyway.

Yeah I don’t think in this case it’s the film itself that’s anything earth shattering but more that the performances & personalities & general vibe is cool to hang out with for a while

I liked the Patti Smith parts

Watched it last night while half drunk and loved it, having read nothing about it. The Stone/documentary maker/Jimmy Carter bits surprised me and felt jarring, but I didn't realise they were fiction. I'm a P-Smith agnostic but I loved her appearance, also Joni, and Mick Ronson looking like Paul Calf. Would liked to have seem more of the old people's centre and the reservation.

I can totally see the conversation now

Marty: I ... I don't know, Bob. I'm really struggling to find a shape to this thing. I don't know if I can finish it.
Bob: (grumbling) Why doncha just ... make something up?
Marty: Can ... can I do that?
Bob: Sure, of course you can.
Marty: Huh. Wait, it's coming together. It'll be a statement on the malleable nature of the truth, centered around a figure - you, Bob! - famous for his mercurial personality and mysterious motivations. We'll have actors, poets, playwrights, it'll be a veritable Rolling Thunder Review unto itself! It'll be like untying a knot at one end of the rope, while tying a new one at the other end! It'll be like a magic trick where the *rabbit* pulls the *magician* out of a hat! It'll be like ... Bob? Bob, are you still there?
Bob: ...
Marty: I think we lost Bob. Did anyone see where he went? Do we have Sharon Stone's agent?

But seriously, I wasn't able to finish it last night. At least it's not as long as the George Harrison doc, I don't think.

I thought Ginsberg's hippy dippy benediction at the end was genuinely moving
― Οὖτις

Same--perfect exit. And I loved Baez dancing to "Eight Miles High."

It's about time we got a Ginsberg documentary, so long as we get the truth about his NAMBLA associations.

Saw one many years ago, probably the American Masters episode:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107411/

Can't remember in how much detail (if at all) it went into that particular subject.

Josh, I like yr imaginary Marty/Bob dialogue.

Seconded

jfc I never knew about the Ginsberg nambla stuff

yeah me neither

Reading the Ronee Blakley interview now.
She’s also known for her solo albums and roles in “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Driver” on screen and “Pump Boys and Dinettes” on Broadway.
Saw the original production of the last-mentioned before she got there, I think. Thought it would die on the vine.
https://people.com/archive/gone-from-nashville-ronee-blakley-is-waiting-tables-in-pump-boys-and-dinettes-vol-18-no-21/
Guess it fills some sort of niche.

Seems it wasn't an old folks home after all.

Where did you go first?
We went to Falmouth, Mass., where we stayed in a rambling motel that was out of season for the beach crowd; it was already fall with winter coming on. But there was a mahjong tournament taking place, with all ladies, and they filled up the main dining hall at dinner, and we put on a show for them. Allen Ginsberg read that night to the ladies, as you see in the film. I shaved Allen’s beard off that night, because I wanted to see his face, and he let me. That’s why at the beginning of the film he has a beard and then at a certain point he doesn’t.

i figured it was a tournament or a social group - no way an old folks home would have that many well-dressed *cheerful* women in one place together, especially back then lol

Yes, you are on the ball as usual.

In connection with Ronee Blakley, I thought the whole thing about Dylan telling Sharon Stone that he'd written "Just Like a Woman" for her may have been lifted, consciously or not, from Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy" scene in Nashville--I have to believe Dylan was very aware of the film, as Blakley's presence in Rolling Thunder would suggest.

I guess the presence of that “Jack Tanner” character (whose interviews I skipped through) is another Altman connection.

Maybe the Rolling Thunder crew felt to Scorsese like an Altman movie, or something.

I can see that--Altman's Garrison Keillor film felt very Rolling Thunder-ish (in that Keillor and Dylan are drawing from some of the same sources).

(You guys know that Michael Murphy is one of the stars of Nashville, right?)

I happened to catch a screening of Nashville and see Rolling Thunder in the same week and the two films do kind of blend together quite a bit

According to Will Hermes in Love Goes To Buildings On Fire, not only was Patti Smith asked to joined the tour, which she declined, Lou Reed was asked as well.

So much blue denim on the Rolling Thunder tour, as if Dylan sent out a directive for everyone to wear it

Funny, cuz I watched this directly after the Blue Jean Committee episodes of Documentary Now. Recommended.

Lou Reed was asked as well.

Lol.

Found another reference to this, from none other than Ratso himself:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-and-friends-on-the-bus-like-a-rolling-thunder-233962/

In fact, the only picker who met up with the Thunder crew and didn’t get swept up into it was Lou Reed

Here’s some stuff about Bob Neuwirth I didn’t know, including an interesting songwriting credit and belonging to a supergroup of sorts: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-17-ca-1763-story.html

"The most exciting thing since Rolling Thunder that I've been connected with is this trio thing."

Also still lolling inside at idea of Lou Reed as a picker, a sweep picker no less.

I can totally imagine Lou Reed boasting of his sweep picking prowess but refusing to demonstrate it for anyone because it's a flashy cliche or whatever.

I've finally watched this and liked it a lot although I can't stand Dylan's "rock" live performances from that era (the accoustics ones are good) !
So many great moments : Dylan driving the tour bus himself, Baez amazing dance, their awkward conversation about their mariages, the rehearsals, Joni Mitchell's "Coyote" with Dylan on backing guitar....
I think the only things I didn't like were some "fake" parts and even that is not really a problem (well, the S. Stone part could have been reduced to just the initial t-shirt story... the rest might be the most cringey aspect of the movie)...

wtf is sweep picking btw?

Playing fast changing arpeggios, more or less. You see it it jazz and country more than rock, but the shredder guys all do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLn5g5qIb2k

https://www.loudersound.com/features/mick-ronson-s-greatest-moments

M. Ronson's shredding was great. Also lol Bob not talking to him during the tour !