Infinity Goes Up On Trial (+)
A focus on ideas central to the depth of Bob Dylan’s music, art, and writing in a broader social, cultural, and political context. Discussing these concepts with scholars, artists, educators, activists, and myriad experts, we explore how Dylan’s ideas reflect and encompass all aspects of human existence.
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Erin Callahan
Erin Callahan teaches English at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas, where she has been a faculty member since 2007. She completed her Ph.D. in Modern History and Literature at Drew University in 2014, writing her dissertation on Bob Dylan’s identity construction and the American voice.
Erin is a regular contributor to The Dylantantes Substack and is co-editor of “The Politics and Power of Bob Dylan’s Live Performances: Play a Song for Me” with Court Carney, a collection of essays about Dylan’s live performances that was published by Routledge in 2023.
She has presented on Bob Dylan at many conferences, including ACA/PCA, “Bob Dylan in the 21st Century” in Arras, France, and The World of Bob Dylan, in Tulsa, Oklahoma 2019 and 2023.
The influence of movies on Bob Dylan and his art is well-documented. The myriad reviews, critiques, and analyses demonstrate the impact film has had on Dylan and his body of work. Whether he is making a film like Renaldo and Clara, acting in Masked and Anonymous, appropriating lines of dialogue as lyrics, or using stills as templates for his visual art, it’s clear that Dylan draws inspiration and ideas from movies. In this episode, celebrated Chicago filmmaker and Dylanlogist Michael Glover Smith discusses his work, including his most recent movie: the award-winning short Handle with Care. He also shares his insights on Dylan’s film aesthetic and on Dylan’s are more broadly. When we filmed and recorded this episode, A Complete Unknown hadn’t yet been released. Some of what we discuss may seem a bit outdated as those speculations or questions have been answered on screen. Still, talking with Michael about his movies and Dylan and his relationship with movies was an education. I hope you enjoy listening to or watching our conversation as much as I enjoyed taking part in it.
Michael Glover Smith is a filmmaker, author and teacher based in Chicago. His most recent feature film, 2022’s award-winning RELATIVE, starring TWIN PEAKS’ Wendy Robie, is available to stream on a multitude of platforms via Music Box Films.
Links:
- X: @whitecitycinema
- Instagram: @whitecitycinema
- Bsky: @whitecitycinema.bsly.social
- Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/michaelgsmith/.
A Video Version of this Episode is Available at TheFM.Club
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