The Coen Brothers are making a movie based on the 1960s folk-singer Dave Van Ronk and the New York folk scene of that era based in Greenwich Village. According to the website Chimesfreedom:
If you watched Martin Sorsese’s documentary about Bob Dylan, No Direction Home, you might recall that one of the most interesting interviewees in the movie was Dave Van Ronk. Van Ronk was a folk singer in Greenwich Village during the 1960s, and he was a friend and supporter to many of the singers who would go on to more fame than he achieved, such as Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Van Ronk passed away in 2002 while he was working on a memoir, which was then completed by his collaborator Elijah Wald. The book, which will be used by the Coens, is titled after one of Van Ronk’s nicknames, The Mayor Of MacDougal Street
I have the Sorsese documentary on DVD and have watched it numerous times and Dave Van Ronk does stand out.
Actors Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund and John Goodman have been cast. Shooting will start in early 2012 in New York according to the IMDB.com.
The picture above is of Dylan, his girlfrend Suze Rotolo and Van Ronk.
