It’s a warm spring day in Asheville, North Carolina, and Charlie Parr is sitting on the back stairwell of Eulogy, a trendy music venue in the South Slope neighborhood. Later that evening, the singer-songwriter will play to a packed crowd. But, for now, Parr is soaking in every last ray of sunshine before he has to return to his native Minnesota, where winter has yet to fully let go.
“For a while, I think I was feeling intimidated by a lot of stuff,” Parr tells Rolling Stone. “Aging is intimidating.
“For a while, I think I was feeling intimidated by a lot of stuff,” Parr tells Rolling Stone. “Aging is intimidating.
- 4/30/2024
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Bob Dylan is known for his introspective songwriting that has influenced many other artists, including John Lennon and Mick Jagger. His songs had a personal touch that managed to express his experience and views, while also being relatable for a mainstream audience. While Dylan was an open book, he tried not to air out his grievances in his music, except for one song that was about being betrayed by others.
Bob Dylan said ‘Positively 4th Street’ is a song about past relationships that fell apart
“Positively 4th Street” was released as a single by Dylan in 1965, with “From a Buick 6” as the B-side. The song is one of Dylan’s more bitter and nasty songs, with many critics being turned off by how resentful the singer was coming across.
In a 1985 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan said he avoids addressing authentic relationships within his music. However, “Positively 4th Street” does take aim at specific people,...
Bob Dylan said ‘Positively 4th Street’ is a song about past relationships that fell apart
“Positively 4th Street” was released as a single by Dylan in 1965, with “From a Buick 6” as the B-side. The song is one of Dylan’s more bitter and nasty songs, with many critics being turned off by how resentful the singer was coming across.
In a 1985 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan said he avoids addressing authentic relationships within his music. However, “Positively 4th Street” does take aim at specific people,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bob Dylan moved to New York with the goal of meeting Woody Guthrie and becoming a musician. He succeeded on both counts; Dylan grew close with Guthrie and his family, and became one of the biggest artists in the world. According to those who knew Dylan before fame, he was incredibly difficult to teach. This was because he preferred to lift techniques from the people around him.
Bob Dylan never wanted to seem like he was learning anything from musicians in New York
When Dylan moved to New York, he met Dave Van Ronk, a folk singer. Van Ronk taught Dylan a great deal, but Dylan didn’t make this clear. To Van Ronk, it seemed like the younger musician wasn’t absorbing anything he taught him.
“He was unteachable!” Van Ronk said, per the book Down the Highway by Howard Sounes. “He had to reinvent the wheel all the time.
Bob Dylan never wanted to seem like he was learning anything from musicians in New York
When Dylan moved to New York, he met Dave Van Ronk, a folk singer. Van Ronk taught Dylan a great deal, but Dylan didn’t make this clear. To Van Ronk, it seemed like the younger musician wasn’t absorbing anything he taught him.
“He was unteachable!” Van Ronk said, per the book Down the Highway by Howard Sounes. “He had to reinvent the wheel all the time.
- 6/14/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In 1964, the Animals released a version of “The House of the Rising Sun,” but Bob Dylan covered the song several years earlier. “The House of the Rising Sun” is a traditional folk song many artists have covered. Dylan’s version has a different arrangement than The Animal’s more famous version. It was not different, though, from musician Dave Van Ronk’s version. Dylan recorded the song with Van Ronk’s arrangement without asking him.
Bob Dylan stole the arrangement of an early song from a friend and mentor
In 1961, Dylan recorded “The House of the Rising Sun” for his debut album. The song primarily features traditional American music with only two original songs. He included the song “The House of the Rising Sun” after hearing friend and mentor Van Ronk’s version of the song. The song was one Van Ronk covered frequently.
“By the early 1960s, the song...
Bob Dylan stole the arrangement of an early song from a friend and mentor
In 1961, Dylan recorded “The House of the Rising Sun” for his debut album. The song primarily features traditional American music with only two original songs. He included the song “The House of the Rising Sun” after hearing friend and mentor Van Ronk’s version of the song. The song was one Van Ronk covered frequently.
“By the early 1960s, the song...
- 6/14/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bob Dylan moved to New York with the intention of establishing himself as a musician. He succeeded in this, but not without some challenges. He didn’t make a strong impression when he first arrived; nobody was very impressed with his singing or guitar playing, and he struggled to find places that would hire him to play shows. They saw him as an act that could clear a room, not bring in audiences.
Bob Dylan | Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images Bob Dylan struggled to find work when he moved to New York
Dylan moved from Minnesota to New York to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Woody Guthrie. When he arrived, he quickly stood out to his fellow musicians. According to musician Dave Van Ronk, Dylan looked like “the scruffiest-looking fugitive from a cornfield I do believe I had ever seen” (via The Ballad of Bob Dylan:...
Bob Dylan | Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images Bob Dylan struggled to find work when he moved to New York
Dylan moved from Minnesota to New York to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Woody Guthrie. When he arrived, he quickly stood out to his fellow musicians. According to musician Dave Van Ronk, Dylan looked like “the scruffiest-looking fugitive from a cornfield I do believe I had ever seen” (via The Ballad of Bob Dylan:...
- 5/8/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the Sixties, Bob Dylan rose to prominence alongside many other artists. It was a significant decade for music, and the artists who found success provided key inspiration for musicians in later decades. Despite all the acts that defined the decade, Dylan once said that the Sixties belonged to him. He was an influential musician, but did he “own” the decade?
Bob Dylan | Brian Shuel/Redferns Bob Dylan rose to prominence in the Sixties
In 1961, Dylan moved to New York City to meet Woody Guthrie and become an established musician. He succeeded on both counts. Dylan became one of the few people Guthrie’s family trusted to meet with him. He also became a well-known artist, even if he got a rocky start. When he first arrived in New York, he struggled even to find places to perform for free because of his lack of experience.
Many covered Bob Dylan's songs in the '60s,...
Bob Dylan | Brian Shuel/Redferns Bob Dylan rose to prominence in the Sixties
In 1961, Dylan moved to New York City to meet Woody Guthrie and become an established musician. He succeeded on both counts. Dylan became one of the few people Guthrie’s family trusted to meet with him. He also became a well-known artist, even if he got a rocky start. When he first arrived in New York, he struggled even to find places to perform for free because of his lack of experience.
Many covered Bob Dylan's songs in the '60s,...
- 4/23/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The music that Bob Dylan and Robert Plant have put out in their lifetimes differs greatly. Still, Plant has listed two different Dylan songs as key influences for him. He may not have followed in Dylan’s footsteps as a writer, but he said that the message of one of Dylan’s songs opened his eyes to the world around him. Here’s the song that had such a profound impact on the Led Zeppelin singer.
Robert Plant and Bob Dylan | Michael Putland/Getty Images; Fiona Adams/Redferns The American musician once insulted Led Zeppelin to their manager
Both Plant and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page have praised Dylan over the years. Dylan, on the other hand, was once outright rude about the band.
“Hello, Bob. I’m Peter Grant, I manage Led Zeppelin,” Led Zeppelin’s manager told the musician in the 1970s, per Vulture.
Led Zeppelin was at...
Robert Plant and Bob Dylan | Michael Putland/Getty Images; Fiona Adams/Redferns The American musician once insulted Led Zeppelin to their manager
Both Plant and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page have praised Dylan over the years. Dylan, on the other hand, was once outright rude about the band.
“Hello, Bob. I’m Peter Grant, I manage Led Zeppelin,” Led Zeppelin’s manager told the musician in the 1970s, per Vulture.
Led Zeppelin was at...
- 4/12/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bob Dylan has been a successful musician for decades, picking up critical acclaim, awards, and even a Nobel Prize along the way. His songwriting has also inspired many other musicians, including those who rose to prominence at the same time he did. Here are five musicians who took inspiration from Dylan.
Bob Dylan | Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers grew as musicians after joining Bob Dylan on tour
In the 1980s, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers joined Dylan on tour as his backing band. Petty would go on to work with Dylan in The Traveling Wilburys, but he said the initial tour was an incredible learning experience for the band.
Tom Petty, Ge Smith, Roger McGuinn, Neil Young, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Steve Cropper, Clapton & Duck Dunn; shot by very young me in 92 pic.twitter.com/mN0EBaY47L
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) October 8, 2017
“I learned so much from Bob Dylan,...
Bob Dylan | Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers grew as musicians after joining Bob Dylan on tour
In the 1980s, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers joined Dylan on tour as his backing band. Petty would go on to work with Dylan in The Traveling Wilburys, but he said the initial tour was an incredible learning experience for the band.
Tom Petty, Ge Smith, Roger McGuinn, Neil Young, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Steve Cropper, Clapton & Duck Dunn; shot by very young me in 92 pic.twitter.com/mN0EBaY47L
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) October 8, 2017
“I learned so much from Bob Dylan,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Music and politics were always entwined for Steve Katz. As a teenager in the Sixties, he’d travel from his apolitical family’s home on Long Island to Greenwich Village, where he’d watch radical folkies like Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Dave Van Ronk play. He grew especially close with Van Ronk, who taught Katz guitar — and took him to socialist party meetings.
So it was frustrating and difficult when, in 1970, the U.S. State Department announced that Blood, Sweat & Tears – the band Katz had co-founded in 1967 — would...
So it was frustrating and difficult when, in 1970, the U.S. State Department announced that Blood, Sweat & Tears – the band Katz had co-founded in 1967 — would...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
In the 1960s, Bob Dylan was spending time with The Rolling Stones when he said something that infuriated Keith Richards. Dylan, like the Stones, was reaching new levels of success, and those who knew him said he didn’t handle fame well. Typically, people worried about disagreeing with Dylan, but Richards and his bandmate Brian Jones didn’t have this problem.
Keith Richards and Bob Dylan | Fin Costello/Redferns The ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ singer insulted The Rolling Stones
In 1966, Dylan hired Tom Keylock, a chauffeur who worked extensively with The Rolling Stones, to accompany him on tour. While in London, Dylan met the band at a popular nightclub.
“Dolly’s Club was like a meeting place for a lot of musicians at the time,” Keylock said in an interview. “That was the first time I remember the Stones meeting up with Bob Dylan. I was, in fact, minding Dylan on this tour,...
Keith Richards and Bob Dylan | Fin Costello/Redferns The ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ singer insulted The Rolling Stones
In 1966, Dylan hired Tom Keylock, a chauffeur who worked extensively with The Rolling Stones, to accompany him on tour. While in London, Dylan met the band at a popular nightclub.
“Dolly’s Club was like a meeting place for a lot of musicians at the time,” Keylock said in an interview. “That was the first time I remember the Stones meeting up with Bob Dylan. I was, in fact, minding Dylan on this tour,...
- 3/3/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
When Bob Dylan first arrived in New York, friends found him pleasant, if a bit odd, but their opinion of him shifted when he got “mean.” According to his friends, the change in Dylan occurred when he became famous. While Dylan came across as condescending, the personality shift likely had something to do with his discomfort with his success. Dylan was never at ease with his fame, which made him lash out.
Bob Dylan | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Bob Dylan could be mean and condescending to his friends
When Dylan first moved to New York, many of the people he met were already established musicians. When he found fame, he started criticizing their careers. He called The Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones talentless, told folk singer Phil Ochs that he wasn’t a musician, and patronizingly told Dave Van Ronk to give up the blues in order to make money.
Bob...
Bob Dylan | Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Bob Dylan could be mean and condescending to his friends
When Dylan first moved to New York, many of the people he met were already established musicians. When he found fame, he started criticizing their careers. He called The Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones talentless, told folk singer Phil Ochs that he wasn’t a musician, and patronizingly told Dave Van Ronk to give up the blues in order to make money.
Bob...
- 2/27/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In early 1961, Bob Dylan arrived in New York City in search of a career in music. He found a community in the city that offered to teach him and give him a couch to crash on whenever he needed one. When he first arrived in New York, though, many of his future friends had no idea what to make of him. His appearance and dedication to music, despite a lack of experience, puzzled them.
Bob Dylan | Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images 1. Bob Dylan’s appearance stood out to his new friends in New York
Dylan arrived in New York as a 19-year-old seeking out his idol, Woody Guthrie. Like Guthrie, he wanted to make his way in the city. While musician Ramblin’ Jack Elliott described him as “cute,” many others took note of Dylan’s scraggly appearance.
“[Dylan] was the scruffiest-looking fugitive from a cornfield I do believe I had ever seen,...
Bob Dylan | Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images 1. Bob Dylan’s appearance stood out to his new friends in New York
Dylan arrived in New York as a 19-year-old seeking out his idol, Woody Guthrie. Like Guthrie, he wanted to make his way in the city. While musician Ramblin’ Jack Elliott described him as “cute,” many others took note of Dylan’s scraggly appearance.
“[Dylan] was the scruffiest-looking fugitive from a cornfield I do believe I had ever seen,...
- 2/25/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bob Dylan grew up with his parents and brother in Minnesota, but he once told a blatant lie about his upbringing. Some suspect that lying about his past is a pattern for the musician, but he got caught in a lie about his family life. A reporter made the relatively easy discovery, and Dylan was humiliated.
Bob Dylan | William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images The musician grew up in Minnesota
Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941.
A Bob Dylan super-fan has purchased the ultimate rock collectible: the Hibbing, Minnesota house where Dylan lived from 1948 to 1959 https://t.co/1XxpDyMoTX pic.twitter.com/14y6dAGeW8
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 12, 2019
“Minnesota has its own Mason Dixon line,” Dylan said in an interview on his official website. “I come from the north and that’s different from southern Minnesota; if you’re there you could be in Iowa or Georgia. Up north the...
Bob Dylan | William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images The musician grew up in Minnesota
Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941.
A Bob Dylan super-fan has purchased the ultimate rock collectible: the Hibbing, Minnesota house where Dylan lived from 1948 to 1959 https://t.co/1XxpDyMoTX pic.twitter.com/14y6dAGeW8
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 12, 2019
“Minnesota has its own Mason Dixon line,” Dylan said in an interview on his official website. “I come from the north and that’s different from southern Minnesota; if you’re there you could be in Iowa or Georgia. Up north the...
- 2/5/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Bob Dylan has been a successful and widely praised musician for decades, and a friend said this meant he was sometimes cruel. He explained that even in the nascent days of Dylan’s music career, he was used to people celebrating him. Because people were afraid to contradict or stand up to Dylan, his behavior verged on viciousness.
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns Bob Dylan’s road manager said he could be cruel
Even the people Dylan was closest to said he could be unpleasant to be around. His tour manager, Victor Maymudes, worked with Dylan for years. Over the decades, he said he had to put up with a lot.
“Bob would torture me; on occasion he was very hard on me,” Maymudes wrote in the book Another Side of Bob Dylan: A Personal History on the Road and Off the Tracks. “I drove him over to visit his...
Bob Dylan | Val Wilmer/Redferns Bob Dylan’s road manager said he could be cruel
Even the people Dylan was closest to said he could be unpleasant to be around. His tour manager, Victor Maymudes, worked with Dylan for years. Over the decades, he said he had to put up with a lot.
“Bob would torture me; on occasion he was very hard on me,” Maymudes wrote in the book Another Side of Bob Dylan: A Personal History on the Road and Off the Tracks. “I drove him over to visit his...
- 2/4/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Danny Kalb, who led the downtown blues scene in New York during the 1960s and 1970s as a guitarist with his band the Blues Project, died Saturday at a nursing home in Brooklyn where he lived. He was 80. His death was confirmed by his brother, Jonathan.
The Blues Project was never a big name nationally, but worked steadily in various incarnations into the 21st century. Its mix of blue standards was augmented by folk, pop, soul and jazz along the way.
Kalb lent his vocals to the blues songs, and his groups were respected by musicians on the scene for their penchant to experiment with new forms.
Daniel Ira Kalb was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y. He attended the University of Wisconsin and met Bob Dylan, who was passing through on his way to New York.
“Dylan crashed with me for a few weeks...
The Blues Project was never a big name nationally, but worked steadily in various incarnations into the 21st century. Its mix of blue standards was augmented by folk, pop, soul and jazz along the way.
Kalb lent his vocals to the blues songs, and his groups were respected by musicians on the scene for their penchant to experiment with new forms.
Daniel Ira Kalb was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y. He attended the University of Wisconsin and met Bob Dylan, who was passing through on his way to New York.
“Dylan crashed with me for a few weeks...
- 11/20/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Even though 91-year-old troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning, there was a gig to play. Another chance to dust off his cowboy hat, grab the guitar case, and make it to the show on time.
“I didn’t know if I could play at all this morning. I spent the whole day in bed,” Elliott tells Rolling Stone backstage after at a sold-out gig at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina, earlier this month. “But it’s the enthusiasm, all these...
“I didn’t know if I could play at all this morning. I spent the whole day in bed,” Elliott tells Rolling Stone backstage after at a sold-out gig at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, North Carolina, earlier this month. “But it’s the enthusiasm, all these...
- 10/8/2022
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
To some, last week’s news that Micky Dolenz had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to obtain the complete FBI file on the Monkees was a surprise: The Monkees, subversive?
But as it turns out, the made-for-tv Monkees were just one of many pop artists who’ve been the subject of FBI surveillance, monitoring, or some degree of investigation since the Fifties. When it came to entertainers, “the FBI generally opened files for very specific reasons,” says Aaron Leonard, author of the forthcoming Whole World in an Uproar: Music,...
But as it turns out, the made-for-tv Monkees were just one of many pop artists who’ve been the subject of FBI surveillance, monitoring, or some degree of investigation since the Fifties. When it came to entertainers, “the FBI generally opened files for very specific reasons,” says Aaron Leonard, author of the forthcoming Whole World in an Uproar: Music,...
- 9/7/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Patrick Sky, a member of the Sixties Greenwich Village folk scene that launched Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, and many others, died on May 26th in Asheville, North Carolina. Sky had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017, but according to his wife, folklorist and musician Cathy Larson Sky, Sky succumbed to prostate cancer and bone cancer. He was 80.
“Pat is one of the best story-tellers I know,” his friend and neighbor Van Ronk wrote in the liner notes to Sky’s 1965 self-titled debut album. “This is probably why he’s such a great singer.
“Pat is one of the best story-tellers I know,” his friend and neighbor Van Ronk wrote in the liner notes to Sky’s 1965 self-titled debut album. “This is probably why he’s such a great singer.
- 5/30/2021
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
A few weeks ago, Paul Stanley texted Gene Simmons a link to a long-forgotten soul song called “The 81” after his obstinate Kiss bandmate questioned its existence.
“He said, ‘There’s no song called that.’ I said, ‘Yeah, there is!’ I sent him the song and he said, ‘It sounds just like Martha and the Vandellas,'” Stanley tells Rolling Stone, going on to relay the history of “The 81,” the band that cut it, Candy and the Kisses, and why Simmons’ comparison to Martha Reeves was an accurate one. “It was about a dance.
“He said, ‘There’s no song called that.’ I said, ‘Yeah, there is!’ I sent him the song and he said, ‘It sounds just like Martha and the Vandellas,'” Stanley tells Rolling Stone, going on to relay the history of “The 81,” the band that cut it, Candy and the Kisses, and why Simmons’ comparison to Martha Reeves was an accurate one. “It was about a dance.
- 3/17/2021
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Lana Del Rey is sitting across from Elton John in the kitchen of his Beverly Hills home, where she’s about to talk with her musical hero. But there’s a problem. “Wait a minute, my notes!” she says. “I have 13 pages! Where is my purse?” Elton calls for his staff to help, but Del Rey jumps out of her chair and heads outside to her pickup truck, a black Chevy Colorado with a broken headlight. A couple of minutes later, she returns with a stapled stack of pages.
Del...
Del...
- 10/24/2019
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
“The folk era had died — or did it?” Allen Ginsberg asks, with a dash of whimsy, in the early portion of Martin Scorsese’s new Rolling Thunder Revue film. His observation accompanies the early, non-faked part of the movie, where we see Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Patti Smith, and even Bette Midler sandwiched into Folk City, a Greenwich Village club that had 170 seats and plenty of history. Although the film doesn’t provide any context, the occasion was a 61st birthday party for venue owner Mike Porco held in 1975, and...
- 6/20/2019
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
In the nearly half-century since author Stephen King began entertaining and simultaneously scaring the bejesus out of his countless fans around the world, filmed adaptations of his work have become so much a staple that we’re now deep into the remakes phase of his prolific output. The 2017 feature film version of King’s “It” grossed $700 million worldwide, 27 years after the creepy clown yarn had terrified TV viewers in the form of an iconic miniseries. This year, horror fans will be treated to a 30th anniversary remake of King’s classic terror tale “Pet Sematary.”
Consider this: There are currently nearly 50 King projects in various stages of production and/or development per the film and TV business-tracking site
IMDb, including: the “Shining” feature film sequel, “Doctor Sleep,” a film sequel to “It,” a third season of “Mr. Mercedes” and the second season of the King-Universe TV series, “Castle Rock.”
King...
Consider this: There are currently nearly 50 King projects in various stages of production and/or development per the film and TV business-tracking site
IMDb, including: the “Shining” feature film sequel, “Doctor Sleep,” a film sequel to “It,” a third season of “Mr. Mercedes” and the second season of the King-Universe TV series, “Castle Rock.”
King...
- 2/5/2019
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Live performances by Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, recorded at a student ministry on the University of Michigan campus in 1968, were among the professional-quality recordings unearthed by the Michigan History Project.
Seven-inch reel-to-reel audio tapes featuring concerts by Tim Buckley, Odetta, David Ackles and Dave Van Ronk were also among the recordings made at the Canterbury House, an Ann Arbor, Michigan venue that hosted counterculture events in the mid to late-Sixties.
The Michigan History Project recently acquired the recordings, with the non-profit organization now seeking a record label interested in releasing the concerts.
Seven-inch reel-to-reel audio tapes featuring concerts by Tim Buckley, Odetta, David Ackles and Dave Van Ronk were also among the recordings made at the Canterbury House, an Ann Arbor, Michigan venue that hosted counterculture events in the mid to late-Sixties.
The Michigan History Project recently acquired the recordings, with the non-profit organization now seeking a record label interested in releasing the concerts.
- 7/28/2018
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
While there are certain limits to which No Direction Home: Bob Dylan is “a Martin Scorsese film,” given the lack of input he had with creating of the material presented onscreen, his role in editing said material is not only massive as an undertaking: it’s also astonishing as a result, to the extent that No Direction Home is one of Scorsese’s greatest works in any form.
Its relegation to DVD and nothing else will come to an end when the film is released on Blu-ray this fall. A preview advertising this occasion doubles as a display of the restoration that’s been done — which, even in a YouTube stream, is a hugely impressive look back on America’s greatest musician. When taken with the features that round out the new release, as detailed below, this becomes my fall home-video release to beat.
See the preview for yourself:
From the site,...
Its relegation to DVD and nothing else will come to an end when the film is released on Blu-ray this fall. A preview advertising this occasion doubles as a display of the restoration that’s been done — which, even in a YouTube stream, is a hugely impressive look back on America’s greatest musician. When taken with the features that round out the new release, as detailed below, this becomes my fall home-video release to beat.
See the preview for yourself:
From the site,...
- 10/5/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
It’s taken 11 years, but Martin Scorsese’s documentary on Bob Dylan is finally coming to Blu-ray: “No Direction Home” is receiving a new deluxe edition at the end of this month in both physical and digital form. Watch a trailer for it below.
Read More: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ Will Be Released on December 23
Scorsese’s two-part, 208-minute film first aired on PBS back in 2005. Its main focus is on the period between 1961, when the singer/songwriter first arrived in New York City, and his short-lived retirement prompted by a motorcycle accident five years later. Among the special features (which amount to more than two hours of new footage) are interviews with Scorsese, Dave van Ronk and Liam Clancy; the “Apothecary Scene” from Dylan’s 1996 tour of the UK; a clip of him playing “I Can’t Leave Her Behind” in a Glasgow hotel room that same year; three...
Read More: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ Will Be Released on December 23
Scorsese’s two-part, 208-minute film first aired on PBS back in 2005. Its main focus is on the period between 1961, when the singer/songwriter first arrived in New York City, and his short-lived retirement prompted by a motorcycle accident five years later. Among the special features (which amount to more than two hours of new footage) are interviews with Scorsese, Dave van Ronk and Liam Clancy; the “Apothecary Scene” from Dylan’s 1996 tour of the UK; a clip of him playing “I Can’t Leave Her Behind” in a Glasgow hotel room that same year; three...
- 10/4/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Martin Scorsese's massive Bob Dylan documentary, No Direction Home, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a new box set featuring over two hours of never-before-seen interviews and footage.
The new set will include extended interviews with Dave van Ronk and Liam Clancy, plus an interview with Scorsese about the making of the film. Among the other bonus features are the unedited "Apothecary Scene" from Dylan's 1966 U.K. tour, an unused promotional spot for "Positively 4th St." and the fabled clip of Dylan playing "I Can’t Leave Her Behind...
The new set will include extended interviews with Dave van Ronk and Liam Clancy, plus an interview with Scorsese about the making of the film. Among the other bonus features are the unedited "Apothecary Scene" from Dylan's 1966 U.K. tour, an unused promotional spot for "Positively 4th St." and the fabled clip of Dylan playing "I Can’t Leave Her Behind...
- 10/4/2016
- Rollingstone.com
When Oscar Isaac crooned the songs of Inside Llewyn Davis in the 2013 Coen Brothers film, audiences gained a new awareness of the American folk scene of the 1960s. One of the people captivated by the music of that film was Quinell Oucharek, a Pasco, Wa-based indie folk singer/songwriter (who goes by the mononym Quinell in his work). “As soon as I heard ‘Hang Me, Oh Hang Me’ in the opening scene, I knew that I wanted to do something with this particular soundtrack,” Quinell told HitFix via email. He captured his love for the film and its songs with a 14-minute music documentary filmed at a cabin and outdoors at Idaho’s Priest Lake. Quinell made the project with his friend, videographer Justin Frick, who had introduced him to Inside Llewyn Davis. The film, inspired by the life of Greenwich Village folk-blues-jazz musician Dave Van Ronk, received several accolades...
- 5/25/2016
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
“Before Dylan... There Was Davis”
By Raymond Benson
The first Coen Brothers feature to be given the “Criterion treatment” is, oddly, their most recent release—Inside Llewyn Davis, which received (mostly) critical praise upon its release in late 2013. Kudos were especially heaped upon the film’s relatively new star, Oscar Isaac. Sadly, while the picture recouped its investment and made a little money, it wasn’t as widely embraced by audiences as it should have been. This is probably because the Coen Brothers typically don’t make movies for the masses. The auteur siblings create art that appeals mostly to intelligent, hip audiences willing to enter a strange, sometimes disturbing, always surprising, universe that is distinctly Coen-land.
Inside Llewyn Davis is presented as a comedy, but in the Coen Brothers’ oeuvre, “comedy” can mean many things. It can be wild and wacky (Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski) or it can...
By Raymond Benson
The first Coen Brothers feature to be given the “Criterion treatment” is, oddly, their most recent release—Inside Llewyn Davis, which received (mostly) critical praise upon its release in late 2013. Kudos were especially heaped upon the film’s relatively new star, Oscar Isaac. Sadly, while the picture recouped its investment and made a little money, it wasn’t as widely embraced by audiences as it should have been. This is probably because the Coen Brothers typically don’t make movies for the masses. The auteur siblings create art that appeals mostly to intelligent, hip audiences willing to enter a strange, sometimes disturbing, always surprising, universe that is distinctly Coen-land.
Inside Llewyn Davis is presented as a comedy, but in the Coen Brothers’ oeuvre, “comedy” can mean many things. It can be wild and wacky (Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski) or it can...
- 1/23/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Anyone who’s ever had their musical ambitions crushed by the ever oppressive forces of real life will find a great sense of empathy within Joel and Ethan Coen‘s great reimagination of the Greenwich Village folk scene, Inside Llewyn Davis. Essentially a dour depiction of the limitations of artistic ambition and musical performance as a viable career, as well as a remarkable portrait of the Village on the cusp being redefined by the arrival of Bob Dylan and the commercialism of the genre, the film stands as a unique companion piece to Don’t Look Back and I’m Not There that pays tribute to what came before with the rye eye of the Coens.
As music producer T Bone Burnett has said, the Coen brothers might be the luckiest filmmakers in the universe, having somehow managed to find both a fantastic actor and a fine musician encapsulated within...
As music producer T Bone Burnett has said, the Coen brothers might be the luckiest filmmakers in the universe, having somehow managed to find both a fantastic actor and a fine musician encapsulated within...
- 1/19/2016
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Chicago – When I screened “Inside Llewyn Davis” from the Coen Bros. before it was nominated for two Oscars and praised by critics everywhere, I beefed to myself: Who is this musician? Why does his story matter as compared to so many other real musicians who you never hear about but deserve that kind of spotlight?
Rating: 2.0/5.0
While it turns out that Llewyn Davis is a fictional character partly inspired by the autobiography of folk singer Dave Van Ronk, in “Ricki and the Flash” we get more of the same but in a more forgettable, inconsistent and predictable way. You’ll wonder once again: Is the “guitar heroine” Ricki Rendazzo a real musician and why does her story warrant a film? Answers: No (but it’s another “inspired by”) and she doesn’t.
While Ricki’s real name in the film is Linda, she’s not a real person and neither is her band.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
While it turns out that Llewyn Davis is a fictional character partly inspired by the autobiography of folk singer Dave Van Ronk, in “Ricki and the Flash” we get more of the same but in a more forgettable, inconsistent and predictable way. You’ll wonder once again: Is the “guitar heroine” Ricki Rendazzo a real musician and why does her story warrant a film? Answers: No (but it’s another “inspired by”) and she doesn’t.
While Ricki’s real name in the film is Linda, she’s not a real person and neither is her band.
- 8/7/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Inspired by this year's nominated films, our staffers sought out books they were based on (we'll be so smart during Sunday's show!) Tell us what you think of our choices - and what you're reading. Kim Hubbard, Books EditorHer Pick: The Mayor of MacDougal Street by Dave Van Ronk and Elijah Wald I loved the bleak beauty of the Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis (which was - criminally - nominated only for Sound Mixing and Cinematography). The Mayor of MacDougal Street is the story of the man who inspired it: '60s folk icon Dave Van Ronk. Best to listen...
- 2/27/2014
- PEOPLE.com
The Coens' tale of a of a once feted folk singer on the slide has brilliant elements that don't quite make a satisfying whole
"How does it feel, to be on your own… Like a complete unknown… ?" Llewyn Davis knows exactly how that feels. Dragging his self-pitying butt around the freezing backstreets of early 1960s Greenwich Village, he is indeed "without a home", a formerly feted singer who made his name as one half of a popular duo until his partner threw himself to an early death, a result, perhaps, of spending too much time with Llewyn. He's an arsehole and everyone tells him so – from fellow folk singer Jean (Carey Mulligan), who is pregnant with his child and wants money for an abortion, to John Goodman's aggressive jazz fiend who callously mocks Davis's former partner's suicide ("You throw yourself of the Brooklyn bridge, traditionally. George Washington bridge? Who does that?...
"How does it feel, to be on your own… Like a complete unknown… ?" Llewyn Davis knows exactly how that feels. Dragging his self-pitying butt around the freezing backstreets of early 1960s Greenwich Village, he is indeed "without a home", a formerly feted singer who made his name as one half of a popular duo until his partner threw himself to an early death, a result, perhaps, of spending too much time with Llewyn. He's an arsehole and everyone tells him so – from fellow folk singer Jean (Carey Mulligan), who is pregnant with his child and wants money for an abortion, to John Goodman's aggressive jazz fiend who callously mocks Davis's former partner's suicide ("You throw yourself of the Brooklyn bridge, traditionally. George Washington bridge? Who does that?...
- 1/26/2014
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
The Coen Brothers movie is immersed in the folk scene of the early 60s in Greenwich Village, where boho survivors still recall the glory days – and lament a few of the film's flaws
Fifty years ago, the tenements, bars and coffee houses of Greenwich Village were the centre of a hip, bohemian society of beatniks and folkniks. That society has long dispersed, most of its landmarks erased by the onslaught of chain stores and fast food outlets. But enough of the Village remains intact that, by squinting in the Arctic freeze last week, it was almost possible to picture a 21-year-old Bob Dylan with his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, braced against the cold in February 1963 for the covershot of the great Freewheelin' Bob Dylan acoustic LP.
It's not unusual to see couples re-enacting that pose on the corner of West 4th and Jones Street, says Mark Sebastian, a neighbourhood activist, musician...
Fifty years ago, the tenements, bars and coffee houses of Greenwich Village were the centre of a hip, bohemian society of beatniks and folkniks. That society has long dispersed, most of its landmarks erased by the onslaught of chain stores and fast food outlets. But enough of the Village remains intact that, by squinting in the Arctic freeze last week, it was almost possible to picture a 21-year-old Bob Dylan with his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, braced against the cold in February 1963 for the covershot of the great Freewheelin' Bob Dylan acoustic LP.
It's not unusual to see couples re-enacting that pose on the corner of West 4th and Jones Street, says Mark Sebastian, a neighbourhood activist, musician...
- 1/26/2014
- by Edward Helmore
- The Guardian - Film News
Today Joel and Ethan Coen proudly stand as a prolific and influential presence upon the landscape of contemporary American cinema. For over two decades the Minnesota born siblings have crafted their own mischievously iconic brand of dark fairy tales; dripping in blood, devilish humour and gothic Americana.
Their films span environments both vibrant and unforgiving, their narratives dance through decades of joyous laughter and inherited pain, and from dudes to deadly assassins they have brought forth unforgettable characters of all different shapes, sizes, and degrees of madness. Yet the brooding, often violent, sometimes romantic, but always memorable body (or several unidentified, most likely dismembered bodies) of work they possess is undoubtedly indebted to a figurative road trip of influences.
Destination: No Country for Old Men
Influence: Cormac McCarthy & The American Gothic
The Brothers have visited the haunted valleys and buckshot strewn motel rooms of literary giant Cormac McCarthy only once on paper,...
Their films span environments both vibrant and unforgiving, their narratives dance through decades of joyous laughter and inherited pain, and from dudes to deadly assassins they have brought forth unforgettable characters of all different shapes, sizes, and degrees of madness. Yet the brooding, often violent, sometimes romantic, but always memorable body (or several unidentified, most likely dismembered bodies) of work they possess is undoubtedly indebted to a figurative road trip of influences.
Destination: No Country for Old Men
Influence: Cormac McCarthy & The American Gothic
The Brothers have visited the haunted valleys and buckshot strewn motel rooms of literary giant Cormac McCarthy only once on paper,...
- 1/24/2014
- by Brody Rossiter
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Coen brothers' beguiling new film about a struggling folk singer is propelled by a rarely discussed dilemma – when do artists cut their losses and abandon their careers?
• Interview: The dark side of Carey Mulligan
• The Coen brothers on losers, likability and Llewyn Davis
The Coen brothers' exquisitely sad and funny new comedy is set in a world of music that somehow combines childlike innocence with an aged and exhausted acceptance of the world. It is a beguilingly studied period piece from America's early-60s Greenwich Village folk scene. Every frame looks like a classic album cover, or at the very least a great inner gatefold – these are screen images that look as if they should have lyrics and sleeve notes superimposed. This film was notably passed over for Oscar nominations. Perhaps there's something in its unfashionable melancholy that didn't hook the attention of Academy award voters. But it is...
• Interview: The dark side of Carey Mulligan
• The Coen brothers on losers, likability and Llewyn Davis
The Coen brothers' exquisitely sad and funny new comedy is set in a world of music that somehow combines childlike innocence with an aged and exhausted acceptance of the world. It is a beguilingly studied period piece from America's early-60s Greenwich Village folk scene. Every frame looks like a classic album cover, or at the very least a great inner gatefold – these are screen images that look as if they should have lyrics and sleeve notes superimposed. This film was notably passed over for Oscar nominations. Perhaps there's something in its unfashionable melancholy that didn't hook the attention of Academy award voters. But it is...
- 1/24/2014
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Coen brothers excel at creating excellent soundtracks for their films. A good soundtrack can be the difference between a scene falling flat or becoming an unforgettable cinematic moment; where would the helicopter scene from Apocalypse Now be without Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries blaring out of the speakers?
Longtime Coen-collaborator Carter Burwell has composed music for almost every one of the brothers’ films and while his work is always good, the Coens really come into their element when they choose pre-existing music for their scores. So well is this music integrated that you forget the song wasn’t composed solely for that film, creating some truly iconic moments.
Few filmmakers are as skilled as the Coen brothers at building their movies around the music they use. Often their soundtracks feel natural, and so fitting that films like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski effortlessly seem...
Longtime Coen-collaborator Carter Burwell has composed music for almost every one of the brothers’ films and while his work is always good, the Coens really come into their element when they choose pre-existing music for their scores. So well is this music integrated that you forget the song wasn’t composed solely for that film, creating some truly iconic moments.
Few filmmakers are as skilled as the Coen brothers at building their movies around the music they use. Often their soundtracks feel natural, and so fitting that films like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski effortlessly seem...
- 1/23/2014
- by Matt Seton
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Feature Ivan Radford 23 Jan 2014 - 06:21
Ivan's latest column explores what music can tell us about a character through two new UK soundtrack releases
Music is a powerful thing. It can be used to express authority or portray identity. The very act of playing music defines us, as both performers or listeners. That relationship we have with it makes for two extremely powerful soundtracks currently accompanying movies in UK cinemas: Inside Llewyn Davis and 12 Years a Slave.
Inside Llewyn Davis
"Play me something from Inside Llewyn Davis," manager Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham) challenges Oscar Isaac's lead in the middle of the Coen brothers' film. Llewyn responds with The Death of Queen Jane, an old ballad from the 1500s that recounts the tale of King Henry losing his wife, Jane Seymour, to gain a son. It's not a happy song.
It's also a clear statement from Llewyn: he's not afraid of sadness.
Ivan's latest column explores what music can tell us about a character through two new UK soundtrack releases
Music is a powerful thing. It can be used to express authority or portray identity. The very act of playing music defines us, as both performers or listeners. That relationship we have with it makes for two extremely powerful soundtracks currently accompanying movies in UK cinemas: Inside Llewyn Davis and 12 Years a Slave.
Inside Llewyn Davis
"Play me something from Inside Llewyn Davis," manager Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham) challenges Oscar Isaac's lead in the middle of the Coen brothers' film. Llewyn responds with The Death of Queen Jane, an old ballad from the 1500s that recounts the tale of King Henry losing his wife, Jane Seymour, to gain a son. It's not a happy song.
It's also a clear statement from Llewyn: he's not afraid of sadness.
- 1/22/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
The HeyUGuys Interview: “It was literally dreams coming true”, Oscar Isaac talks Inside Llewyn Davis
Having been something of a journeyman in Hollywood, often taking on more supporting roles up until this point in his career – Oscar Isaac has been biding his time, waiting for that perfect role to come his way. Well, for the actor and musician to land the title role in the latest Coen brothers’ production, Inside Llewyn Davis – this is the part he’s been waiting for his whole life, as he tells us that the entire experience was a ‘dream come true’.
Isaac – who plays talented, yet vastly unrecognised folk musician Llewyn Davis, discusses how thrilled he was to work on this project, how he managed to control the various cats he was lumbered with, while he also draws comparisons between the character on screen, and himself as an actor - discussing how gaining self-promotion and the difficulties in making a name for yourself is something that resonates with him greatly.
Isaac – who plays talented, yet vastly unrecognised folk musician Llewyn Davis, discusses how thrilled he was to work on this project, how he managed to control the various cats he was lumbered with, while he also draws comparisons between the character on screen, and himself as an actor - discussing how gaining self-promotion and the difficulties in making a name for yourself is something that resonates with him greatly.
- 1/20/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Inside Llewyn Davis - a melancholy movie about the early 60s New York folk scene - is another tale of failure from two of the world's most feted auteurs. Why are the Coens so drawn to losers and sceptics?
For 30 years, Joel and Ethan Coen have been fond of failure. On trashing plans and turning hopes belly-up. On folks coming face to face with fate, then fate socking them round the chops and burying them alive in their own backyard.
Thirty years in which the Coens themselves have been endlessly, remorselessly successful: showered with respect and love and awards. The morning after the premiere of their new film, they seem close to untouchable. Cannes has always had a thing for woe-bros (see also the Dardennes) but right now the intensity of its crush makes you giddy.
Inside Llewyn Davis, though, is another sad epic of dud luck. A Jenga tower...
For 30 years, Joel and Ethan Coen have been fond of failure. On trashing plans and turning hopes belly-up. On folks coming face to face with fate, then fate socking them round the chops and burying them alive in their own backyard.
Thirty years in which the Coens themselves have been endlessly, remorselessly successful: showered with respect and love and awards. The morning after the premiere of their new film, they seem close to untouchable. Cannes has always had a thing for woe-bros (see also the Dardennes) but right now the intensity of its crush makes you giddy.
Inside Llewyn Davis, though, is another sad epic of dud luck. A Jenga tower...
- 1/17/2014
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Bob Dylan called him his first New York muse, yet Dave Van Ronk never gained the recognition he deserved. Inside Llewyn Davis draws on his story
Poor Dave Van Ronk. He was in the right place – the Greenwich Village coffee-house scene – at the right time, doing all the right things, singing the right songs to the right people. But he just didn't have the magic. And he didn't have the luck, either.
Sometime in the 1950s, when he was a young man trying to become a folk singer, he had learned a traditional song called "House of the Rising Sun" from a pre-war field recording on which it was sung without accompaniment by a Kentucky miner's teenage daughter. Van Ronk changed it around a bit, keeping the tune and most of the words, but adding a distinctive chord sequence that made an already plaintive lament even more arresting. As his reputation grew,...
Poor Dave Van Ronk. He was in the right place – the Greenwich Village coffee-house scene – at the right time, doing all the right things, singing the right songs to the right people. But he just didn't have the magic. And he didn't have the luck, either.
Sometime in the 1950s, when he was a young man trying to become a folk singer, he had learned a traditional song called "House of the Rising Sun" from a pre-war field recording on which it was sung without accompaniment by a Kentucky miner's teenage daughter. Van Ronk changed it around a bit, keeping the tune and most of the words, but adding a distinctive chord sequence that made an already plaintive lament even more arresting. As his reputation grew,...
- 1/11/2014
- by Richard Williams
- The Guardian - Film News
Take another look @ a restricted 'red-band' trailer, plus all the other clips of footage and featurettes released to date from the new movie "Inside Llewyn Davis", directed by Joel and Ethan Coen ("True Grit").
The new drama adapts "...the music, politics and spirit of a revolutionary period in American culture", based on the novel "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" by author Dave Van Ronk.
Cast includes Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Garret Hedlund and F. Murray Abraham :
"...'Dave Van Ronk', one of the founding figures of the 1960's folk revival, was far more than that. A pioneer of modern acoustic blues, a songwriter, arranger and singer, he became one of the most influential guitarists of that era.
"'This is a first-hand account by a major player including encounters with Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and Joni Mitchell, as well as older luminaries including Reverend Gary Davis,...
The new drama adapts "...the music, politics and spirit of a revolutionary period in American culture", based on the novel "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" by author Dave Van Ronk.
Cast includes Oscar Issac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Garret Hedlund and F. Murray Abraham :
"...'Dave Van Ronk', one of the founding figures of the 1960's folk revival, was far more than that. A pioneer of modern acoustic blues, a songwriter, arranger and singer, he became one of the most influential guitarists of that era.
"'This is a first-hand account by a major player including encounters with Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs and Joni Mitchell, as well as older luminaries including Reverend Gary Davis,...
- 1/5/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Conor Oberst reveals that he 'tried out' for the starring role in the Golden Globe-nominated Inside Llewyn Davis
Conor Oberst has revealed that he auditioned for the lead role in Inside Llewyn Davis. Although the Coen Brothers eventually cast actor Oscar Isaac as the film's titular folk singer, Oberst was apparently one of several professional musicians the directors considered for the part.
"I know I told you this when we met, but I tried out for your role in Inside Llewyn Davis," Oberst told Isaac as part of an article for Interview magazine. "Thank god for everyone that I didn't get it."
According to an earlier article with the Wall Street Journal, Joel and Ethan Coen initially hoped to cast "a musician who could act" as the singer Llewyn Davis. "They auditioned a lot of musicians and actors for this part," Oberst confirmed, "to the point where I heard the...
Conor Oberst has revealed that he auditioned for the lead role in Inside Llewyn Davis. Although the Coen Brothers eventually cast actor Oscar Isaac as the film's titular folk singer, Oberst was apparently one of several professional musicians the directors considered for the part.
"I know I told you this when we met, but I tried out for your role in Inside Llewyn Davis," Oberst told Isaac as part of an article for Interview magazine. "Thank god for everyone that I didn't get it."
According to an earlier article with the Wall Street Journal, Joel and Ethan Coen initially hoped to cast "a musician who could act" as the singer Llewyn Davis. "They auditioned a lot of musicians and actors for this part," Oberst confirmed, "to the point where I heard the...
- 1/2/2014
- by Bright Eyes, Sean Michaels
- The Guardian - Film News
My alienation from current pop is almost complete; the only 2013 Top 40 material I enjoyed enough to play repeatedly was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, from an album released in 2012. So I am officially a cranky old fart. But there are more and more of us, and maybe fellow COFs will find this list useful. By the way, crossing that border of alienation made me think more than ever that saying my lists are of the "best" albums is nearly absurd, hence the new headline.
1. Wire: Change Becomes Us (Pink Flag)
This is my favorite Wire of this century thanks to more emphasis on Colin Newman's brooding. When allied to their chugging motorik beats, it's irresistible to me. There are still some uptempo burners that recall their beginnings in punk, and some more whimsical though still musically solid songs, but it's Newman's dark musings that made me play this repeatedly.
2. Kitchens of...
1. Wire: Change Becomes Us (Pink Flag)
This is my favorite Wire of this century thanks to more emphasis on Colin Newman's brooding. When allied to their chugging motorik beats, it's irresistible to me. There are still some uptempo burners that recall their beginnings in punk, and some more whimsical though still musically solid songs, but it's Newman's dark musings that made me play this repeatedly.
2. Kitchens of...
- 1/1/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Film: "Inside Llewyn Davis"; Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake, Max Casella, Jerry Grayson, Robin Bartlett, Ethan Phillips, Stark Sands, Adam Driver, Jeanine Serralles; Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen; Rating: *** - simply interesting!
Loosely based on the life of American folk singer Dave Van Ronk, directors Joel and Ethan Coen's "Inside Llewyn Davis" is a fictional piece that is a fitting tribute to a period and place, which is at the crossroads of cultural change.
The story is from the perspective of an obstinate man, Llewyn Davis who is.
Loosely based on the life of American folk singer Dave Van Ronk, directors Joel and Ethan Coen's "Inside Llewyn Davis" is a fictional piece that is a fitting tribute to a period and place, which is at the crossroads of cultural change.
The story is from the perspective of an obstinate man, Llewyn Davis who is.
- 1/1/2014
- by Shiva Prakash
- RealBollywood.com
The latest film by the Coen Brothers, "Inside Llewyn Davis," is a funny little flick. During their press tours for the film, the always-sardonic filmmakers have joked that the story is plotless, which is why they shoehorned a cat into the movie -- to keep the audience happy.
Of course, this is another of their trademark defections from the depths of their own art; naturally, there's a lot going on in this film, a deceptively simple tale of a hapless folksinger making his way during the early 1960s. The Greenwich Village setting, austere palate and wonderful and rich soundtrack hearken back to the kind of neighbourhood depicted on the cover of Bob Dylan's "Freewheelin'" album. The character of Llewyn is based in part on a number of yeoman folkies, including the likes of Dave Van Ronk, the so-called Mayor of MacDougal Street.
Even more than any historical figure, it's...
Of course, this is another of their trademark defections from the depths of their own art; naturally, there's a lot going on in this film, a deceptively simple tale of a hapless folksinger making his way during the early 1960s. The Greenwich Village setting, austere palate and wonderful and rich soundtrack hearken back to the kind of neighbourhood depicted on the cover of Bob Dylan's "Freewheelin'" album. The character of Llewyn is based in part on a number of yeoman folkies, including the likes of Dave Van Ronk, the so-called Mayor of MacDougal Street.
Even more than any historical figure, it's...
- 12/27/2013
- by Jason Gorber
- Moviefone
Now is the perfect time to catch some great flicks on the big screen. Awards contenders like The Wolf of Wall Street just hit theaters, and Joel and Ethan Coen's folk music sensation Inside Llewyn Davis is hitting more theaters as well. And while the film is chock full of great acting and the quality of cinema we've come to expect from the Coen Brothers, the biggest triumph is the music, which is a star of the film by itself. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the soundtrack is a glorious dive into folk music, and now we have a SoundWorks Collection featurette diving into the sound and music in the film, and how it came to life. Here's the SoundWorks Collection featurette for Joel & Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis from Vimeo: Joel and Ethan Coen are writing and directing Inside Llewyn Davis, which was originally inspired by real-life musician Dave Van Ronk.
- 12/26/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
In scenes organized like the complimentary songs of a weary 2:00 am vinyl album, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis unfolds as another of their heartfelt, seriocomic, unsentimental, fine-brush portraits of distinctly-Jewish men at an existential dead-end (Barton Fink, A Serious Man) – this time set amidst the grey dawn of the early Sixties boom in the Greenwich Village of folk clubs, earnestness, posing, engaged intellectualism, promiscuity, and artistic exploration. Bearded youths chasing Truth and Poetry, living underground lives in bustling subways and cafes; embittered Trotsky-ites against capitalism with conflicted fame aspirations – Inside Llewyn Davis is the minor-key, muted flip side to the sunny single that many prefer to hear about this era, told with a blend of affectionate black comedy and lamentation for America’s youthful years and directed with masterful refinement by the legendary Coens.
Mythic and elusive in the vein of prime Dylan (the Coen’s...
Mythic and elusive in the vein of prime Dylan (the Coen’s...
- 12/25/2013
- by Gregory Fichter
- CinemaNerdz
In this series, Vulture has been speaking to the screenwriters behind 2013's most acclaimed movies about the scenes they found most difficult to crack. What pivotal sequences underwent the biggest transformations on their way from script to screen? Today, writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen discuss a scene midway through their new movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, where unlucky-but-talented folk singer Llewyn (played by Oscar Isaac and loosely based on the real-life crooner Dave Van Ronk) finally gets his chance to audition for the important music manager Bud Grossman. Ethan Coen: I'll tell you the truth. We wrote this script not only quicker than we usually do most of them, but maybe even quicker than we've done any of them. I don't know why.Joel Coen: There's not a lot of plot. In the middle of it, we thought, "Okay, we're writing something that doesn't have the usual engine in...
- 12/24/2013
- by Kyle Buchanan
- Vulture
A new Coen brothers film celebrates Greenwich Village in its 60s heyday, but what's left of Dylan and Kerouac's New York? Karen McVeigh takes a cycle tour of the area
Five decades have passed since America's troubadours and beat poets flocked to Greenwich Village, filling its smoky late-night basement bars and coffee houses with folk songs and influencing some of the most recognisable musicians of the era.
A few landmarks of those bygone bohemian days – most recently portrayed in the Coen brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis, out on 24 January – still exist. The inspiration for the movie's fictional anti-hero, Davis, was Brooklyn-born Dave Van Ronk, a real- life blues and folk singer with no small talent, who worked with performers such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, but remained rooted in the village until he died in 2002, declining to leave it for any length of time and refusing to fly for many years.
Five decades have passed since America's troubadours and beat poets flocked to Greenwich Village, filling its smoky late-night basement bars and coffee houses with folk songs and influencing some of the most recognisable musicians of the era.
A few landmarks of those bygone bohemian days – most recently portrayed in the Coen brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis, out on 24 January – still exist. The inspiration for the movie's fictional anti-hero, Davis, was Brooklyn-born Dave Van Ronk, a real- life blues and folk singer with no small talent, who worked with performers such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, but remained rooted in the village until he died in 2002, declining to leave it for any length of time and refusing to fly for many years.
- 12/22/2013
- by Karen McVeigh
- The Guardian - Film News
A folk movie in the key of Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis is a drama about a folk singer named Llewyn (played by Oscar Isaac) who seeks direction after the death of his musical partner Mike. Blown by the same winds of fate and/or bad luck as seen in the previous Coen film A Serious Man, Llewyn journeys in and out of the lives of various characters (played by Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, and F. Murray Abraham among others) with a nameless cat in tow. Set in a pre-Bob Dylan 1961 New York City, the film features numerous scenes of musical performance from Isaac, with the Coen Brothers using famous folk songs to further enrich their narrative about mortality, loosely inspired by the life of Dave Van Ronk.
Though Isaac has appeared in numerous films like Drive, Sucker Punch, Robin Hood and 10 Years, this is the former Juilliard grad’s first lead role.
Though Isaac has appeared in numerous films like Drive, Sucker Punch, Robin Hood and 10 Years, this is the former Juilliard grad’s first lead role.
- 12/21/2013
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
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