Episode 2286: Seth Rogovoy on why A Complete Unknown, the new Dylan biopic, is a complete failure

As the author of the well-received Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet, Seth Rogovoy knows his Dylan. So his critical review of the A Complete Unknown, the much hyped new movie featuring Timothee Chamalat as a young Dylan, is worth noting. Rogovoy questions the whole point of the movie, arguing that nobody - neither enthusiasts nor newbies to Dylan - learn anything from A Complete Unknown. And as the music historian Rogovoy - whose latest historical biography is of George Harrison - explains, this cinematic failure to present Bob Dylan in any kind of coherent framework probably reflects our broader contemporary cultural crisis. A Complete Unknown is a blob of a movie for our age of ubiquitous elevator music. Culture is simultaneously all around us and nowhere at all. The timing may just right for a new Dylan. But not for Timothee Chamalat’s one dimensional man.

Seth Rogovoy is the author of Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison (Oxford University Press, October 1, 2024), Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet (Scribner, 2009), and The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover’s Guide to Jewish Roots and Soul Music (Algonquin Books, 2000). Seth’s weekly cultural commentary can be heard on “The Rogovoy Report” on WAMC Northeast Public Radio Network on Fridays between 12:50 and 1 p.m. Seth has been a regular on-air contributor to WAMC for 30+ years. Seth’s Substack newsletter, Everything Is Broken, features original short essays and reviews on culture, politics, and life itself. Seth lives in Hudson, N.Y., with his wife, Linda Friedner, a media lawyer who works in book publishing.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe