Joan Baez says she no longer holds “animosity” towards Bob Dylan
Joan Baez has reflected upon her relationship with Bob Dylan and admitted she no longer feels any “animosity” toward the singer-songwriter.
The pair were formerly in a relationship during the early stages of their respective careers. However, as Dylan became a superstar, he broke up with Baez in 1965, which led to her fostering negative feelings towards the musician.
In the new documentary Joan Baez I Am A Noise, which arrived in select cinemas on October 6th, Baez discusses how the end of the relationship affected her. The synopsis for the film reads: “At the end of a 60-year career, legendary singer and activist Joan Baez takes an honest look back and a deep look inward as she tries to make sense of her large, history-making life, and the personal struggles she’s kept private.”
In addition to discussing Baez’s relationship with Dylan, the film also tackles her anxiety which came with her position under the spotlight, her association with Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights movement.
During a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, Baez revealed: “You know, I don’t resent any of it now. One day I was painting his portrait, of when he was really young. I put his music on and I had an epiphany. I cried for about 48 hours. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I was so lucky to know this guy and hear those songs and have those songs.'”
She continued: “Bob was what, 22 or something? I was a kid too, but I had more ability to manage stuff than he had. I think that’s fair to say. But I just don’t have animosity now. I certainly did. It was awful. But that’s done now.”
In the same conversation, Baez also spoke about the current state of America, noting, “Nobody could’ve written the scenario of what’s happening now [post-Trump]. It’s deadly. It’s evil. There’s no caring. It promotes the opposite of empathy. It promotes anger and belittling and bullying. On top of that, there’s climate change, which for me is the most heartbreaking.”
Watch the trailer for Joan Baez I Am A Noise below.
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