A Journal Concerning Todd Haynes' Dylan Film (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} im_not_there) wrote,@ 2007-09-29 22:43:00 |
|
In the Know
"Those who know
Don't let it show...."
Brian Eno's Needle in the Camel's Eye, opens the film Velvet Goldmine. Later in the film, Roxy Music's Bitters End offers the line, "should make the cognoscenti think."
This idea of those who know, is central to Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, with its taunting Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
The line that divides those who know and those who don't is essential to both Glam and [particularly 'Mod' Bring It All Back Home era] Dylan. These two eras in music - Mod and Glam - seemed to be all about the clothes and the pose but aficionados know that Glam lyrics are replete with references to literature, cinema, art and philosophy. Bowie's fabulously exclusionary line, "We were very miffed that people who'd obviously never seen Metropolis or heard of Christopher Isherwood were actually becoming glam rockers." says it all.
By the time Glam rock came around in the early 70s, the cool of Dylan's 1966 pose was dissolved by years of laid back hippie stoner attitude. Jimi Hendrix asking, "Are you Experienced?" is not quite the same as name dropping Genet, Sacher Masoch, Jacques Brel, and Brion Gysin on your audience. While Bowie would eagerly own up to his influences in interviews, Dylan referenced other artists indirectly, preferring to appear unschooled while secretly being a voracious reader and cinéaste. But the idea that you had to bring your own intelligence to a viewing of a film or hearing of a new album was understood by their serious fans. Dylan's work is probably the most studied for meaning in all of Rock. The challenge posed by artists like Bowie and Dylan was a pleasurable invitation rather than a burden to endure. It's easy to see why their work would appeal to Todd Haynes. While accessible, his films challenge viewers to spot the references, whether obvious like I Love Lucy [Dottie Gets Spanked] or the arty cinematic choices like Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [Safe]. Likewise Todd Haynes' goal for Velvet Goldmine can happily be expected for I'm Not There:
"I hoped it would be like those trippy movies you'd go to and then analyze with your friends; buy the record and play it over and over again and ponder its meaning."
"Those who know
Don't let it show...."
Brian Eno's Needle in the Camel's Eye, opens the film Velvet Goldmine. Later in the film, Roxy Music's Bitters End offers the line, "should make the cognoscenti think."
This idea of those who know, is central to Dylan's Ballad of a Thin Man, with its taunting Something is happening and you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?
The line that divides those who know and those who don't is essential to both Glam and [particularly 'Mod' Bring It All Back Home era] Dylan. These two eras in music - Mod and Glam - seemed to be all about the clothes and the pose but aficionados know that Glam lyrics are replete with references to literature, cinema, art and philosophy. Bowie's fabulously exclusionary line, "We were very miffed that people who'd obviously never seen Metropolis or heard of Christopher Isherwood were actually becoming glam rockers." says it all.
By the time Glam rock came around in the early 70s, the cool of Dylan's 1966 pose was dissolved by years of laid back hippie stoner attitude. Jimi Hendrix asking, "Are you Experienced?" is not quite the same as name dropping Genet, Sacher Masoch, Jacques Brel, and Brion Gysin on your audience. While Bowie would eagerly own up to his influences in interviews, Dylan referenced other artists indirectly, preferring to appear unschooled while secretly being a voracious reader and cinéaste. But the idea that you had to bring your own intelligence to a viewing of a film or hearing of a new album was understood by their serious fans. Dylan's work is probably the most studied for meaning in all of Rock. The challenge posed by artists like Bowie and Dylan was a pleasurable invitation rather than a burden to endure. It's easy to see why their work would appeal to Todd Haynes. While accessible, his films challenge viewers to spot the references, whether obvious like I Love Lucy [Dottie Gets Spanked] or the arty cinematic choices like Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [Safe]. Likewise Todd Haynes' goal for Velvet Goldmine can happily be expected for I'm Not There:
