It’s surprising enough that Grammy and Oscar-winning producer T Bone Burnett teamed up with Justin Bieber collaborator Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd and Jingle Punks founder Jared Gustadt for a project called Bear and a Banjo that only makes music for films and TV, as Variety revealed on Nov. 17.
Even odder? Bob Dylan — yeah, that Bob Dylan — has gotten in on the action, contributing lyrics to another song from the project, “Gone But Not Forgotten.” Bear and a Banjo previewed the tune in a live performance for brand, tech, media and ad agency execs at the 2017 WPP Stream Conference in Ojai, California on Nov. 15, one of two exclusive showcases the group performed this month to introduce the music for potential use in brand, TV and film projects.
The song’s origins are similar to those of Burnett’s 2014 project “Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes,” which saw musicians like Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James and Rhiannon Giddens performing songs based on previously unrecorded lyrics written by Dylan for a project with founding members of The Band.
Related Stories
VIP+Late-Night TV vs. YouTube: Data-Driven Tips on Which Is Better for Celebs Promoting Films
Bill Hader to Develop HBO Comedy Series With ‘Barry’ Writer Duffy Boudreau (EXCLUSIVE)
Dylan didn’t take part in the recording sessions, but “You could kind of feel his spirit in the room,” Gustadt says. “You knew those were classic lyrics. It was a bizarre, unique collaboration, and just to see his name on the lyrics sheet, it’s pretty crazy.” He says the track was similar to a “Bernie Taupin-Elton John kind of deal” in the way Poo Bear layered musical phrasing on top of Dylan’s lyrics. Burnett was similarly in awe of Poo Bear’s ability to seemingly “conjure” the song during the studio sessions. “Poo Bear did the melody, and Jared and I wrote the chords.
Popular on Variety
“I have no idea why he did it, just Jared’s good luck I guess,” Burnett continues. “But that’s pure Dylan – it’s a great experience, filled with all this stuff that Bob does. I’m sure it’s going in a completely different form than Bob or I would ever have imagined. That’s what’s interesting about these sorts of collaborations – things go places you had no way of predicting.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsMore from Variety
Box Office: ‘Joker 2’ Singing Off-Key With $20 Million Opening Day
Fall Season’s Scripted Reduction Bodes Badly for Broadcast TV
Why Critically Panned ‘Joker 2’ Could Still Be in the Awards Race for Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix
Even With Lady Gaga, ‘Joker 2’ Will Struggle to Match 2019’s ‘Joker’ in Box Office Debut
Does Streaming Hurt Theaters? This Survey Says It Helps
‘Joker 2’ Director Says Arthur Fleck Was Never Joker: ‘He’s an Unwitting Icon’ and Joker Is ‘This Idea That Gotham People Put on Him’
Most Popular
Inside the 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Debacle: Todd Phillips ‘Wanted Nothing to Do’ With DC on the $200 Million Misfire
‘Kaos’ Canceled After One Season at Netflix
‘Menendez Brothers’ Netflix Doc Reveals Erik’s Drawings of His Abuse and Lyle Saying ‘I Would Much Rather Lose the Murder Trial Than Talk About Our…
Kathy Bates Won an Oscar and Her Mom Told Her: ‘You Didn't Discover the Cure for Cancer,’ So ‘I Don't Know What All the Excitement Is About…
Saoirse Ronan Says Losing Luna Lovegood Role in ‘Harry Potter’ Has ‘Stayed With Me Over the Years’: ‘I Was Too Young’ and ‘Knew I Wasn't Going to Get…
‘Joker 2’ Director Says Arthur Fleck Was Never Joker: ‘He's an Unwitting Icon’ and Joker Is ‘This Idea That Gotham People Put on Him…
‘Joker 2’ Axed Scene of Lady Gaga’s Lee Kissing a Woman at the Courthouse Because ‘It Had Dialogue in It’ and ‘Got in the Way’ of a Music…
Andrew Garfield Says Sex Scene With Florence Pugh in ‘We Live in Time’ Went a ‘Little Bit Further’ Than Intended: ‘We Never Heard Cut…
‘Skyfall’ Director Sam Mendes Says James Bond Studio Prefers Filmmakers ‘Who Are More Controllable’: ‘I Would Doubt’ I’d…
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried to Star in ‘The Housemaid’ Adaptation From Director Paul Feig, Lionsgate
Must Read
- Film
COVER | Sebastian Stan Tells All: Becoming Donald Trump and Starring in 2024’s Most Controversial Movie
By Andrew Wallenstein 3 weeks
- TV
Menendez Family Slams Netflix’s ‘Monsters’ as ‘Grotesque’ and ‘Riddled With Mistruths’: ‘The Character Assassination of Erik and Lyke Is Repulsive…
- TV
‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2 to Air on CBS After Paramount Network Debut
- TV
50 Cent Sets Diddy Abuse Allegations Docuseries at Netflix: ‘It’s a Complex Narrative Spanning Decades’ (EXCLUSIVE)
- Shopping
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Sets Digital and Blu-ray/DVD Release Dates
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Variety Confidential
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKDjqasrKGTZLumw9JomaiaXZnGra3NZq6roaSawG642KugnKtdm7yzedKopaBlkq56tXnBqKWeZZKqv6%2Bx061kmqaUYre2v9OipWaamZqvpr6MnKalpJGXvLOt06ipZqifpHqjscCrZJ6wk6HCtLXVnmRqamBng3KEkGxsaA%3D%3D