ICE Magazine
Pete Howard
Editor and Publisher
Santa Monica,
California
Mickey Jones was Bob
Dylans drummer during the latters barnstorming 1966 world tour, which has been
called by credible sources the most exciting and important tour in the history of rock
music. Therefore, the stories to be told from behind the scenes are plentiful and
fascinating. In 1966 World Tour: The Home Movies (Through the Camera of Bob
Dylans Drummer Mickey Jones), Jones narrates for us his 8mm home movie snippets,
comfortably sitting in a film editing studio. The interviewer (producer Joel
Gilbert) stays tactfully hidden off-camera, leaving the entire spotlight to Jones
himself. And the former drummer (now turned successful TV/movie actor) handles the
job admirably; hes articulate, insightful, self-deprecating, witty and, most
importantly, has nobody to answer to, so hes candid and forthright as well.
Where else are you going to hear a musician revealing his back-and-forth negotiations with
Bob Dylan about what he got paid and what benefits were included
and in 1966, no
less?
There are plenty
of fascinating home-movies scenes - concert footage and candid - and Jones
personality and stories so enhance the experience that the 90 minutes fairly fly by.
The project is so unique in nature, and involves such an important chapter of rock
history, that it would seem to be pretty much must viewing for any
self-respecting music historian. In fact, a big plus of Home Movies is that
it reaches out beyond the Bob Dylan sphere and includes stories and Jones home movie
clips of The Beatles, Johnny Rivers, Trini Lopez, Kenny Rogers, and Ann-Margret. And
you'll hear about Jones' and Dylan's encounter with Otis Redding. Its more
than just a Dylan fans backstage fantasy trip; it breathes life as a pop culture
document in general, from a period when the music world was exploding with fresh
creativity and naivety.
But theres no question that Dylan fans will get the most
out of The Home Movies, and theres a great deal of new insights to learn from
the man who pounded the skins while Dylan spat out classics like One Too Many
Mornings and Like a Rolling Stone at the famous Royal Albert Hall
concert and at the infamous Manchester Free Trade Hall gig. Indeed, Jones
spends several minutes dissecting the Judas! incident, the origin of someone
yelling Play f---ing loud! (his verdict will surprise you) and the booing that
the band faced nightly for the entire tour.
Jones observations are as valuable as the footage itself,
and under it all, a musical bed of period Dylan songs is laid down capably by the Bob
Dylan tribute band, Highway 61 Revisited. (It wouldve been fruitless for the
producers to attempt to obtain clearance of Dylans own performances.)
Jones narration is fed occasionally by excellent, erudite questions from the
interviewer
theres not a groaner or dumb question in the bunch (you dont
have to worry about hearing, Did he really break his neck in a motorcycle
accident at the end of the tour?).
All in all, The Home Movies is a very worthwhile
expenditure of time for any interested music fan. It only makes you wish that more
musicians from the 50s and 60s had shot home movies at the time
or that
they would pull them out of their closets, if they did. Lucky for us, Mickey Jones
was a motion-picture shutterbug at a time when every frame really mattered. |