Homework before watching I'm Not There

November 25, 2007 8:26 AM

What specifically should I watch, read, and listen to in order to have a satisfying experience watching the Dylan anti-biopic I'm Not There?

I am a huge fan of Todd Haynes, the director of the recently released film I'm Not There about Bob Dylan's shape-shifting ways. I think that Haynes' film Velvet Goldmine was one of the best movies I've ever seen about the power of pop music.

I'm not anti-Dylan, by any means, but I'm not actively a fan either. Growing up in the 1980s, he was just someone that my parents' generation and Deadhead frat boys listened to. I understand that I'm Not There is kaleidoscopic and fragmented, referring to all sorts of prior representations of Dylan in documentary film, scholarship and journalism, in addition to the man's work itself.

For those of you who have seen the film, can you suggest anything specific that I should watch, read or listen to that will help me best navigate and appreciate this film? I know there is an insane amount of material about him (there's even a Bob Dylan encyclopedia!) so I'm interesting in whittling it down to the materials that are most pivotal to the film.

posted by umbú to media & arts (15 comments total)

er, interested, rather.
posted by umbú at 8:27 AM on November 25, 2007

Watch No Direction Home.
posted by quentiniii at 8:49 AM on November 25, 2007

Be sure to watch D.A. Pennebaker's documentary, Don't Look Back. You might also watch Eat the Document, but that one's a little bit hard to find.
posted by box at 9:04 AM on November 25, 2007

Definitely No Direction Home and Dont Look Back (the lack of apostrophe is intentional, impress your Dylanologist friends by knowing that!). The former will give you an excellent understanding of Dylan's roots, and covers the first handful of his transitions (from Woody Guthrie clone to topical songwriter to sudden stardom to folk/rock progenitor and all-around iconoclast). The latter concentrates on his UK tour in 1965, catching him at the point where he's beginning to feel the pressures and limitations of his newfound stardom. The Dont Look Back-era Dylan is the role Cate Blanchett plays, so you will definitely want to see that (apparently her portrayal is spot on, and from the clips that I've seen she is directly imitating Dylan in Dont Look Back, so you'll be glad to have seen the original for context).

I haven't yet seen the new The Other Side Of The Mirror, which offers Dylan's first three appearances at Newport (1963-1965), but I've heard it's excellent. However, all of the material is excerpted in No Direction Home, so it's really only necessary if you enjoy the first half-dozen Dylan albums and want to see the full sets from the Newport gigs. (You *should* want to do so, but if you see No Direction Home that will suffice for your I'm Not There homework.)

For an excellent, scholarly-but-readable analysis of Dylan's "changeling" style, I highly recommend Stephen Scobie's Alias Bob Dylan. It might be a little too in-depth for someone largely unfamiliar with Dylan's work, but you'd be perfectly justified in skimming over some of his deeper analysis of Dylan's lyrics and concentrating on his analysis of "Dylan-as-trickster" and the like. I have yet to see I'm Not There, but having recently read Alias I believe it would make an excellent companion read to the film.

For straight Dylan biographies, most people consider either Clinton Heylin's Behind The Shades, Robert Shelton's No Direction Home (unrelated to the Scorcese biopic despite the name), and/or Howard Sounes' Down The Highway to be the best Dylan bios. Shelton's book probably has the best argument for "canonical" status; Heylin's book is more focused on Dylan's music, while Sounes slants towards "the man behind the music." Skip the Bob Spitz book (Dylan: A Biography) unless you're looking for the tell-all gossip material.

In summary: definitely see No Direction Home and Dont Look Back, read Alias Bob Dylan if you're *serious* about pondering the deeper meanings behind Dylan's transformations, and pick up one of the biographies to get context for all of the "Dylans" that you'll see in the film. Good luck!
posted by Banky_Edwards at 10:06 AM on November 25, 2007

Judging from the review in this week's New Yorker, this movie doesn't really have much to do with any of the other movies about Dylan. The comments above seem to be giving you avenues to become the Dylan fan that you are not yet, but my impression is that you don't have to be a Dylan fan to appreciate the movie any more than you have to be a Barbie or Carpenters fan to appreciate "Superstar."
posted by rhizome at 10:15 AM on November 25, 2007

Rhizome, if umbú was looking to become a Dylan-fanboy, I would probably recommend a different course of study. I think it's pretty clear that he doesn't want to just "appreciate the movie" in a guy-off-the-street sense; his post indicates that he wants to be prepared to understand the director's attempts to portray the ever-changing Dylan by gaining some knowledge of the various "masks" that Dylan has presented over the years. Correct me if I'm wrong, umb&uacute. The resources I listed are all essential material for being prepared to really understand what Todd Haynes and the various actors are attempting to portray.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 11:41 AM on November 25, 2007

Oh, and one more thing for you to check out, umb&uacute: the absolutely essential Dylan link site Expecting Rain. It's a daily link-dump of virtually every on-line mention of Bob Dylan, as well as other vaguely related stuff. For the past month, the webmaster has been linking a *ton* of articles and reviews about I'm Not There. You might want to browse through those links - there are likely to be several stories that will give you some pretty good insight into the film.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 11:44 AM on November 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

But what to listen to?

No Direction Home
Live 1965
Blood on the Tracks
Greatest Hits Vol. II
Slow Train Coming
Oh Mercy
Time Out of Mind
'Love & Theft'
posted by KokuRyu at 12:02 PM on November 25, 2007

I love reading the responses from other Dylan fans here. I thought Chronicles vol 1 was an exceptional read, although it might turn off the more casual fan. Not only will it give you firsthand insight into different eras of his life, but it's probably the most unfettered peek into the kaleidoscope we've gotten so far.

It's also a nice companion to No Direction Home, together they provide a nice balance between Dylan's version of events and others' version of events, while recalling the legendary version of events.

Since time is a factor I would whittle down the listening selections to these five:
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Live 1965
Blonde on Blonde
Blood on the Tracks
Live 1975

Have fun!
posted by samh23 at 12:14 PM on November 25, 2007

If you're looking for a quick-and-easy introduction to the punk early Dylan, check this interview scene from Dont Look Back, with Dylan rambling angrily a Time reporter. His reaction to the question "Do you care about what you're saying?" is fascinating. Anyway, I haven't seen the Haynes movie yet, but it's not hard to get a fairly quick grip on Dylan's musical career. So here you go; Dylan in about 10 songs:

Start with The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the record that cemented his early reputation and placed him squarely in the American folk tradition of Woody Guthrie, et al. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" or "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" capture it. Then go to 1964's Another Side of Bob Dylan, which ups the psychedelic humor and poetry a notch or three. Pick one from "I Shall Be Free, No. 10" or "Motorpsycho Nitemare" and one from "All I Really Want To Do" or "It Ain't Me Babe."

The next four records are Dylan at his peak - richly poetic, brilliantly written, darkly funny psychedelic folk/rock. Just amazingly dense and interesting stuff, unlike anything that had come before.

1965's Bringing It All Back Home was his first to mix electric and acoustic songs; you probably already know "Subterranean Homesick Blues" but listen to it again with "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding). Highway 61 Revisited, from the same year, is more of the same incredible stuff, but hangs together better as an album. Go for "Ballad of a Thin Man" or the title track. 1966's Blonde On Blonde is a denser, richer and crazier musical mix, with some gorgeous folky songs and some incredibly dark and intense rock. "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and "Absolutely Sweet Marie" are my picks, but that's just this week. It's so richly layered that I never hear it the same way twice.

The original "All Along the Watchtower" is a must-hear from 1967's John Wesley Harding, a much quieter record musically but just as intense lyrically. Then jump to 1975's Blood On The Tracks for a more mature Dylan singing a much more emotional set of songs mostly about love and relationships. "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" and "Shelter From the Storm" are great examples.

That's enough for a basic understanding of Dylan's career. That's the bedrock the rest is based on, anyway.
posted by mediareport at 12:46 PM on November 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

I agree that Chronicles (vol. 1) is an essential read. You don't have to be a Dylan fan to be impressed by it. Tarantula, Dylan's scrapbook of ideas/poetry collection, might be worth for a glimpse at an earlier, more pretentious Dylan.
posted by wexford_arts at 12:57 PM on November 25, 2007

Thanks for all the thorough responses. I'll netflix away. Rhizome, I understand the reflex to point out that I'm not seeking to be 'converted.' Youre right there. But I think Bankys right that I want to be briefed on the masks if they will be presented obliquely. Part of what inspired the question was reading that Haynes actually recreated certain scenes from certain documentaries shot-for-shot. And if Blanchett is imitating one of the films, that would be further reason to watch the old films first.

Ive been thinking about how to portray the historical context of popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s to undergrads without falling into caricature on the one hand and worship on the other. It seems like this film might provide an opening for talking more broadly about the flux of the era.

Thanks again, and keep the suggestions coming!
posted by umbú at 1:00 PM on November 25, 2007

While Chronicles is definitely an essential read for any Dylan fan, and a worthwhile fan for anyone interested in the music industry, the '60s, or the nature of celebrity, I don't think it will be helpful in understanding I'm Not There (at least not initially). As I understand it, the film is an attempt to portray how *we* see Dylan, not how Dylan sees (or saw) himself. I think a lot of folks here are missing the point of the question - if you want to "get into" Dylan, there are many ways to do that. I'm not sure that you even need to do much listening to approach this film. Assuming you're even generally familiar with music, you probably already know the basic progression of Dylan's music. The music itself is, today, largely removed from the context of its era. "Like A Rolling Stone" is such a classic song that its virtually impossible to hear it and understand exactly how revolutionary it was. However, watching Dylan being heckled in Manchester and respond by turning to the band and telling them "Play fucking loud!" to kick off "Rolling Stone," the lyrics to which he practically sneers at the audience, places that song back in context. That's what you need to see if you want to dig into Blanchett playing *that particular* Bob Dylan. Listening to "Highway 61 Revisited," while rewarding in its own right, isn't going to give you much insight into the film.

As for your comment about popular culture, Dont Look Back is *exactly* what you're looking for. There are several examples of Dylan interacting with the press (one of which mediareport linked above) and the public that are essentially all about Dylan attempting to manipulate/resist/undermine/deconstruct the "traditional" construct of pop stardom. Given your interest in the broader topic, you might actually be interested in Eat The Document, which is decidedly more bizarre than Dont Look Back, but captures even more essential footage of what is arguably Dylan's most important year. Also worth tracking down is the complete footage (audio or video) of Dylan's 1965 press conference that's excerpted in Don't Look Back - the one where Dylan claims to be "primarily a song & dance man."

BTW, I'm way excited about seeing this flick! Umbú, if you have any more questions feel free to e-mail me.
posted by Banky_Edwards at 3:36 PM on November 25, 2007

One of my favorite podcasts, Filmspotting, just recently reviewed "I'm Not There," and even landed an interview with director Todd Haynes. The episode [MP3 Link] did a lot to help shape my expectations of the film and added some context to why Haynes did some of the things he did. I'd say it's a worthwhile hour of listening (and may get you hooked on the podcast to boot).
posted by pzarquon at 9:30 PM on November 25, 2007

I was never into Dylan, and then I watched "No Direction Home", and now I'm a big fan.
posted by smackfu at 5:54 AM on November 26, 2007