Unknown

It was spring 2003, and I was enrolled in English Composition II when my professor walked in with a portable CD player. He had a unique way of blending music into his lectures, using it to reinforce the themes of the texts we studied. It was an effective method that made the material stick. On this day, we were reading an excerpt from a piece written during the height of the Cold War. As the lecture began, the first notes of Bob Dylan’s Masters of War filled the room. That moment was a revelation—my ears had never truly listened to Dylan’s lyrics before, and suddenly, I was captivated.

Curious to learn more, I started diving deeper into his music, spending hours after classes listening to his albums, many of which I found at the local library. I purchased the Columbia Bootleg Series 2-CD set from his legendary 1966 tour; this was his famous performance at the Royal Albert Hall.  What started as a casual interest soon morphed into a mild obsession with his music, but what fascinated me most was his undeniable impact, charisma, and effortless coolness.

Recently, I heard that a film about Dylan’s transition from folk to electric at the Newport Folk Festival was set to be released on Christmas Day. Even better, Timothy Chalamet would be portraying him. I knew exactly what I’d be doing this Christmas.

I arrived at the theater at 5:25 p.m. for the evening showing, eager to see the film. The film delved into Dylan’s early years, exploring his encounters with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, his introduction to Columbia Records, his connection with Joan Baez, and his rise to stardom, his connection to Johnny Cash, and his memorable performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The film was made for Dylan fans, featuring subtle nods to iconic album covers like The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan and Highway 61 Revisited. Chalamet did an excellent job portraying Dylan’s cool, composed essence, capturing the musician’s unique persona.

As I watched the film and listened to the songs playing on screen, I was instantly transported back to 2003, when I had just moved to Albuquerque, NM, far from everything familiar. Dylan’s music became the soundtrack of that chapter in my life-an era of self-discovery, growth, and uncertainty about the future.