October 13, 2011
Just like Monty Python, I was going to do something completely different tonight. But just like the other week, when I got outside it was rainy and cold as well. I didn’t wear a jacket to work and I was freezing. Plus I’m feeling really burned out tonight. A guy I work with is on vacation so I’ve been going in early and working about twelve hours a day. I’m actually getting out early tonight and now that it’s so rotten out, I just feel like going home, which I did and it’s where I’m at right now. I haven’t screened a movie on here in a long time, so I thought that’s what we’d do tonight.
One of my favorite movies of all time is the documentary by D.A. Pennebaker called “Don’t Look Back.” In the film, D.A. Pennebaker follows Bob Dylan on a 1965 tour of England. Also featured in the film are Joan Baez, Bob Neuwirth, Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman, Donovan and Alan Price, a keyboardist who had just quit the English band, The Animals.
It’s actually kind of like the first reality show as Dylan is filmed onstage and off constantly. Throughout the film it shows Dylan writing, hanging out in his hotel room, playing shows, traveling and playing mind games and putting people on, like in this interview with a writer from Time magazine.
This is a scene with Bob Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman telling off the hotel manager, he’s quite the crabby appleton!
Here’s a hotel scene of Dylan meeting some rich family and then hanging out before the show with Alan Price.
Within the movie, they shot one of the first music videos for the song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” This video has D.A. Pennebaker and Bob Neuwirth discussing it.
And here’s some shots I took while watching the film for the 19,796th time. Don’t Look Back, just look at the photos. Don’t think twice, it’s alright.
Further reading: Weekly Wire, New York Times and Pop Matters.
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