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Comrades From The North

Welcome to a new year and a new edition of The Bridge. The road goes ever on for Bob Dylan. The fevered speculation at the close of last year's European tour was that it might mark the end of his touring at least on this side of the pond. It was expected that he might indulge in one last hurrah on American soil before quitting. Well, if it is to be an hurrah, then it's going to be a long one! Dylan has already lined up fifty-five shows so far, twenty of which are billed as Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour and thirty-five are under the Outlaw Music Festival banner. So it looks like he will continue to pump out a familiar set list in the former shows but we will probably get more variety in the latter.

There have been miles of column inches devoted to the biopic A Complete Unknown and its stars, Chalamet in particular, and one wonders if there is anything left to say! Given that Dylan is not in the movie, nor does he sing in it, it is intriguing why the Dylan fraternity, never mind the general public, seems so engrossed in it. It is an enjoyable film, once you accept that it is loaded with falsities and simply enjoy it as a cinematic fable. It does little justice to either Rotolo or Baez which is a shame. The UK press was divided in its critical views of the film. Kevin Maher, in The Times, pulled no punches-'This biopic is creatively bankrupt’ screamed the headline. Dylan, as portrayed 'never once resembles a dramatic character with an interior life...Mangold directs the movie with a thudding lack of invention.' Robbie Collin, in The Telegraph begged to differ-'Chalamet embodies Bob Dylan's once in a generation coolness... perhaps Dylan himself is too mercurial a figure to capture completely but A Complete Unknown comes as close as one could reasonably hope.’ The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw regards Chalamet's Dylan as 'an electric revelation....brilliantly embodying his shapeshifting allure.' and Emily Zemler in The Observer feels that the film never reveals anything new about Dylan but leaves us to 'continue to wonder about the man behind the dark lens. It's a thrilling, entertaining journey....with performances that never falter.' The Spectator’s Deborah Ross believes that the lack of revelation is warranted - 'If you could figure Bob Dylan out, it would be all over.'

Writing in MOJO, Dorian Lynsky arrived at the essence of the movie - 'While most biopics are an attempt to understand and explain immense talent, this one is more about how it feels to be in the vicinity of a talent that defies such attempts. So instead of trying to unravel Dylan’s motivations, Mangold shows us him through the eyes of his contemporaries.' Brian Viner, in the Daily Mail, peddles a familiar theme - 'The title is a perfect fit, not just because Dylan is a complete unknown at the beginning of the film but also, in a way, because we don’t know him much better by the end.' Writing in Empire, John Nugent cautioned the reader - '..For a story about a poetic genius, it struggles to find something fresh to say. There is some interesting stuff about the burden of talent....The film doesn't claim to understand Dylan, and suggests Dylan might not understand himself, either. The title, it seems, is literal.'

By some, Chalamet was tipped to bring home an Oscar for his role but it didn't happen. The ceremony was enlivened by the appearance of Mick Jagger who joked with the crowd- "I'm greatly honoured to be invited to give this award for Best Original Song tonight. As much as I love doing it, I wasn't the first choice to give this award out. The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this. Bob didn't want to do it because he said the best songs this year were obviously in the movie A Complete Unknown. Bob said, 'You should find somebody younger.' OK, I’m younger than Bob! So here I am."

May you climb on every rung ..........

Mike & John

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