In some smaller geek circles (read: Dylan obsessives) there’s been some intense speculation who the character next to Cate Blanchett’s Bob Dylan surrogate is in the recently leaked, “I’m Not There” clip (let’s face it, this clip is supposed to be viral and if it wasn’t it would’ve been yanked by now).
Many originally thought the character was supposed to be John Lennon because of the characters’ “Groovy forehead and curly hair – take Zoomdon!” dialogue is a Lennon witticism from the famous Lennon vs Dylan limo ride in the Dylan documentary, “Eat The Document,” (some of the film’s footage was utilized for Martin Scorsese’s Dylan doc, “No Direction Home.”
Other said it was “flamingly obvious” that the character was supposed to be Dylan’s mid-sixties perennial sidekick Bob Neuwirth who appeared in D.A Pennebaker‘s “Dont Look Back” and Dylan’s own surrealist movie, “Renaldo and Clara.”
But in true “I’m Not There” Todd Haynes impressionistic fashion, the character is actually supposed to be a composite of both figures.
The character in the car next to Cate Blanchett is played by actor Joe Cobden, according to his myspace page his character (Sonny) is based loosely on Bob Neuwirth.
So we emailed Cobden and grilled him a little bit closer. He responded with this terse, but congenial answer:
“It’s supposed to be a composite of Neuwirth and whoever else was hangin’ around him at the time. I’m spoofing Lennon though, and the Yorkshire accent a bit, at the beginning.”
To Dylan obsessives, all of this is pretty obvious and yes, makes a lot of sense, but we wanted to talk to Cobden before we posted anything. As one Dylan-ite perfectly stated in our comments section, “Most of the dialogue in the leaked clip is taken from actual interviews, press conferences, film clips etc. [and] if Haynes keeps this up for the whole movie then it will be one big game for serious Dylan nuts.”
Indeed. Thanks to all those that contributed and put in their comments and two cents.
Download: Bob Dylan – “I’m Not There”
Download: Bob Dylan “She’s Your Lover Now”
Download: Bob Dylan – Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)”
Download: Bob Dylan – “Ballad Of a Thin Man”
