Friday Favorite Feature 14, Martin Scorcese’s film, Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)
Netflix’ Rolling Thunder Review, aka Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorcese, is a film I’ve been putting off watching since it was released. I did try to watch it a few years back but Patti Smith’s freaky performance had me turning it off. Watching it over Sunday and Monday nights this week, it’s too bad I let her stop me, as it’s one hella entertaining movie that is punctuated by stunning and unforgettable musical performances of some of Bob’s most iconic tunes. Monday night I went to sleep and at around 4 a.m. my mind was running at 100 m.p.h. urgently going over the parts of the film I wanted to share and fearful of forgetting them by morning, so I sat up and wrote them in my dream journal.
What follows are the bits and bytes taken from it as I watched it “cold.”
— The film is a work of art, regardless of any other consideration. Scorcese edited it very well, no doubt to Bob’s guidelines.
— There is a difference between how this movie was done and The Last Waltz, also directed by Scorcese. With The Last Waltz he was there for the concert and plugged interviews in here and there. With Rolling Thunder, he used archival footage filmed by someone else of the concerts back in 1975 and filled in with present day interviews of people who were there.
–In the end credits, I was shocked by how many shows there were over the years and up until 2018. I kept pausing to read the cities and wondered how I could have been so clueless as to the number of times the Revue thundered through Michigan.
–There were 3 main poets who traveled with them (Ginsburg, Patti Smith, and Peter Orlovsky) and at one point they had to cut out the poetry reading parts of the program and had the two guy poets carrying luggage!
–There is a pleasant amount of footage on violinist, Scarlet Rivera, and I really had no idea that she was Romani (Gypsy.) There is a section where a ceremony takes place in a church. Bob says he dreamed the song, “One More Cup of Coffee” after attending the ceremony.
–Ronee Blakely saying that Bob confided in her he was overwhelmed and Ronee shared with Bob that Mick Ronson told her he wished that Bob would talk to him just once.
–Intimate conversations between Joan Baez and Bob about when they were in a relationship.
–One person in the present being interviewed said Ginsburg was like a father figure, and in the very next section Bob is being interviewed and says Ginsburg was anything but a father figure. Then it shows another present-day interview with one of the musicians who was a young, handsome guy back then and who suggested Ginsburg was sexually obsessing over him because he liked young, good-looking male musicians.
–Van Dorp, who shot the revue tour footage, was not liked by anyone. Dylan said crew got tired of seeing him eat enough food for 3 people which left some without food. Van Dorp was liberally interviewed throughout the film and had many defensive things to say and some were offensive as well. He said he paid a lot of money to keep the revue going, he was tired of Bob not ever “answering direct questions,” he hated Larry “Ratso” Sloman, who was writing for Rolling Stone and traveling with the revue because he was so disruptive. Van Dorp said he felt the long tour brought out the worst in everyone’s character, including his own.
–During the performances, the musicians seemed extremely tense and serious, where none seemed to be enjoying themselves.
–There is a section filmed at a party in Gordon Lightfoot’s apartment, where Joni Mitchell, Bob, and Roger McGuinn are sitting in a circle and Joni is playing her song, “Coyote” which was still in its development stage. Gordon’s face can be seen between them in the background from time to time but he’s pretty much cut out of it altogether!
Now that you’ve read my impressions of Scorcese’s film, “Rolling Thunder Revue,” I have to include this Time magazine article, published on 6/12/19, “Breaking Down the Truths and Myths of Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese,” by Andrew R. Chow. Please note: if you haven’t seen the film yet, do not read the article as it contains bombshell spoilers. If you have seen the film, beware, you will be reading bombshell revelations about it that might leave you either laughing or with a bad taste in your mouth.
Time’s article is here.
Tao Talk 
Great post 🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
I haven’t seen this film. I will look for it. I really like Scarlet Rivera’s work on “Desire” and what I’ve seen on YouTube videos.
Allen Ginsburg may not be a father figure to me but was important in my youth. He came here multiple times – once to attempt to levitate the State Capitol building by surrounding it with people seated and chanting. That was supposed to stop the war. (The building is still there, solidly on the ground. The invasion of Viet Nam continued for a while.) He appeared in a church, reading poetry, singing, chanting, accompanying himself on harmonium. Many people were smoking – yes, it was a very different time. I was a smoker at the time but refrained that evening. Smoking in a church seemed disrespectful. Finally, I couldn’t take the second-hand smoke and lit up. (I know, that sounds horrible – to smoke as a defense against second-hand smoke.) Ginsburg looked me right in the eye and began to improvise a chant that began “Don’t smoke, don’t smoke…” I put out the cigarette and quit that night. Maybe he has something to do with how healthy I am 50+ years later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting story, Steve!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really enjoyed this one. Bob as ever contrary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have you seen it and if so read the Time article linked at the bottom? He’s got a sly sense of humor that he doesn’t like to show to “the public” but I think this may be his way to make amends :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
He messed with me when I met him years ago in my youth, a bit of a jester. :) The Time link didn’t work for me so I’ll track it down.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You met Bob Dylan in your youth??? Now that is fantastic. If you care to share what happened I would love to hear it.
LikeLike
I tried watching this documentary, but I was never able to finish it.
LikeLike
Was it Patti Smith that stopped you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have yet to watch all of it..I learned more about that tour from the Chris O’Dell book…that is when she worked for him. I would like to see the complete film.
LikeLiked by 1 person
O’Dell worked for Dylan?? Oh I’d be curious to hear what she said about the tour. May have to read it sooner rather than later. I hope you do see the complete film and then read that Time article on it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes she did…and Mick and Keith…and Leon so to speak, and more…oh and CSN&Y… a female tour manager wasn’t the norm in that time.
Yea I want to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just sent you email.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Got it…and I just replied…be expecting two emails.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK. Wow, has almost a day gone by already??
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know right!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I actually don’t remember, but I think it was because it lacked continuity and was jumping all over the place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That format is the standard for music docs I think. This one was even worse than the usual because of all of the sources they pulled from.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve probably heard of George Michael’s “Father Figure” song. The terminology was a thing among some people. This continued well past the time it should’ve. I once saw Lawrence o’Donnell indicate it to be intolerant and ignorant not to understand that an older man can induct a younger into homosexuality. He’s gotten the memo by now that such [at the under age of the specific under his consideration] was abuse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that pedophiles become experts at grooming their preferred victims. In the doc, the now older guy was being interviewed and talking about what sounds like Ginsburg trying to groom him for exploitation. He was a young man at that time and past the age of consent, but I agree the attempted exploitation when the “potential victim at that point” at any age is very real.
LikeLike
I don’t think I would have the patience to sit through it…
There was an article here about how for Bob’s “Rough and Rowdy” current tour which is evidently covers, he opens and closes his set with songs related to the city where he is performing, which the author said seemed totally out of character for him but somehow works. The guy is crazy, but totally in a good way. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe in small doses you could. Having Patti and her freakiness in the beginning is like having Medusa guarding the gates of Hades. I think Bob always likes to keep us guessing. To me, he’s a national treasure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He absolutely is.
And Patti as Medusa is perfect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You post has me intrigued to watch it now. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to or not. I came to appreciate Bob Dylan later in life (having loathed him for many years… go figure)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool, Dale. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just might! Well… have to see if I have it first!
LikeLiked by 1 person