On the Set of the New Bob Dylan Movie: Blanchett Rocks, Stephen Malkmus Covers "Maggie's Farm"

Last week we managed to get onto the Montreal set of Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan movie, I'm Not There. The biggest news? Cate Blanchett is going to blow you away with her breathtakingly accurate take on mid-Sixties Dylan (in case you hadn't heard: yes, she plays him as a dude). The film's soundtrack, which features rockers covering Bob, is also looking intriguing: For a segment based on Dylan's 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance, Stephen Malkmus has already recorded "Maggie's Farm" and "Ballad of a Thin Man" with a band that includes Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, in a session produced by Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo. My Morning Jacket's Jim James is also contributing music, along with many others, and Haynes says he's not having trouble finding contributors: "What artist wouldn't want to do their favorite Dylan cover?" he said. The film splits Dylan into multiple characters — Richard Gere, Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are among the actors who play other Bob incarnations. Look for more details from the film in an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone, on stands in early October.

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

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