It's this Dylan - the man of mystery, the icon beloved by millions but known by none -
on whom the makers of the new documentary After the Crash wish to shed light. Whether they succeed, however, is another matter entirely. With cooperation from respected fanzine ISIS (but, predictably, none from Dylan himself), filmmakers Rob Johnstone and Andy Cleland seem to posit one pivotal moment as the key to the rest of Dylan's career: the motorcycle accident which he suffered on July 29, 1966. Certainly, it's a compelling argument. The consensus among the "experts" interviewed in the film seems to be that something happened him during the resulting sabbatical; he spent a year in reflection (and almost certainly in drug rehabilitation), and when he reemerged in late 1967 with John Wesley Harding, says biographer Clinton Heylin, he was "a changed man." Further complications - the songwriting "amnesia" which beset him between John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline, the battles with dumpster-diving "Dylanologist" A.J. Weberman, and a general feeling of discomfort toward the counterculture which had lifted him to the level of a prophet or even a Messiah - forced Dylan to withdraw even more into himself, and indeed the man we see glimpses of in After the Crash bears a very close resemblance to the man I see staring back at me from the blurry photograph on the back sleeve of Modern Times: guarded, taciturn, a tight-lipped apparition with a deep distrust of his own audience.
The trouble, though, is that those glimpses we see are only glimpses. Without the participation of Bob Dylan himself, which was really what made No Direction Home such a big deal, After the Crash is the sum of its talking heads' testimonies. More to the point, these talking heads, aside from having researched him extensively (who hasn't?), have very little more authority on their subject than you or I; aside from a handful of former collaborators, some more significant than others, about the closest thing we have to an actual friend of Dylan's here is the late Beat journalist Al Aronowitz. The rest are all journalists, glorified fans really, whose opinions and speculation can sometimes be interesting, but is just as often incredibly patronizing ("I don't think people play it that often," is Patrick Humphries' snooty appraisal of Nashville Skyline).
Article comments
1 - the real mighty quinn
"... He can't keep up with the musical or even cultural trends of the last 30 years - the guy hasn't even acknowledged punk, after all"
obviously you can't even keep up with the facts. when dylan played brixton last november, he did the clash's "london calling" - two nights in a row.
"... One major highlight is the interview with A.J. Weberman himself, including his story about the end of their relationship"
RELATIONSHIP?!?! Weberman was a STALKER. these days he would have been arrested and put in a mental health facility for observation.
"... I'm embarrassed to admit, it actually took that iPod commercial for me to notice the rollicking "Someday Baby""
me too - i'm embarrassed to admit i read this all the way through. what a sad little article about a masterpiece record. too bad you can't hear it.
2 - Zach
Wait, wait, wait. I LIKED the freaking album. Am I understanding correctly that I have to write a total sycophantic BJ of a review in order to be credible? Modern Times is good, but come on, on a Dylan curve? From the guy who gave us Blonde on Fucking Blonde? Not a five-star album or a "masterpiece," by any stretch of the imagination.
As for your taking issue with the Weberman "relationship" remark, that's just semantics. Dylan and Weberman had a much more personal "relationship" than most celebrities and their stalkers; they talked on the phone, remember? And yes, I'm aware that Weberman would have been prosecuted these days. I CALLED him a nutcase. Or were you just skimming for anything you could remotely call me out on? About the only thing I'll concede to you is that, fine, Dylan played a Clash cover. In Brixton. Last November. On two nights. Guess I've got better things to do than scour the dude's setlists.
Is it just me, or did my disparaging comments about "Dylanology" strike a nerve? Eh, "Mighty Quinn?"
3 - jkerouac
dude, i really enjoyed reading yr article. it was well written,insightful, and honest. i wish more reviews were as fair, not sycophantic and not totally critical either. you just laid it out like ya saw it, after all it's just one persons perception. well done
4 - jkerouac
dude, i really enjoyed reading yr article. it was well written,insightful, and honest. i wish more reviews were as fair, not sycophantic and not totally critical either. you just laid it out like ya saw it, after all it's just one persons perception. well done
5 - Dude Skoodle
It was a good article, as a long time Dylan-freak- thats what we were called in the 60s and 70s- that's a compliment.But Dylan does know that times are still a-changing. He just does not think they are changin' for the better. Older people rarely do. He has acknowledged punk though.Have a listen to the 1984 TV SHOWS- I think it was David Lieberman Show. He plays punk style and he loves the Ramones.Also he likes Rap music as he says in Chronicles. By the way when is rap going out of date- can't see myself how it can still come on like the latest thing.The biggest problem with today's music is they don't really talent scout around anymore. The first thing they look at is the physical attractiveness of the artist.The good thing about Bob is that he is an oldman and like Van the man is putting out music- not modelling. When will music executives realise the audience is not looking for a sexual partner- they are looking for music? Dylan is proving that people want good music- not just the latest plastic diva. This is an important contibution that this very nice man- something not generally noted- is making. He is a great man and a kind manand a quality that he has that is not noticed is his exceptional modesty. Thanks for not pumping out the commonly stated nonsense that he is plagiarising Timrod. Do we want a poet laureate of rock music who does not r=bother to read other poets? All great poets are influenced by other poets and adopt and rearrange images and ideas. None of Shakespeare's stories are original and nobody accuses him of plagiarism. Borrowing a few of Timrod's ideas and phrases will promote Timrod and inspire his rediscovery. Nobody has noticed the phrases lifted from Robert Johnson and Walt Whitman in Modern Times. Thank God that Dylan isn't writing in a void like most pop writers these days- the last book those people have read was a raffle book! Overall a thought ful article and you did avoid being a sycophant. You were right not to suspend your right to be critical. In these days of sacred celebrity we need to look at others who may write good songs- no not Sprinsteen or other low quality Dylan imitators!
In our admiration of Bob Dylan we have given up looking for other good writers, instead they manufacture stars out of good-looking people without regard to musical ability.
6 - Debbie Stevens
Crikey, I was given a copy of his new album just recently from a Dylan fan in Tampa Bay-it was the nicest cd I'd listened to in ages and I may not be a real BD follower, but you have to respect and appreciate the man's natural ability to stay true to himself!
I will always treasure his song, 'Lay lady Lay'
Cheers from the land down under!