I saw the movie this weekend. Having spent a number of years living in and around the Village starting in 1967 (though I did start going down there in '63), I did have to see it. I mean Elijah Wald who co-wrote the book with Dave Van Ronk is an old friend, for that matter I was friends with Dave who was my first influence as a guitar player (I can still play half the songs from the FOLKSINGER LP). It's a good movie, beautifully photographed, well acted, Oscar Isaac's guitar playing was more than acceptable (which is more than you can say for the rest of the actors who appear on screen playing instruments), but it's not a film that I would have to see again. The only really likeable character in the film really is the cat.

Like I said I was in the Village for the tail end of the Great Folk Music Scare of the '60's and I remember it very fondly (and well, despite my excessive intake of various nostrums). I would love to be back there, especially if I could go back with the knowledge and tools I have at my command these days. But I wouldn't want to go back to the Village as it's prese4nted in "Inside LLewyn Davis". And don't get me started on some of the anachronisms I saw in the film. Well, why not? The capo that Davis using on his guitar in when he's playing Green, Green Rocky Road is a Shubb, which wasn't invented until 1980. So what? you ask. Well, when Davis is playing Hang Me, Oh Hang Me at the Gaslight he is using a period correct Hamilton clamp capo. A slight lack of attention to detail I'd say. But mainly, except for the scenes onstage, or auditioning, or in the recording studio nobody seems to be playing music for fun. I mean, I was a professional houseguest a good bit of the time there, and noone is walking around with their guitar, much less picking it up at every opportunity. The best thing that you can say about this film is that perhaps it will do the same thing as the first Folk Scare 50 years ago, and inspire somebody to dig deeper into where the music came from, and maybe some kid will start to wonder who DVR was. If that happens I will be satisfied that this film has served some useful purpose. And it's nice that The Mayor of MacDougal Street, Dave's memoir is being reprinted. As Terri Thal, Dave's 1st wife said, "Dave is getting more written about him now than he ever got in his lifetime."