Bob Dylan performing onstage at the Salzburgarena, Salzburg, Austria in July 2012 as part of his Never Ending Tour. © Paolo Brillo
A new Netflix Bob Dylan documentary directed by Martin Scorsese is currently in the works which will focus on the musician's celebrated Rolling Thunder Revue concert tour which took place in the mid-1970s. The doc will feature new interviews with the Nobel-prize winning singer-songwriter and the title will be: Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.
Scorsese has previously tackled His Bobness in the 2005 film No Direction Home. The film looked at Dylan in his 1965-66 period, when he “went electric” including the infamous gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall where he was called “Judas!”—and responded by telling his band to "play it f*cking loud” before launching into a blistering version of “Like a Rolling Stone”. The doc also featured interviews with Dylan and other talking heads from the period, including Allen Ginsberg, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger.
Bob Dylan photographed by Don Hunstein while recording his album 'Bringing It All Back Home' in Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios in New York City 1965. This period was the focus of Scorsese's previous Dylan documentary. © Don Hunstein
According to Variety the Netflix Bob Dylan film will “not be quite as much of a straightforward documentary” and it quotes a source as saying, “There’s a reason the word ‘story’ appears in the title.” noting that Scorsese may approach the form of the film in a more playful way. Netflix gave Variety a bit more detail, teasing:
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year. Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, Rolling Thunder is a one of a kind experience, from master filmmaker Martin Scorsese.”
Bob Dylan relaxing with a pint during the recordings for his BBC concert on 1st June 1965. © Barrie Wentzell
It’s also confirmed that Dylan, somewhat reticent when it comes to being interviewed, has done new interviews specifically for the film. And also Dylan’s manager, Jeff Rosen, has been undertaking interviews with performers from the Rolling Thunder Revue and artists of that period over the last few years. The tour, which took place between 1975 and 1976, has been heralded as one of Dylan’s finest and one of the finest in rock history.
It was a freewheelin’ travelling caravan of musicians, poets and artists which included Joan Baez, David Bowie’s guitarist Mick Ronson, Bob Neuwirth, Roger McGuinn, T Bone Burnett, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Ronee Blakley, Scarlet Rivera, Allen Ginsberg and Sam Shepard. Others who turned up for one-off shows included Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Patti Smith, Bette Midler, Kinky Friedman and Dennis Hopper.
The tour was filmed at the time and in 1978, with the help of screenwriter Shepard who had been part of it and also wrote a book about it, the film Renaldo and Clara was released. The four hours of live footage, interviews and an additional fictionalised narrative where Dylan was a character called Renaldo and his then wife, Sara, was Clara wasn’t that well received critically. But it has remained a curiosity to Dylan fans over the years.
Bob Dylan striking an Elvis-like pose whilst onstage at the Arena di Verona in April 2018. © Paolo Brillo
This new film looks to nod to that, while also no doubt being imbued with Scorsese’s finery as a filmmaker, along with the passion that comes with being a longtime Dylan fan.
In a recent interview with Esquire, T Bone Burnett commented on being interviewed for this new Bob Dylan Netflix documentary around four years ago, saying:
“It's something they've been working on for some time now. I did another interview about three or four years ago for it. But I have no idea what they're up to. There's so much footage, the Rolling Thunder, the whole thing was completely recorded. And then we were making a film at the same time so I would think most of it would be drawn from that.
It was an interesting time. Bob had just recorded Blood on the Tracks and Desire. He was at the absolute peak of his powers and completely generous, finding people on the street and putting them on his stage. Finding old friends that he hadn't seen for 20 years and putting them on the stage. He gathered a pretty large group of artists for a tour. And it was an extraordinary act of generosity.”
The film is due to be released later in 2019.
Bob Dylan with his bassist Tony Garnier playing in Italy in May 2000. © Jill Furmanovsky
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer these and many more iconic Bob Dylan images as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, artist & writer. He has been influential in popular music & culture for more than five decades.
Bob Dylan performing onstage at the Salzburgarena, Salzburg, Austria in July 2012 as part of his Never Ending Tour.
An alternative version to the cover of the Bob Dylan Free Wheelin' album, which was similar, but also in colour.
Bob Dylan sitting with his girlfriend Suze Rotolo in their apartment in New York in February 1963
"This image of Bob Dylan and bass player Tony Garnier, snatched at an open air concert in Italy, sums up a beautiful partnership."
Bob Dylan rehearsing for the recording of his BBC In Concert show at BBC Studios, Shepherds Bush in London in June 1965
Bob Dylan relaxing and having a pint during the recordings for his BBC concert at BBC Studios in June 1965
Bob Dylan looks out of the window of the Roxy Hearts Diner in Portland, Oregon whilst on the second leg of his Gospel Tour in January, 1980
Bob Dylan hanging out on the streets of Portland, Orgeon prior to performing there as part of his Gospel Tour in January 1980.
Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo on the photo shoot for the album cover of 'Freewheelin' in a wintry New York City in February 1963
Onstage in Montreal, Canada in April 1980 during Bob Dylan's Gospel Tour
Bob Dylan onstage at the Arena Civica di Milano, Milan on the 'Temples in Flames Tour'. He was supported by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Bob Dylan shot while recording his 5th studio album in Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios in New York City 1965.
Bob Dylan recording the Freewheelin' album in Columbia Recording Studios, New York City in 1963.
Bob Dylan rehearsing to an empty house on the Carnegie Hall stage in New York city, 1963.
At Columbia Studios, New York 1963 Bob Dylan tunes his guitar during a recording session for his second studio album 'Free Wheelin'
Bob Dylan relaxing in the studio in Santa Monica in September 1980
Early set of contact sheet photos by Don Hunstein taken of Bob Dylan in his New York apartment on West 4th Street in 1963.
Bob Dylan striking an Elvis-like pose whilst onstage at the Arena di Verona in April 2018
Bob Dylan during his recording sessions for 'Highway 61 Revisited' at Columbia Studios in June 1965
In the studio in Santa Monica, California in 1980, Bob Dylan is captured whilst leaning on his guitar case.
Bob Dylan performing live onstage at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November 2013.
Bob Dylan performing live onstage at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November 2013.
Paolo Brillo took a passion to photography from a very young age, a passion that was combined with a love for music, especially rock music.
Don Hunstein has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, documenting many of the 20th Century’s most important musicians.
Barrie's work for Melody Maker from 1965 until 1975 covered one of the most important decades in the history of popular music.
Jill Furmanovsky is a British photographer who has specialised in documenting iconic rock musicians and bands from Pink Floyd to Oasis.
Bob Dylan is the first musician to get the Nobel Prize for Literature, and now you can listen to his is excellent Nobel Lecture for winning.
Bob Dylan isn’t just a Nobel prize winning singer-songwriter, he’s also an artist. In the sense that he’s a painter and sculptor.
Bob Dylan and The Polar Music Awards, Stockholm, May 2000 - words and pictures by Jill Furmanovsky
Bob Dylan has paid tribute to fellow Traveling Wilburys member Tom Petty by covering the musician’s 1991 single “Learning To Fly".
Bob Dylan has release own brand of whiskey, called Heaven’s Door, which will feature his Black Buffalo Ironworks designs on the bottles.
Bob Dylan recently revisited the UK for some live shows, the latest UK leg of his so-called Never Ending Tour.
