Customer Reviews

Bob Dylan's New York

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this DVD with the expectation that it would have some pertinent interviews with people involved in the NYC ca. 1960's, and would at least see the inside of some of the important places in Greenwich mentioned. This DVD is a home-made thing, narrated by a 3rd class radio host in NYC and some girl who does a walking "Bob Dylan" tour in NY. The girl's voice is absolutely not orator quality, as she has a very annoying nasal tone that makes her hard to listen to. The Disc Jockey rambles on about things that aren't relevant to the Dylan quest, often times not relevant to the conversation between him and the nasal girl. There are no interviews, except for a short one with the disc jockey's wife who merely recounts a time when she met someone famous and announces that their dog's name is Dylan. There are no internal shots of any of the famous buildings. The disc jockey and the girl simply walk about Greenwich and up into Chelsea and stand in front of the building telling stories about it that can be picked up in any brochure. I am sorry I wasted money on this home made faux-paus as I was actually doing research on the Chelsea during the sixties and thought this would have some interesting facts. It didn't. I don't care if the DJ and his wife named their dog Dylan. I barely made it through the entire DVD (2 of them, actually) listening to the girl who should never ever speak in public for an audience. I advise not to buy this poor quality DVD. You'd be better off going online and sending to NYC for some brochures on Greenwich and Chelsea. I'm sure the people who are in this mundane spectacle are nice, and well meaning, but, really, don't waste your money here.Bob Dylan's New York

THIS IS JUST WALK AROUND THE VILLAGE WITH 2 FANS POINTING OUT PLACES WHERE DYLAN LIVED AND PERFORMED. MOST INFORMATION (WHICH, AS A DYLAN
FAN, YOU ALREADY KNOW) IS GIVEN BY A WOMAN WITH THE MOST ANNOYING, NASAL
VOICE SO YOU'RE TURNED OFF AT THE GET-GO. THE FELLOW WITH HER ENLIGHTENS US WITH ANECDOTES ABOUT HE AND HIS WIFE -- SUCH AS THEY HAD THEIR PICTURE TAKEN AT THE EXACT SPOT WHERE BOB AND SUZE DID FOR THE "FREEWHEELIN'
ALBUM COVER. HOW CUTE IS THAT? I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY WATCHED THE
WHOLE THING BEFORE THROWING IT IN THE GARBAGE.

This is classroom moved onto the street. The two narrators are walking encylopedias (almost) of Bob Dylan and certainly admire him. Most of the material is shot outside walking around various boroughs of NYC with narrative commentary. I missed inside shots such a Bitter End and other cafe venues as well as Dylan's apartment etc. It is essentially a visual tour and if you like that buy it. Bob Dylan - No Direction Home is much more comprehensive in every way if you are looking for more material. But for the inquisitive and collector, this DVD does hold some value and information and would be worth the few dollars it will cost you.

I agree that there isn't much exciting new information to be had nor rare inside shots of places Dylan lived or frequented. And no-there were no interviews. I also agree that the voice challenged host was hard to take. Would rather have just listened to the dj-he was fairly informative and his excitement was evident. However, I planned a trip to the Greenwhich and used this dvd to map my route. It was extremely helpful in that manner and made my own tour around the Village much more enjoyable and a lot easier. If I had to research back to get all this info and address and the best way go, it would have been very hard. I paid $10 for the dvd set..so to me it was well worth it. So for this reason, I give it a 5 star rating.