Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan [DVD]

Gotta Serve Somebody - The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan is all about redemption. That's apparent enough in the music, where the struggle between sin and salvation is inherent in the tunes that are interpreted here by a host of superb gospel artists. But in a larger sense, the very existence of this DVD (and the Grammy-nominated CD that preceded it in 2003) can be viewed as redemption for Dylan himself, who weathered another controversy and emerged, if not triumphant, then certainly vindicated. When he plugged in an electric guitar in 1965, he was labeled quot;Judasquot; by the folkie faithful; ironically, when he turned to Jesus some 15 years later, proclaiming himself born again and releasing Slow Train Coming and Saved, the outcry was even louder. But once again Dylan has the last laugh, as now, a quarter of a century after the fact, it's clear that the material on those recordings was his strongest not only since 1975's Blood on the Tracks but perhaps since his '60s heyday. The quality of the songs lies in what Jerry Wexler, co-producer of the two Dylan albums, describes as the quot;immaculate funkquot; of the music, and especially in the heartfelt simplicity (especially by Dylan standards) and emotional directness of the lyrics; clearly, that's what attracted great gospel singers like Shirley Caesar (singing quot;Gotta Serve Somebody,quot; the most recognized song on the two Dylan albums), Dottie Peoples (a powerful version of the beautiful quot;I Believe in Youquot;), the Mighty Clouds of Joy (a rockin', sanctified quot;Savedquot;), the Fairfield Four (the stirring, a cappella quot;Are You Readyquot;), and the angel-voiced Aaron Neville (quot;Saving Gracequot;) to this project. We also get Dylan himself, performing quot;When He Returnsquot; at a 1980 concert, along with an animated rendering of his original quot;Gotta Serve Somebody. quot; Hallelujah, y'all. -Sam Graham Amazon. Com

This documentary feature chronicles science fiction author Philip K. Dick, who was famous for creating tales that centered around questions of identity, often pertaining to the real versus unreal and human versus machine. In the film, several luminaries discuss Dick's impact on society and how it affected popular art, such as Robert Anton Wilson, author of the Illuminati trilogy, and Paul Williams, who profiled the author in a 1974 Rolling Stone article that was a catalyst for his elevation amongst fans. Considered an underground writer, Dick built a steady fan base of devout readers and ardent admirers. Just before his period of recognizable fame, the author (portrayed here as a recreational drug user) was burgled and his private safe was blown open with explosives; the vault was later widely believed to be stashed with heroin, with the heist possibly masterminded by a young addict -- who could have been among the group of young people Dick frequently harbored in the early 1970s. Dick also attempted suicide, and firmly believed the "Xerox missive" (a letter) would contribute to his death. At the end of his career, the author was plagued by visions that all but forced him to give up on his "Exegesis," a tome equaling roughly over 10,000 pages that detailed his ruminations on the meaning of life. The Gospel According to Philip K. Dick includes audio clips of interview subjects and animated interludes of the interviews portrayed.