Timothée Chalamet is once again a Best Actor Oscar nominee, this time for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. He flaunted his acting and singing chops as both the host and musical guest of last night’s Saturday Night Live. He was only the fifth person not primarily known as a recording artist to host and perform a traditional musical segment in the same episode, following Lily Tomlin (in 1975 and 1983), Desi Arnaz (1976), Gary Busey (1979), and Deion Sanders (1995). That would be an interesting dinner party.
In his monologue Chalamet said, “You might not know the Bob Dylan songs I’m performing, but they’re my personal favorites.” So none were from A Complete Unknown, and sorry to those hoping for a Timmy Tim revival. Calling back to a joke from Nikki Glazer's recent Golden Globes hosting stint, Adam Sandler appeared to introduce Chal-o-may's first musical performance, a medley of "Outlaw Blues" (from Dylan’s 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home) and "Three Angels" (from 1970’s New Morning), the latter featuring James Blake on piano in his SNL debut. (Dylan himself only performed "Outlaw Blues" in concert once and has never played "Three Angels" live.) Real Dylan heads might’ve also noticed the soundbite of Douglas Levison, the viral “trumpet guy” who yelled about walking Dylan onstage in 1975, playing as the music began. For the second performance Chalamet was again joined by Blake, and played acoustic guitar for "Tomorrow Is A Long Time,” which first appeared on record as a live track on 1971’s Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II.
Also in the night's episode, surprise guest Lin-Manuel Miranda rapped as Alexander Hamilton in a cold open about the Founding Fathers, until James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump cut him off. Surprisingly, Johnson did not reprise his modern Dylan impression! See episode highlights below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oDtSQVj0qzg
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFSsT6oicxR/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
