Getting To dylan, the essential filmed portrait of the post-conversion Dylan, remains an important adjunct to “Don’t Look Back”, “Eat The Document”, and “Renaldo and Clara”, the three other films to confront the myth as it surrounds and, in “Getting To dylan”, envelops the man.
~Clinton Heylin (Behind The shades)
I tend to agree with Clinton Heylin’s assessment [about “Getting To Dylan”]
~Paul Williams (BD Performing Artist 1986-1990 & beyond)
Filmed during the making of his movie Hearts On Fire (1987).
This BBC documentary captures Bob Dylan in a nice mood answering questions on songwriting, fans, etc… while sketching pictures of interviewer Christopher Sykes.
“I just write ‘em because nobody says you can’t write ‘em”
~Bob Dylan
It’s hell time, man
It’s hell time, man
It’s hell time, man
It’s hell time, man
Down these streets the fools rule
There’s no freedom or self respect
A knife’s point or a trip to the joint
Is about all you can expect
–
boys who kinda grow up in a kinda harsh way and kinda make their way through that learning how to deal with certain elements in society they know that usually in the passive would take an advantage of them, and they have to overcome that and go from bad to good.
~Bob Dylan (MTV interview, April 1986)
There is so much mediocrity going on, every time someone really good comes along it’s like you can’t be too good ‘cause you’re looked at. you stand out. People that stand out in an individual kind of way, they don’t fit into the system because they don’t sell, they don’t keep system commodities going. I thought Peter Townshend’s record was real good.
Who’s Bob Dylan? I’m only Bob Dylan when I have to be Bob Dylan. Most of the time I just be myself.
Brett Whiteley’s Studio
Surry Hills
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
10 February 1986 Sydney Press Conference
