Roger McGuinn joked about the Dylan inspired/mindfuck of the century film I'm Not There, "So, it took seven people to play Dylan?" And its true, seven actors (male, female, young, old, black, white) were used in the Todd Haynes directed film as metaphors for the many lives Dylan has lived in his musical career. The two disc soundtrack, made up entirely of Dylan covers, finds even more Dylan impersonators. There's Stephen Malkmus getting real nasally on "Ballad of a Thin Man," and Cat Power doing her best "awww, mammma" on "Stuck Inside Mobile..." But for me the standout cover of the album is this version of "As I Went Out One Morning" by Brooklyn native and Magic White bandleader Mira Billotte.
Like the others, she does her best to stretch her syllables like taffy and husks up her voice, but where the others sound like they're imitating, Mira is actually creating her own song. Her and her tightly knit band (just bass, drums, and acoustic guitar) give the song a dry toughness not found on the original version, due in part to Mira's confessional style of delivery -a strong contrast to Dylan's half-drunken groans and meandering harmonica. And, strangely enough, this song seems to make more sense sung by a woman!
I offer'd her my hand,
She took me by the arm.
I knew that very instant,
She meant to do me harm.
She took me by the arm.
I knew that very instant,
She meant to do me harm.
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