Musician points out microphone mishap in forthcoming Bob Dylan biopic and fans are divided
“Why choose a microphone Dylan was never photographed singing into, and was never in wide use in the United States during this time?”
Image: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin via Getty
Biopics are all the rage lately; from Amy Winehouse to Whitney Houston and Elton John, films detailing the stories of some of the biggest music icons have been, and continue to, roll out across cinemas all over.
But as we’ve seen before in film (ahem, Back To The Future), when it comes to the musical props used throughout, sometimes mistakes can slip through the net. Musician Will Stratton appears to have spotted one in the forthcoming Bob Dylan biopic in a photograph taken on set shared via X/Twitter.
In the photo, actor Timothée Chalamet, who is playing the role of Bob Dylan, is captured singing into a Sony C38 microphone. This mic was introduced in 1965. “Can movies like this please hire music people who know what they’re doing?” He writes online.
Users on the platform have suggested that this photo could be taken from a scene set after this period, but Stratton replies, “Then the costuming is wrong, and he is still singing into the wrong microphone. I know these details don’t matter to a lot of people, and thats fine! I like a well-researched film, especially if it’s about a pivotal cultural figure.
“I said the Sony C38 wasn’t introduced until 1965. It wouldn’t be widely available in the USA until later. And as a phantom powered mic, it certainly wouldn’t be used in live settings until much later – the condensers you see on stage at Newport had external power supplies,” he adds.
“Beyond all that, there are hundreds (thousands?) of photographs of Bob Dylan singing into different microphones from this era. Why choose a microphone Dylan was never photographed singing into, and was never in wide use in the United States during this time?”
Check out the photo below:
That microphone wasn’t introduced until 1965. Can movies like this please hire music people who know what they’re doing?? https://t.co/vHke9qy1tj
— 𝑾𝑰𝑳𝑳 𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑶𝑵 (@columnatedrunes) April 16, 2024
The biopic doesn’t have a release date yet but it’s predicted to land in early 2025.
View all of Bob Dylan’s summer live dates.
