Timothée Chalamet has been busily proving his Bob Dylan bona fides ever since he was cast as the great songwriter in “A Complete Unknown.” He has studied guitar and singing, immersed himself in Dylan lore, worn carefully researched Dylan outfits and mastered a passable imitation of Dylan’s speaking and singing voices.
On Saturday, with his Oscar campaign for best actor revving up, he hosted “Saturday Night Live” and sang Dylan songs, doubling as musical guest. He vouched for credibility like many another Dylan fan: picking songs from the deep catalog instead of obvious hits. “You might not know the Bob Dylan songs I’m performing, but they’re my personal favorites,” he said in his monologue.
He chose folky, electric and spoken-word songs. “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” was demoed in the early 1960s, but was recorded by others (Judy Collins, Odetta, Ian & Sylvia, the Kingston Trio, Elvis Presley) before Dylan’s own 1963 version was released in 1971. “Outlaw Blues” came from Dylan’s 1965 electric breakthrough album, “Bringing It All Back Home,” and “Three Angels” was on Dylan’s 1970 album, “New Morning.” Although Dylan has sung “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” on various tours, he has never performed “Three Angels” in concert and has only sung “Outlaw Blues” onstage once.
Chalamet delivered the songs as earnest homages — not imitating Dylan’s nasality as slavishly as he did in “A Complete Unknown,” but still echoing Dylan’s phrasing in his own voice. Visually, however, he brought a star’s full prerogatives: costumes, lights and video, as well a band that included the English songwriter and producer James Blake on keyboards.
Instead of keeping the focus on the musicians, as Dylan does in concert, Chalamet surrounded himself with visual aids — perhaps in the belief that young listeners need them. Strobes flashed as he sang three (out of the five) verses of “Outlaw Blues,” while Chalamet wore the “dark sunglasses” and video screens showed the “mountain range” (presumably Australian) mentioned in the lyrics. Wearing a hooded parka — the lyrics mention “nine below zero” — Chalamet grinned with undisguised glee as he delivered the song’s best zinger: “Don’t ask me nothin’ about nothin’ / I just might tell you the truth.”
Dylan’s “Three Angels” is one of his oddest songs. It’s a calmly recited scenario, set to gospel-tinged organ, that envisions angels making music as an unnoticed backdrop to mundane events. Chalamet’s version, segued from “Outlaw Blues,” was gussied up with animated video images from the lyrics, electronic effects on vocals and extra lyrics elaborating on Dylan’s laconic lines — none of them necessary.
Dylan’s one appearance as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” came on Oct. 20, 1979, when he was in his Christian phase and performed three songs from his album “Slow Train Coming”: “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “I Believe in You” and “When You Gonna Wake Up.”
For his second performance, Chalamet returned in restrained, folkie guise for the quietly sublime love song “Tomorrow Is a Long Time.” He fingerpicked an acoustic guitar in Dylan’s original key and tempo, joined by a respectfully subdued band. Meanwhile, a backdrop of giant video close-ups emphasized the star over the song. It was a clear tribute to Dylan’s music, but with a whiff of self-promotion, too.
