Little City Books in Hoboken was transformed into a ’60s New York record store for the film “A Complete Unknown.”
Little City Books, Hoboken’s dynamic independent bookstore, will present an evening of Bob Dylan covers, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., to celebrate the store’s role in the upcoming biographical Dylan film, “A Complete Unknown,” which will be released on Dec. 25. Some of the scenes set in New York were filmed in New Jersey, including at Little City Books.
Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book “Dylan Goes Electric!,” the film (see trailer below) covers the years from 1961 to 1965 and features Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, with Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (a character based on Dylan’s girlfriend Suze Rotolo) and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez.
GERI FALLO
KARYN KUHL
Dec. 12 performers will include Freedy Johnston, Karyn Kuhl, James Mastro, Elena Skye and Boo Reiners of The Demolition String Band, Dave Schramm, Tammy Faye Starlite, Keith Hartel, Deena Shoshkes and Jon Fried of The Cucumbers, Paul Moschella, Glenn Morrow and Mary Lee Kortes. Also, Little City Books co-owner Kate Jacobs recruited a robust group of under-30-or-so musicians, including her son Ed Horan, Nate Perlmeter, Zeke Pujols, Kate Short, Andy Waldron and others.
“They were doing a lot (of filming) in Hoboken and we were scouted,” Jacobs said. “They spent a week turning us into the Music Inn, taking all the books away in a truck and bringing records in and then the crew spent one day shooting. It was very exciting.
“We spent a week (before) hanging out with the location, design and construction teams and that was really fun. They were professional, resourceful and friendly. We met director James Mangold briefly when he first came to suss out the location.
“Then (they) spent two days turning us back into Little City Books. The best thing was the alarm and dismay in the neighborhood when people thought we were closing. A very Sally Field moment.” (Jacobs reacted to her community concern by saying, “They like us, they really like us.”)
Shoshkes, who will perform “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” said Dylan’s body of work is a “towering monument” that “set the standard, was the guidepost and beacon.”
She was introduced to his songs by her older sisters. “They played ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ for me when I was about 5 years old. It was so powerful. … His music defined and inspired my childhood and continues to this day. Whenever I’m in search of inspiration for songwriting, I always turn to Dylan.”
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
FREEDY JOHNSTON
Singer-songwriter Johnston, who will perform the Desire single “Mozambique,” said “I think Bob has influenced every musician, like me, even if they don’t know it. I really liked the lyrics on Desire. To me, they were more tightly crafted than his other material. I learned later that it was because he co-wrote several of the songs with Jacques Levy.”
Desire was the first Dylan album that Johnston bought. His favorite album is Blonde on Blonde, though. “And Blood on the Tracks is amazing,” he added.
If he had lunch with Dylan, what would he ask?
” ‘Are you picking up the tab, Bob? Because if so, I’m getting a steak.’ I would also ask him about his painting.”
Asked the same question, Shoshkes says: “I’d probably be tongue-tied, and he is famous for invention and deflecting questions, so I’d try to joke around and enjoy just hanging with him.”
Tammy Faye Starlite, who has performed as Nico in her own theatrical shows, says she will sing “I’ll Keep It with Mine” (see video below) because “Nico did it — I love it because it’s so cryptic, but also has that lyrical generosity that is inherent to his lyrics, spiderwebs of warmth and danger.”
Drummer and singer Moschella says that ” ‘Most of the Time’ sticks with me. One of the many masterful Dylan lyrics that sneak up on you and knock you on your rear. The production is also impeccable.”
He is planning to sing “You’re a Big Girl Now.” “I am often drawn to covers,” he said. “The Lloyd Cole version has an effortless charm that grabbed me on first listen and didn’t let go. I hope I can do it justice.”
Other songs to be performed include “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (by Mastro), “She Belongs to Me” (by Kuhl) and “Tangled Up in Blue” (by Kortes, who has published the book “Dreaming of Dylan: 115 Dreams About Bob” and recorded Dylan songs with her band Mary Lee’s Corvette). You can listen to Mary Lee’s Corvette’s “Tangled Up in Blue” below.
For information, visit littlecitybooks.com.
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