Sorry, it wasn’t there

AS an ardent Dylan fan, I must compliment Ann Powers on her review of Todd Haynes’ forthcoming biopic, “I’m Not There” [“Tangled Up in Clues,” Nov. 11]. It seems to me that Haynes may have been inspired by Dylan’s own films. The surrealistic “Renaldo and Clara,” filmed during 1975’s Rolling Thunder Tour, was filled with a who’s who of Dylanesque characters who switched roles and identities throughout the film. Dylan’s 2003 film, “Masked and Anonymous,” contained references to Dylan’s own mythology and history that allowed Dylan freaks to “chase the references,” as Powers says of Haynes’ film.

Haynes’ Dylanological references and historical re-creations will escape casual Dylan fans, and the curious will probably be leaving cinemas even more curious. As an “aspiring Dylan know-it-all,” Powers has obviously done her homework. As a Dylanologist however, she has made one very common error: The “Judas” concert for years was mistakenly attributed to London’s Royal Albert Hall but actually took place at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall on May 17, 1966. Take it from a Dylan nerd.

Andrew Carroll

Desert Hot Springs