Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey

This documentary is about Winston Watson and his time on the road with Bob Dylan. On Sept 6, 1992 Watson joined Dylan's band. His friend Charlie Quintana got him the gig. It's a fun story how he got it and how surprised and confused he was at first. Much to his surprise in 1993, he was hired again. No longer did he have Ian Wallace by his side, so no training wheels. About the band at the time : "Here's the raw material, the Dylan songs, make it happen !".

For me the highlights of the shows I saw with Watson in the band, were the London and Utrecht shows in 1993. I hadn't seen him before (I don't think I did any video trading before that) except on some photos, with the double drummers from '92 with Ian Wallace. I didn't like the 92 tour much, with the very laid back drumming of Wallace, and I guess Bob was looking for something different. So this new guy joined, full of energy and beating the snot out of his drum kit ! It took a bit of getting used to, but it made the band feel much more alive.

The film starts off with a bit of background info on Winston. The format is basically Winston telling stories about his time in the Dylan band. Joel and Winston go through the tours chronologically, showing stubs, tour dates and Winston's own tour footage in the background. Also some concert footage is shown. Gilbert picked the best audience recordings available from the time period Winston played in the band. Making it interesting to watch as well as listen. I have to admit it looked a bit weird seeing him in a fancy suit and well groomed !

How did you learn all the songs ? Uhm, I am still learning them !

The stories that are told are very interesting. We get a nice inside look at how Dylan works, the communication is basically through Tony Garnier and from time to time a few comments to the other band members. His stage communication is very subtle. Watson picked up cues from Dylan's body language, and he could tell by Bob's smirks if he liked something or not. Only once, after a dual gig with Santana in '93 at the Hollywood Bowl, did he get called to Dylan's hotel room, who asked "where were you last night ? Do what you're hired for !". What Bob meant was basically be yourself, you're good as it is, don't go showing off. And that was the last time that happened.

Another interesting story was about a newspaper in Hong Kong. Winston thought he had talked to someone from the promo crew but the guy turned out to be a journalist. He was then misquoted as having said "Dylan never talks to me", when actually he said "I haven't talked to him yet" when asked how Dylan liked the show they just did. Dylan slapped the paper in front of him and asked him if it's true that he said that. Of course it wasn't as it wasn't true. Winston had talked to Bob regularly, and Dylan was quite offended by the article. There are of course much more stories told on this dvd, but you'll have to watch it yourself to hear them !

When Bob Dylan asks you to go somewhere, you drop what you're doing and you just go !

The dvd also offers an interesting insight how people approach Dylan. Even the fellow celebrities treat him like he's some sort of demi-god. All in all I am sure it's not easy being Dylan ! People always want something from him, or hear what he has to say about this and that. That must be why he lives a somewhat reclusive life or is always on the road.

All in all a highly enjoyable film. The footage shown throughout is a lot of fun, the whole experience is nicely edited and it all falls together pretty well. Winston is a great guy to listen to, and very very humble. I watched the whole thing in one go, even though I just wanted to take a peek and save it for later. Watson was like a kid in a candy store in Bob's band, and that enthusiasm is shown on screen here as well. He holds Dylan in very high regard. So don't expect any dirty laundry (Dylan in his underwear as Winston puts it), or gossip in this documentary. Everybody who's even remotely interested in life on the road with Dylan and what it does to the members of the band, should get hold of this dvd !

The dvd can be ordered from Highway 61 Entertainment and was edited and directed by Joel Gilbert.

Also available on amazon.com: Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey