Timothée Chalamet has been hard at work proving his Bob Dylan Bona Fides ever since he was cast as the great songwriter in “Complete Unknowns.” He studied guitar and singing, delved into Dylan lorewears carefully researched Dylan clothes and managed a passable impersonation of Dylan’s speaking and singing.
On Saturday, with his Best Actor Oscar campaign in full swing, hosted “Saturday Night Live” and sang Dylan songs, doubling as the musical guest. He worried about credibility like many other Dylan fans: choosing songs from the deep catalog instead of the obvious hits. “You may not know the Bob Dylan songs that I play, but they are my personal favorites,” he said in his monologue.
He chose folk, electric and spoken word. “Tomorrow is a Long Time” was demoted in the early sixties but was recorded by others (Judy Collins, Odetta, Ian & Sylvia, Kingston Trio, Elvis Presley) before Dylan’s own 1963 version was released in 1971. “Outlaw Blues” It was from Dylan’s 1965 album Electric Breakthrough “Bringing It All Back Home” aa “Three Angels” was on Dylan’s 1970 album “New Morning”. Although Dylan sang “Tomorrow is a Long Time” on various tours, he never performed “Three Angels” in concert and only sang “Outlaw Blues” on stage.
Chalamet delivered the songs as serious tributes – not mimicking Dylan’s nasality as slavishly as in “Total Unknown”, but still echoing Dylan’s phrasing in his own voice. Visually, however, he brought full star privileges: costumes, lights and video, as well as a band that included English composer and producer James Blake on keyboards.
Instead of focusing on the musicians, as Dylan does in concert, Chalamet surrounded himself with visual aids – perhaps in the belief that young listeners needed them. Strobes flashed as he sang three (of five) verses of “Outlaw Blues”, while Chalamet wore “dark sunglasses” and video screens showed the “mountain range” (presumably Australian) mentioned in the lyrics. Wearing a hooded parka – the lyrics mention “nine below zero” – Chalamet grinned at an undisclosed Glee as he delivered the track’s best Zinger: “Don’t ask me anything that can tell you the truth.”
Dylan’s “Three Angels” is one of his strangest songs. It’s a calmly recited script, set to a gospel organ, that posits angels creating music as an unobserved backdrop to worldly events. Chalamet’s version, segued from “Outlaw Blues,” was crushed with animated video images from the lyrics, electronic effects on the vocals and other lyrics that elaborate on Dylan’s laconic lines — none of them necessary.
Dylan’s one appearance as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” came on October 20, 1979, when he was in his Christian phase, performing three songs from his album “Slow Train Coming”: “I Gotta Serve Somebody,” “I Believe I Believe in You ” and “ When you wake up. “
For his second performance, Chalamet returned in stripped-down, folk garb for the quietly sublime love song “Tomorrow Is The Long Time.” He strummed an acoustic guitar in Dylan’s original key and tempo, joined by a respectfully muted band. Meanwhile, the background of the giant detailed video highlighted the star over the song. It was a clear homage to Dylan’s music, but also tinged with self-promotion.
