No Direction Home - Martin Scorsese Bob Dylan documentary

[WasGeri]

Dunno if I'd recommend those..I'd go with Blonde on Blonde.

Me too, or Blood on the Tracks. Both very accessible albums IMO.

 

[madzone]

I think that while he knew what he was saying, I think he was oblivious to the fact that this was what people expected of him, if you know what I mean. He was considered this folk star even though he didn't like calling himself folk and people wanted interviews and autographs and he didn't want to give anything, he just wanted to sing his songs, and seemed to want to get away with doing that without having any public interest.

But what's so wrong with that? Do we have a right to expect anything from a performer apart from value for money when buying their records?

 

[walktome]

Nothing's wrong with it, I found it hilarious.

But yes, I think most people do expect more than just music from a performer. Most bands do interviews, most bands sign autographs, it's a way of showing appreciation for the people who buy their records and come to their shows. You can't expect to be popular and not have anyone interested in you as a person at the same time, it just doesn't work that way. And if you don't expect anything from Bob Dylan other than is music did you skip through all of his interviews in his DVD, have you ignored interviews in magazines, would you be against Bob Dylan posters or whatever?

 

[isvicthere?]

I watched the first one (was out for the second one). What it really brought home to me is what an utter, UTTER Dylan-phile I was in my pre-punk teens, cos there was virtually nothing in it I didn't know already. Best bit for me was the colour footage of the gig in Newcastle where all the "fans" were (self) righteously pissed off he'd "sold out" by using a band. And yes, I've owned the famous "Judas!" bootleg (spod's note: recorded a few days after the Newcastle gig on 24th May 1966) for almost 30 years.

Anorak-tastic!

 

[isvicthere?]

well if you and my man rors are fans, there's even more reason for me to get myself Dylan-ed

thanks for recommendations Roadie, i'll write those down. xx

Anyone who wants any spoddie classic Dylan info - I'm yer man. (Nothing at all after Street Legal though

once went out with a woman who was really into Dylan, but was not even born when I bought Street Legal (1978), my last Dylan purchase. Which was nice.

 

[madzone]

Nothing's wrong with it, I found it hilarious.

But yes, I think most people do expect more than just music from a performer. Most bands do interviews, most bands sign autographs, it's a way of showing appreciation for the people who buy their records and come to their shows. You can't expect to be popular and not have anyone interested in you as a person at the same time, it just doesn't work that way. And if you don't expect anything from Bob Dylan other than is music did you skip through all of his interviews in his DVD, have you ignored interviews in magazines, would you be against Bob Dylan posters or whatever?

Hang on a minute! I'm just trying to have a discussion, sheesh

Watching the programme highlighted for me that we expect people in the music industry to completely available to us all the time. We don't expect that of a doctor or an artist or an author so why people in the music industry? Sure he was booked to do gigs but what right do we have to expect anything more? Why can't you expect to be popular on the basis of your music alone and what right did those fans have to try to dictate what kind of music he produced? I haven't bought the dvd, haven't had a poster since Donny Osmond and don't buy magazines so none of those things are relevant to me

And being rude doesn't seem to have done his career any harm

 

[walktome]

I think it's just something that goes along with being in the entertainment industry. It's expected of movie stars. I think to a certain degree it's expected of authors too, I know many people who have autographed books and would like to meet and talk with their favourite authors. Why not doctors? Well, I guess because doctors aren't on the TV when we turn it on and people think that doctors lead less interesting lives.

I'm not saying singers should be made readily available to fans but in general they're expected to do certain things. People just want to be around the people like look up to, like in the documentary someone said that everyone wanted to sleep with Dylan and get high with Dylan. And I think he was pretty popular on his music alone, his attitude towards strangers certainly didn't give him the best reputation as being very nice. You can like someone's music and also be interested in their life.

I agree that it was ridiculous of fans to get mad at him because he switched to electric, however if they don't like it electric that's their personal taste in music, it wasn't very nice of them to boo him though.

I'm just saying that you can't expect to be left alone while having so many fans, unless he were to simply be a recording artist, because on tour he's really open to the public and everyone hangs around after his concerts and runs over to his car, etc, so unless he planned on being a hermit it's just something he had to put up with and I guess he did.