Yesterday I went to the movies and saw Timothee Chalamet playing a young Bob Dylan in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Dylan is one of the truly iconic artists profiled in my book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS.

Chalamet was brilliant in the role; he had Dylan’s voice and mannerisms down, and all the songs were recorded live with Tim singing and playing both guitar and harmonica. I also liked the fact that Dylan was portrayed as a real human being, warts and all, not as some sort of plaster saint.  We live in a time of musical biopics, some, of course, better than others. Among the artists featured in my book that have been the subject of outstanding screen depictions are James Brown, Ray Charles, Judy Garland, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, Johnny Cash, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. A few years back we saw award winning performances of Loretta Lynn and Tina Turner; we’ve also seen actors doing creditable work as Elvis, Elton, Aretha, Whitney, Tupac, Biggie, N.W.A, Little Richard, Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, Charlie Parker, and more. And, as I write, there are even more biopics on the way- Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Janis Joplin are all in various stages of preparation or production.

            Enjoy the movie, enjoy the music, continue to enjoy the holidays; hope you enjoy my book, too (still available at Amazon, BookBaby, and widely online). Happy New Year!