Book Review 'Real Moments: Bob Dylan' by Barry Feinstein
Review by Ardis Hedrick
Bob Dylan
Dateline: New York City, 1963: Photographer Barry Feinstein shoots the iconic album cover for Bob Dylan's landmark album, The Times They Are A-Changin'. In a rare move, Columbia Records allowed Dylan to choose the photograph himself from a proof sheet. In the picture, shot from below, Dylan appears pensive and defiant.
With the release of Real Moments: Bob Dylan by Barry Feinstein, the reader is allowed an insider's glimpse at the moment this photo was taken and dozens of other history-making photographs. In comments written by the photographer himself, Feinstein tells how the photo session evolved in a New York City penthouse apartment.
Feinstein hailed from Woodstock, N.Y. and was already friends with Dylan when he was invited to photograph Dylan's European tour in 1966 and the U.S. tour of 1974 with The Band, from behind the scenes. The groundbreaking 1966 tour was the first electric tour after Dylan's 1965 acoustic tour, documented by D.A. Pennebaker's landmark film Don't Look Back. Dylan's fans were shocked and dismayed at the electric Dylan's abandonment of his acoustic folk roots, booing him on stage at many concerts in England. Recently, Martin Scorsese's milestone biographical film No Direction Home documented the moment a heckler's voice during a concert in the Manchester Free Trade Hall called out "Judas!" at Dylan on stage; this collection of photos provides a portrait of Dylan in real life moments in public and in private during those emotionally-charged times.
The photographs of Real Moments create an atmosphere that is intimate and surrealistic all at once. The black-and-white photos are dramatic and moody and lend a documentary feel to the book. They show "the other side" of Bob Dylan, his public and private faces, at what was unfolding as a turning point in his career. In a foreword written by another friend of Dylan from that era, Bob Neuwirth says, "Barry has an instinct for the unique capture." This book illustrates that very well.
Photo captions and an introduction written by the artist himself are as cryptic and direct as the photos. "I don't feel that much needs explaining as my photographs speak for themselves," states Feinstein, almost needlessly. He clearly chooses to let the photos do the talking. While there is an economy in the language, there is a wealth of information in the final product.
In the brief introduction, Feinstein describes the mutual trust, respect and friendship that existed between the two men, both at the top of their professional games back then. "I knew I was in the presence of genius," says Feinstein; it is clear that Dylan must have felt the same. The photographer says he is "interested in capturing real moments."
Feinstein compares the art of music to that of photography; he explains that in the way that notes left out of a musical piece can be what makes it great, in photography, "knowing when to take a shot, and more importantly, when not to," is the key. Here Feinstein brilliantly captures Dylan's chameleon-like outward persona, which was changing as fast as the times.
The back story on the career of photographer Barry Feinstein is nearly as interesting as the book itself and provides more insight into the times and this collection. Feinstein is a well-respected photographer, the recipient of more than 30 U.S. and international photojournalism awards. In the 1950s, Feinstein worked for Columbia Pictures, and had access to their stars: Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Jayne Mansfield. He photographed more than 500 album covers, including George Harrison, Miles Davis and Janis Joplin's Pearl album cover, taken the day before she died. His portfolio is filled with priceless photos of Hollywood stars and political figures: Presidents Kennedy and Nixon; Marlon Brando being badgered by racists at a civil rights meeting; his friend Steve McQueen on the set of Bullitt. Barry Feinstein's work has appeared in Life, Look, Time, Esquire, Newsweek and several European magazines.
In an article written by Dave Brolan, Feinstein's agent and editor of Real Moments, Brolan describes how Feinstein came to take one of Hollywood's most striking and enduring images: the pill bottles at Marilyn Monroe's bedside table at the time of her death. Brolan says anyone else would have gone for a more sensational shot, but ironically, it is the one photo that sticks in the mind of this writer. The morning of this writer's 11th birthday, Monroe's death was front-page news, and that photo must have been one of only a few that would have been acceptable to print on the front-page back then. While the photo is not included in this collection, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that photograph remains clear in the memory of anyone who might have read the news that day.
Brolan also tells how, years ago, he had initially approached Feinstein with the idea of publishing a book of his Dylan photographs. In a visit Brolan made to the photographer in his Woodstock, N.Y. home, Feinstein humbly concluded that he had "about 20 great pictures, that's all," not enough to fill a book. Many of the photos had never before been printed; they were still nothing more than tiny images on proof sheets. Feinstein still guards Dylan's privacy and declined to allow the printing of many of the photos because they were taken during what he called the musician's private time. He vows they will remain unpublished.
1966 was the year Dylan took on a look that to this day remains unmistakably his own: the untamed head of hair, the mod-styled suits, the chunky-heeled short boots and the sunglasses. The dark glasses rarely came off, on or offstage. Thin, almost emaciated, shielding himself from the eye of the crowd and the lenses of press cameras in public, save Feinstein’s ever-present camera, the shades were down in more ways than one.
In a visit to Carnaby Street, the era's hallmark fashion capitol, Feinstein records rare moments where Dylan is actually selecting the shoes and clothes that will define his new look. It's definitely a rare glimpse at the making of a rock star and that star's growing awareness of his personal image. Carnaby Street Boots, £ 50; RayBan Shades, £ 25; photo of Dylan checking out his reflection in the mirror, priceless!
One caveat about reading this book: Keep a magnifying glass handy if you really want to get a close look. There are a few pages of contact proof sheets showing interesting out-takes that deserve a closer look. It's easy to see why the photos selected to be printed were chosen, but viewing the entire series from a photo shoot can be a thing of beauty-sort of a pictorial dance between the photographer and his chosen subject. In the book, Feinstein describes one photo as being "taken unawares." There are many of these, but there were also impromptu photo shoots that apparently evolved under the circumstances; the complete series of pictures from those shoots are quite revealing.
In England, Feinstein made use of the architecture and stark landscapes, painting a portrait of a country in geometric lines, crumbling cobblestones and barren vacant lots, capturing its gritty, industrial feel. He depicted not only the artist on tour, but also the bleak yet hopeful times in England. Dylan frolics with a group of street urchins in Liverpool; mugs with the kitchen staff in a Scottish hotel; is virtually chased down the street by crowds of admirers everywhere he goes. You can almost feel the excitement of his fans in these photos.
On stage, still wearing his public persona, Dylan is intense and totally in the moment. Photo after photo nudges the memory of the reader to recall a favorite song or album cover from Dylan's prolific career. One photo brings the reader so close to the artist on stage, the question must be asked-is it a tear or a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek? The hair-do,the one forever immortalized as flowing, multi-colored swirls in '60s pop art fashion on a poster by Milton Glaser, is documented from almost every angle. It is unmistakable, especially in the stark silhouette of the stage lights.
The cover photo for the book shows Dylan sitting in back of a limousine, calmly smoking a cigarette, trying to remain centered amidst the adoring fans outside the window. Another shows a member of the Parisian paparazzi on back of a motor scooter, dangerously close to the car with his huge lens; again Dylan coolly ignores the obvious.
There is real treasure to be found here. Private moments backstage, in hotel rooms or in back of a limo make for some standout images. One quiet moment shows Dylan talking with an old lady who was selling flowers in Birmingham, 1966. He's serious, sincere, intent.
From the 1974 tour, a photo taken in a Washington, D.C. museum shows Dylan standing transfixed, in awe of an El Greco painting. These shots illustrate how Dylan might have gained inspiration wherever it might find him. One photo shows Dylan with friend Bob Neuwirth, goofing around in a nameless hotel room in England. Dylan is almost unrecognizable with a huge, impish smile, not the way the public was used to seeing him, to be sure.
Dylan was backed-up by The Band for the 1974 U.S. concert tour. By that time, Dylan was more relaxed, having had an eight-year break from the road before touring again. The post-motorcycle-wreck-and-self-imposed-period-of-isolation Dylan was more Mr. Natural than in 1966, reflecting the earthy style of the enthusiastic crowds that came out to see him on this tour. The times surely had changed just in that brief interval. The handful of photos from this period includes a visit to Jimmy Carter while he was still in the Georgia governor's mansion, but mostly the selection sticks to some intimate back stage photos.
In the last photo of the book, Dylan takes a bow, acoustic guitar in hand. For Barry Feinstein, this was his final bow as a rock and roll photographer, as well. He vowed never again to join a tour; he felt it could never again be that great. Feinstein kept his promise to himself, but here he shares his personal perspective with Dylan's enduring fans and those who might want to know what it would have been like to be a fly on the wall as history was being made. The lenses of the fly's eye see a multitude of images, each just slightly different from the other. Feinstein in a way was a superfly; he took in a barrage of information and distilled it, focused it down to individual moments frozen in time, so that future viewers can see his photographs and feel like they were there. Thanks, Barry!
Real Moments: Bob Dylan by Barry Feinstein is published by Omnibus Press, the world's largest publisher of pop and rock books. Their other recent releases include Trust: Photographs of Jim Marshall and Mind Over Matter 4: The Images of Pink Floyd. The book retails at $34.95. Barry Feinstein's Internet home page website is www.baryfeinsteinphotography.com. It contains many of the best photos from the book to be viewed online, and can be purchased as signed fine art prints.