This young man arrives on the scene unexpectedly and we know nothing about him. Most of us still don’t know this man’s real name, after decades in the spotlight. But say his stage name – ‘Bob Dylan’ – and almost everyone will know about this star. He expressed how a new generation that grew up in the sixties in America after World War II felt in the midst of a society that was very unstable and changing rapidly. It was a generation that was looking for a place, looking for equal rights, and was not happy to be dragged into a meaningless war in Vietnam. With his music, Dylan succeeds in expressing the mood of his generation and even the mood of the country at a crucial time in American history.

If I had to pick a pivotal moment in the sixties when one generation passed the torch to the next, it would be the 1965 Newport, Rhode Island Country Music Festival, when Dylan plugged in his electric guitar.

‘A Complete Unknown’ is a great period film that provides the background and history of this eventful concert. The film begins in early 1961, with Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) at the age of 19 visiting his hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who is incapacitated with Huntington’s disease. Guthrie was the voice of his own generation, the generation immediately before Dylan’s. He points his finger at Dylan’s guitar, and Dylan plays a song he wrote in tribute called ‘Song to Woody’. We can tell by the look on his face that Woody recognizes Dylan as his likely successor. At the end of the song, Woody bangs his fist on the bedside table.

Dylan hardly acknowledges the other person in the room, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Seeger seems to realize that he is witnessing the beginning of a new era, the era of Dylan.

As soon as he first sees Dylan, the famous promoter Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) moves in as his manager. As soon as Joan Baez hears him play, she immediately realizes that she is looking at her rival. She is a great talent of the era herself, with a clear voice and an almost unlimited range. She will soon appear on the cover of Time magazine. But even more than Baez, it is Dylan who attracts the audience, with his unusual yet magnetic personality.

Dylan has only failure after failure in matters of love, perhaps because he is mostly in love with his music. He has a relationship with painter Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictionalized version of his long-term girlfriend Suze Rotolo, and later with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

Dylan is a reclusive person, and rarely acknowledges other musicians. For example, although Seeger is always working for him, Dylan clearly does not respect Seeger as a musician. One exception is bluesman Jesse Moffet (Big Bill Morganfield), the son of Muddy Waters himself (who was a famous blues musician in his own time). When Dylan is late for a live performance on television, Moffet fills in for him. However, Dylan arrives late and starts talking to Moffet, who then starts playing his guitar. Dylan is impressed by what Moffet is doing, studying him carefully the whole time.

When Dylan arrives in Newport in 1965, the whole world is watching and waiting for an iconic and distinctive performance from the master. But when he turns up the volume on his electric guitar and plays ‘Maggie’s Farm’, half the crowd boos. Seeger is furious and tries to turn off the power, but to no avail. After the third song, Dylan leaves the stage. Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook),who is seen in other scenes singing his own anthems, hands him his acoustic guitar. Dylan returns to the stage and plays ‘It’s all over now, Baby Blue!’

You don’t know much more about Bob Zimmerman at the end of the film than you did at the beginning. Maybe that’s the point – pioneers like him are elusive. On the one hand, we see and hear the fruits of his labor and how great they are. On the other hand, we see a person just like everyone else in their private life. The contrast between these aspects, which is clearly outlined in the film, is clear and interesting.

As Dylan himself tells Sylvie: “People ask where the songs come from, but when you look at their faces, that’s not what they’re asking. They’re trying to understand why they didn’t write them themselves.” While we can witness exceptional creativity, we don’t have the capacity to fully understand the magic of it. The final scene is fitting – Dylan revving his motorcycle and riding off down the road, as darkness falls on the screen. For the last time, the main character escapes from us.

Director and co-writer of the script, James Mangold, has a strong portfolio. His films include ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999), ‘Walk the Line’ (2005), which he also co-wrote, ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007), ‘The Wolverine’ (2013), and ‘Logan’ (2017). Mangold did a great job creating a fresh perspective on Dylan, based on Elijah Wald’s book ‘Dylan Goes Electric!’

The actors were amazing and very convincing in their roles – especially Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro. Both of them spent a long time learning and practicing their roles as Dylan and Baez, in every aspect of their lives. Even viewers who knew nothing about Dylan or Baez beforehand, will come out of the theater a fan of the singers. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this film on the big screen!

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C.E.A.R.T.A 
Is cuma liom sa foc faoi aon gharda, 
Duidín lásta, tá mise ró-ghasta, 
Ní fheicfidh tú mise i mo sheasamh ró-fhada

That's a rap verse sung by a hip-hop band from West Belfast called Kneecap. If you watch the movie with the same title you will hear them singing the song. If you are an Irish speaker, you have no choice but to watch this film. It is an important and blunt film, with a crazy atmosphere and non-stop action.

The film gives us a heartwarming look at the generation from West Belfast known as "The Ceasefire Babies" who were born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although there has been no war in Northern Ireland since then, it seems that the remains of that horror can still be felt long after in various ways. You see those remnants clearly in the film as the band members and their compatriots still deal with issues of cultural equality. Although the war is long over, the struggle continues in a more peaceful way, including in the form of rap music in Irish.

It was a bold choice for the members of Kneecap to play themselves in the film. It’s no harm also having a few famous actors in the film - including Michael Fassbender.

The material for the film came while a national movement was taking place in the North of Ireland to preserve Irish and to obtain official status for it. Finally, an important act was passed in Westminster in 2022 - 'The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022' - which gave official status to the language for the first time. It is only the first step towards cultural equality for those who have Irish as part of their culture in the North of Ireland. You see the struggle right before the Act through the lens of the band and their music.

The Main Plot

Liam and Naoise are drug dealers in West Belfast. Naoise's father (Fassbender) is a tough republican, who told them that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet on behalf of the freedom of Ireland. They learned that lesson, and now they use the language as a fighting tool against the authorities. When Liam is being questioned by the 'peelers' (police), he only speaks Irish. The police employ a music teacher named JJ Ó Dochartaigh as a translator. When JJ reads what Liam has written in his notebook, he immediately realizes that Liam has a lot of promise. That's how, by accident, the band starts. Liam and Naoise have written a song called 'C.E.A.R.T.A.', and JJ helps them record in a makeshift studio he has in his garage. They give themselves stage names, Mógálí Bap (Naoise), Mo Chara (Liam) and DJ Próvaí (JJ), they call the band Kneecap, and they start doing gigs. Small gigs at first in pubs full of owl lads drinking Guinness who don't know what the hell is going on. But after a while, the popularity of Kneecap increases. Naoise, Liam and JJ are snorting and doing all kinds of drugs and are always on the verge of going out of control, in line with their public image, as cultural rebels and outspoken spokesmen for their generation in the North.

Subplots

There are a few other stories that are quite complex and interwoven with the main story.

Naoise's father, Arlo, has been on the run for the past 10 years. He was a member of a paramilitary group and faked his own death to escape the authorities. It is difficult for Naoise and his mother to carry on in Arlo's absence. But he is secretly in touch with Naoise. Arlo plays an important role at the end, which I will not reveal here.

Due to their obscene anti-British lyrics, Kneecap becomes controversial with the police, and in particular with Detective Ellis. She is not happy to learn that Liam is in a relationship with her niece Georgia, who is a Protestant. A few strange things then happen with Ellis and Georgia, but I won't tell more here.

And then there is the pressure group called 'Radical Republicans Against Drugs'. They want to stop the backstreet drug dealing that is going on, so they come into conflict with Liam and Naoise. Again, I won't reveal the details here.

Conclusion

The film fictionalizes the history of Kneecap. I love the central concept, which is the members of the band trying to preserve and expand their cultural rights through the use of Irish - a central part of their culture. Not only that, but they use a genre of music that suits their endeavors – hip-hop. Hip-hop artists have a long history of using the medium to express social issues – N.W.A, Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino to name but a few. So, it's no surprise that the members of Kneecap live an extravagant lifestyle – goes with the job for such pop stars.

The band takes a fresh approach, a pioneering approach to promote the rights of the minority Irish language, and this shows that the language is alive, vibrant and important, especially in the North at the moment. Irish is part of their history and identity, regardless of their religion. As long as young people like Liam, Naoise and JJ are using the language in modern ways and preserving it, it is a cause of hope for us all. And in the South - where Irish has been the main official language of the country for a long time - we have to ask ourselves - can we do more to promote the Irish language here?

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Introduction

I recently read a remarkable book called 'The Plot', written by Jean Hanff Korelitz and published in 2021. She has written seven other books, and one 'You should have Known' inspired the mini-series 'The Undoing' on HBO/ MAX (streaming platform). She is originally from New York, but has lived in other places, including Princeton New Jersey and the United Kingdom. She met Paul Muldoon for the first time in London. She met him again the following year in Yorkshire, when he attended a poetry course taught by Muldoon. Muldoon is a famous poet, originally from Co. Armagh. Muldoon is often compared to Séamus Heaney, a fellow poet from Northern Ireland, and Muldoon's friend and mentor.

The Plot

Jake was a writer whose first book was just a flash in the pan. He tried time after time to write another book that would be as successful as his first book, but he failed. Then he did the next thing he could think of – he taught a writing class.

One student in his class claimed that he had the best plot ever and that anyone could write a great book based on that plot. Once, that man – named Evan Parker – shared what he had in mind as a plot. Unfortunately, Evan didn't write that book. When Jake later researched Evan, he found out that he was dead.

So, Jake decided to write the book and he did. An incredible thing happened then – the book he wrote called 'The Crib' was in great demand. Steven Spielberg would be the director of the film based on the book. Then, Jake met a woman named Anna, they fell in love and after a while they got married. Undoubtedly, Jake was now on the pig's back with life giong his way. But the house of cards began to shake when Jake received an unknown e-mail saying: you are a thief! The e-mail worried Jake, and he feared that he would be branded a fraud who had stolen the plot of the book - one of the worst crimes an author could commit. What should Jake do? At first, he hoped he wouldn't get any more messages – but he was dreaming. The messages never stopped, and after a while things got worse and eventually Jake needed to get his publisher's lawyers involved.

There is another thread in this story in the form of chapters from the imaginary book written by Jake ('The Crib'), interwoven with chapters of 'The Plot'. There are two parallel realities moving forward together, with you getting more information from both all the time. That's a very effective literary device, which adds to the tension and the plot a lot. Anyway, Jake realized he had no other choice but to find out who sent him the messages, and why. It didn't take much time for Jake, working as a detective and going from place to place, to discover strange things. The strangest thing he discovered was that Evan had not imagined the plot at all. I won't reveal anything else for fear of spoiling the story, but I can say that there are still a few more twists and turns left for you in the story.

Recommendations

'The Plot' is not like a James Patterson or Lee Child book. The story moves more slowly and the chapters are longer. But there is more than a thriller involved here too. The author discusses themes that are important today. For example, is it possible to steal a plot at all – what are the rules for that? It is not easy to answer that question in the age of the internet and social media, let alone Artificial Intelligence.

It was very interesting how the author weaved passages from the imaginary book 'The Crib' through this book as well, sharing the plot that Evan had in the beginning.

I would recommend you read 'The Plot', not only as a thriller, although it is a good thriller, but also as a piece of literature, which goes deeper than a detective novel in terms of character development and deals with important themes of this time.

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Long, long ago in the Stone Age, in the golden age of rock music, when the great guitarists were at their peak, there were many superhuman heroes. It is impossible to mention them all, but among them were: Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton, Jimi Page, Rory Gallagher, Eric Bell, Gary Moore and Johnny Fean. Another guitarist named Peter Frampton, who is from England, was also doing well up to the mid-seventies, but he had not yet achieved international fame. Everything changed for him in 1975. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

Early Days

Peter Frampton attended the same secondary school as David Bowie, and Bowie was three years his senior. They both had bands, and often played together between classes. In 1966 at the age of 16, Frampton started as guitarist and singer for the band 'The Herd', and three of their songs topped the charts in the UK. In 1969, he left 'The Herd' and joined another band called 'Humble Pie'. After a few years and four albums, he left that band to go out on his own.

Frampton Comes Alive!

His first efforts, with the albums 'Wind of Change', 'Frampton's Camel' and Somethin's Happening', had little success. His next album, 'Frampton', released in 1975, went up the charts to number 32. In June 1975, Frampton performed a concert at the 'Winterland Arena' in San Fransisco, and it was recorded. That was the basis for the double album 'Frampton Comes Alive', released in 1976. That album was in the 'Billboard 200' charts for two years, and then spent ten weeks at the top of the charts. Three songs from the album also did very well as singles - Show Me the Way', 'Baby, I Love Your Way' and 'Do You Feel Like We Do'.

Frampton released his next album 'I'm in You' in 1977, and although it did quite well, it was not on par with 'Frampton Comes Alive'. Just two years after the release of his 'Frampton Comes Alive' album, he was seriously injured in a car accident. After that, he struggled with drug abuse. Although Frampton continued to play music up to the present day, his era was over and he gradually fell into oblivion.

Resurrection

When I recently heard that Frampton would be performing in San Diego, I immediately bought a couple of tickets. Although I remembered 'Frampton Comes Alive' well, like almost everyone else my age, I had no clue what happened to it in the interim. Then, my wife read an article about Frampton in the local newspaper. He was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease in 2019, which would gradually weaken the muscles in his hands. Although you'd imagine that would be the death knell for Frampton, you'd be wrong. He refused to succumb to that disease, and almost as an act of defiance, he announced some new dates for his world tour. He had to make changes in the way he used his fingers because they weren't as strong as they used to be, and he also had to do a lot of practice. After completing that tour, he organized another tour - 'Never Ever Say Never Tour', because his fingers were still pretty good.

Concert

My wife and I had great seats at the 'Rady Shell' in San Diego. The concert started at 7:30 p.m. and the music stopped until almost 10 p.m. All members of the band were seated, as Frampton had to be seated due to illness. But once we got used to that, we soon forgot about it – the music was that good. They played all the big songs, and they were great. Frampton still has a great voice, as the disease has not damaged his voice. His son, Julian Frampton, came on stage to sing 'Rebel Rebel', David Bowie's famous song, and he was outstanding as a singer. He praised his father saying that he is an inspiring man and a courageous fighter, of whom he is very proud. I completely agree with that point of view, and Peter Frampton is an indomitable spirit, who lifts up our hearts, not only as a great musician, but as a role model for us all!

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