Timothée Chalamet has already earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, but last night (Jan. 25), he took to NBC’s Saturday Night Live to perform the legend’s music in a style much more his own.
The actor said in his show-opening monologue that viewers should be prepared for the unexpected. “You might not know the Bob Dylan songs I’m performing, but they’re my personal favorites,” he said. “I’m so grateful Saturday Night Live is still doing weird stuff like this 50 years in. They’re either really nice for letting me do this or incredibly mean and this is all a big prank.”
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Introduced by SNL veteran Adam Sandler and joined by surprise guest James Blake on keyboards, Chalamet traded Dylan’s 1960s-era wardrobe for a winter coat with a hood and sunglasses during his first segment, which found him singing in his own voice rather than Dylan’s signature nasal drawl. He proceeded to perform a medley of “Outlaw Blues” from 1965’s Bringing It All Back Home and “Three Angels” from 1970’s New Morning.
Per Dylan’s official web site, he’s only played “Outlaw Blues” once, on Sept. 20, 2007, in Nashville, and has never performed “Three Angels” live.
The second musical moment featured Chalamet on acoustic guitar for “Tomorrow Is a Long Time,” which dates back to 1962 but wasn’t officially released until 1971’s Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II. It was not performed live again until the 1978 shows that comprised the in-concert collection The Complete Budokan.
A Complete Unknown landed eight nominations for the upcoming Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton as Pete Seeger) and Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez).
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