A Complete Unknown director James Mangold has said in interviews that Bob Dylan gave his input on the film before it began production, and according to one of the film’s producers, Peter Jaysen, that included acting out the film with the director before signing off on the project.
“Bob Dylan had approval over the script. He had meaningful input. He met with Jim Mangold multiple times,” Jaysen revealed during an episode of The Town podcast. “At one point they sat there and they read the entire script out loud, with Jim Mangold reading every part and stage direction, and Bob Dylan only reading lines of dialogue for himself.”
He adds, “Through that process, [Dylan] sat there writing notes on the script. At the end of the last session with Jim Mangold, he signed the script and said, ‘Go with God.’”
But while Jaysen shared how important Dylan’s input was, he also noted that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer “did not have final cut” on the film.
Dylan has since shared his approval of the film on social media, and Jaysen notes, “The Bob Dylan that everyone is seeing interact with the press through a few tweets about A Complete Unknown is essentially the same Bob Dylan that our movie focuses on.”
“He’s an artist who cares more about authenticity and individuality and is not caught up in the hoopla of fame, fortune and all the trappings of success,” he adds.
A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, is in theaters now.
Gov’t Mule is once again set to ring in the new year at New York’s Beacon Theatre, with shows set for Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, and the venue is certainly one place frontman Warren Haynes is familiar with.
“The Beacon Theater is the place that I played more than any place on the planet,” he tells ABC Audio. “I think I’ve played there over 300 times now, which is absolutely crazy.”
Haynes notes that he loves playing there because the Beacon has “a great vibe,” adding that “the New York audience is fantastic.”
“It’s just a fantastic place to play,” he says. “We just always wind up having great shows there.”
Gov’t Mule has been celebrating New Year’s at the Beacon for over 20 years. “It’s kind of become tradition,” Haynes says.
And whether fans come out New Year’s Eve or the night before, it’s always special for him.
“I love the challenge of trying to figure out something crazy every New Year’s,” says Haynes, who released the new solo album Million Voices Whisper in October. “But it’s also nice the night before to just go to relax and not have to think about all this new material that we’re learning.”
Following the New Year’s shows, Haynes has a busy schedule for 2025. Gov’t Mule’s Island Exodus 15 is taking place in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, from Jan. 19 to Jan. 23, and then he’ll kick off a Warren Haynes Band tour on Feb. 7 in Knoxville, Tennessee. A complete list of dates can be found at warrenhaynes.net.
Neil Young has treated fans to another performance of a song he rarely plays live.
Following a recent fireside session, in which he shared a performance of “Silver and Gold,” a song he hadn’t played live since 2007, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has now shared a second fireside session. This time he featured a performance of “Pardon My Heart,” a track from his 1975 album, Zuma.
The latest performance was posted to the Neil Young Archives site, with a message that read, “Hello again folks, Pretty laid back version here. This is our second fireside of the season,” signing off with “Love to all of you, Peace” and “Love Earth, Be well, Neil and Daryl,” the latter being Young’s wife, actress Daryl Hannah.
According to Rolling Stone, Young hasn’t performed “Pardon My Heart” live in 50 years. In fact, he’s only performed the song live two other times: in May 1974, during a surprise set at the Bottom Line in New York, and in August 1974, at a Uniondale, New York, stop on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s reunion tour.
The Beatles‘ George Harrison and his wife, OliviaHarrison, were attacked in their Friar Park estate by a 34-year-old mentally ill intruder named Michael Abram.
Abram punctured George’s lung with a kitchen knife and stabbed him more than 40 times. Abram was finally stopped by Olivia, who repeatedly struck him with a fireplace poker and a lamp.
In the hospital, George had to have part of his punctured lung removed.
Abrams was tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity and was sent to a mental health facility. He was released in 2002 and apologized to the Harrisons.
George died in 2001 after a battle with cancer. He was 58.
There certainly were a lot of big things happening in music in 2024. Here’s a roundup of some of the other music stories that made headlines this year:
– The four members of R.E.M. – Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry – reunited for a performance of their 1991 hit “Losing My Religion” at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. It was the first time all four members performed together since 1995. Also inducted into the Hall of Fame that night was Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker.
– After postponing their 2023 Peace Out tour when frontman Steven Tyler fractured his larynx onstage, Aerosmith rescheduled the tour — only to cancel it in August, one month before it was to start up again. Not only that, they announced their retirement from the road for good, citing Tyler’s continued vocal issues.
– Also announcing their retirement were Jeff Lynne’s ELO, noting their 2023 Over and Out Tour would be their last, and REO Speedwagon, who cited “irreconcilable differences” between the band’s only two remaining original members, frontman Kevin Cronin and bassist and vocalist Bruce Hall.
– There were a lot of big catalog sales this year, including KISS, who made a deal with Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA’s London hologram show, Voyage. Reports claimed the deal was worth $300 million. Queen also reportedly sold their catalog to Sony, in a deal said to be worth $1.27 billion.
– Speaking of Queen, in September guitarist Brian May revealed he was recovering from a “minor stroke” that left him without the use of his left arm, putting his ability to play guitar in doubt. By the time he made his announcement he had already been improving.
– The Zombies’ Rod Argent announced his retirement from touring after suffering a stroke. It prompted the band to cancel all their planned shows for 2024.
– Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain were in a court battle over the band’s finances. Cain sued over what he claimed was Schon’s overspending and requested the court appoint a third party to the board of their company to settle their disagreements. Schon called the accusations “absolute rubbish.” In the end they settled the dispute and agreed to hire a third director of their company.
– The Guess Who founding singer Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman settled the lawsuit they filed against original members Jim Kale and Garry Peterson in October 2023, accusing them of tricking fans into thinking Cummings and Bachman were still performing with the group, when they were actually getting a “cover band.” The settlement resulted in Cummings and Bachman acquiring the trademark for the name The Guess Who.
– Don Henley took the stand in the trial of three men charged with conspiracy involving nearly 100 pages of his handwritten notes and lyrics for the Eagles album Hotel California. In the end, the case was dismissed by a judge due to Henley’s lawyers’ “jarringly late” disclosure of thousands of pages of material.
– Speaking of the Eagles, they wrapped the Long Goodbye tour but it didn’t keep them off the stage. They kicked off a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in September. Also launching a residency at the Sphere was Dead & Company, who just announced a second residency in 2025.
– And Lenny Kravitz, who dropped the new album Blue Electric Light this year, went viral with a video of him lifting weights in boots, a mesh shirt, leather pants and sunglasses.
Elton John‘s first official year off from touring the world didn’t leave the Rocket Man any less busy, but he had to deal with some major ups and downs throughout 2024. Thankfully, there seemed to be more highs than lows — here’s a rundown.
The highs:
In January, Elton became the 19th entertainer to become an EGOT winner when his Disney+ special Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). His tally now includes six Grammys, two Oscars, one Tony and one Emmy.
In February, Elton auctioned off the contents of his home in Atlanta for more than $20 million. In March, he hosted his annual Oscar Viewing Party and raised nearly $11 million for his AIDS Foundation.
Also in March, Elton and his songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, were honored with the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Music. Among the acts paying tribute to them at the ceremony with live performances were Metallica, Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox, Garth Brooks, Charlie Puth and Brandi Carlile.
In the fall, the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, detailing his career and complicated personal life, premiered at multiple film festivals worldwide. A new song Elton and Bernie co-wrote for the project with Brandi Carlile and producer Andrew Watt, also called “Never Too Late,” won a Hollywood Music In Media Award for Best Song from a Documentary Film. It’s also eligible for Oscar consideration.
Elton’s new musical based on The Devil Wears Prada opened in London’s West End with Vanessa Williams starring as fearsome fashion editor Miranda Priestley; so far it appears to be doing well.
In December, Time named Elton its 2024 Icon of the Year.
The lows:
In November 2023, Elton told the crowed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that he and Bernie had just completed a new album. In his end-of-year message to fans in December, Elton promised a new album would be released in 2024. In May, Bernie said, “Elton and I have an album coming out soon … it’s all written and recorded.” But the album never appeared, and Elton hinted it was because of a major medical issue he dealt with in 2024.
In early September, Elton told fans he was dealing with a “severe eye infection” that had left him with “only limited vision in one eye.” Elton told ABC News’Robin Roberts in November, “I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye … and it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye’s not the greatest.” Asked for an update on the album, Elton said, “I don’t know … going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric, for start.”
Elton went on to say, “I can’t see anything. I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”
Not long after that, Elton appeared at a charity performance of The Devil Wears Prada and told the audience, “Now I have lost my sight. I haven’t been able to see the performance but I have enjoyed listening to it.”
Meanwhile, Elton’s other musical, Tammy Faye — based on the life of the late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker — opened on Broadway Nov. 14 but closed on Dec. 8 after just 29 regular performances. According to The New York Times, the show, which cost $25 million, won awards in London but was poorly received once it moved to Broadway. Indeed, The Times called it “strangely bland” and said the box office receipts were “disastrous.”
A building that once housed the Morrison Hotel, made famous on the cover of The Doors‘ fifth studio albumof the same name, was destroyed by fire on Thursday, Variety reports.
According to the outlet, 17 fire companies responded to the blaze at the building, which housed a transient hotel when it was immortalized in a 1969 photo by rock photographer Henry Diltz and was used for the album’s cover. It took 30 minutes for flames to be controlled.
Prior to the fire breaking out, plans were in the works to turn the building, on the corner of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street in Los Angeles, into affordable housing. It has now been red-tagged, meaning it is unsafe to be occupied.
Released in February 1970, Morrison Hotel peaked at #4 in the U.S. and featured the single “Roadhouse Blues,” which was a Hot 100 hit for the band and became a staple at their live shows.
The Grammys are coming up on Feb. 2, but before we find out the 2025 winners, CBS is giving viewers a look back at winners past with two Grammy specials, airing Dec. 27 and Dec. 29.
Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs focuses on past winners of the Song of the Year category. Song of the Year and Record of the Year are different because Song goes to the people who wrote the song, while Record goes to the artist, the producer and the engineer. Stars like Bonnie Raitt, Sting, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald are all featured in the special, along with John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Mark Ronson, Billie Eilish and Richard Marx. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Sunday’s special is called Grammy Greats: The Most Memorable Moments, focusing on those special duets and other events that only seem to take place on the Grammy stage. Among the artists featured in this special: Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Melissa Etheridge and Annie Lennox, as well as Dua Lipa, Ricky Martin and LLCool J. It airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
A happy 80th birthday to Foreigner founder Mick Jones.
Jones got his first break in music in the 1960s as a member of Nero and the Gladiators and later played in such bands as Spooky Tooth and the Leslie West Band. He formed Foreigner in 1976, with multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1977, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart and featured two top-10 hits, “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” The album’s follow-up, Double Vision, was also a hit, peaking at #3 thanks to songs like “Hot Blooded,” which hit #3, and the album’s title track, which went to #2.
Foreigner landed their only #1 album with 1981’s 4, which spent 10 weeks on top and featured hit singles “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero.” The follow-up, 1984’s Agent Provocateur, peaked at #4 and featured the band’s only #1 single, “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
Foreigner experienced various lineup changes over the years, with Jones being the only member to appear on all of Foreigner’s albums. As of 2003 he was the only original member still touring with the group, although since 2021 his participation in their tours declined.
In February 2024 Jones revealed he had stopped performing because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, although he insisted he was still very much involved with Foreigner behind the scenes.
Jones and Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2024, almost 22 years after they were first eligible, Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Jones’ health kept him from attending the ceremony.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s fifth studio album, Double Fantasy, hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to spend eight weeks in the top spot.
The album was released in November and initially didn’t perform well, but after Lennon’s Dec. 8 death the album became a commercial success. It was eventually certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.
Double Fantasy, recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City, featured such songs as “(Just Like) Starting Over,” which hit #1 three weeks after Lennon’s death; “Woman,” which peaked at #2; and “Watching The Wheels,” which peaked at #10.
The album went on to win Album of the Year at the 1991 Grammy Awards.
