Did Bob Dylan and Joan Baez End Up Together? An Exploration of the Novel “Totally Unknown”

Complete unknown is currently showing in theaters, but what truly transpired between Bob Dylan and Joan Baez? Read on to uncover the authentic story of their relationship.

• READ MORE: Timothée Chalamet on portraying Bob Dylan in “Total Unknown”

The film’s portrayal of iconic musicians

The two folk legends are depicted by Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in the film, which has finally arrived in UK cinemas on Friday (January 17). It narrates Dylan’s ascent as a prominent figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene during the early 1960s, culminating in his controversial performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, where he famously used electric instruments for the first time.

NME released a special edition magazine focusing on the film and Dylan’s legacy. The 26-page review is available now – discover where to purchase it here.

NME rated Complete unknown four stars, stating: “The most significant (and often the most challenging) task in any musical film is to get the music right. And this film excels in that aspect. If you’re a newcomer to Bob, you’ll leave the theater eager to explore his back catalogue. For existing fans, the next few weeks will be spent curating playlists of lesser-known B-sides or diving into stories about scenes you might not know. And that’s why making this movie was a worthwhile endeavor—an ambitious endeavor, but definitely worthwhile.”

• READ MORE: Five compelling reasons to watch Total Unknown even if you’re not a Bob Dylan fan

The creative involvement of Bob Dylan

According to producer Peter Jasen, Dylan himself had a degree of input on the film’s script. “He met with (director) Jim Mangold several times,” he revealed.

“At one instance, they sat down and read the entire script aloud, with Jim Mangold performing all parts and Bob Dylan voicing only his lines. Throughout this process, Dylan took notes on the script. At the conclusion of their final meeting, he signed the script and said, ‘Go with God.’”

Did Bob Dylan and Joan Baez end up together? The romance in Complete unknown explained

Much of the film centers on the developing romantic relationship between Dylan and Baez, which ignited shortly after Dylan’s arrival in New York’s Greenwich Village in 1961.

The pair first encountered each other at Gerde’s Folk City in April of that year, by which time Baez had already claimed her title as the “Queen of Folk” with the release of her self-titled debut album the previous year. Although she initially found Dylan unimpressive, she acknowledged the brilliance of “Song To Woody,” one of two original tracks on his 1962 self-titled debut album.

Their relationship carried on sporadically over the following three years, with Baez inviting Dylan to perform with her at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. This marked the commencement of a series of notable duets between the two during that era.

By the time of Dylan’s UK tour in 1965, however, their relationship had begun to fracture, a dynamic captured in D.A. Pennebaker’s renowned documentary, Don’t look back. Baez later described the abrupt conclusion of their relationship as “heartbreaking.”

Despite the dissolution of their romance, they maintained a collaborative spirit, even during Dylan’s 1975–76 Rolling Thunder Revue tour, a segment of which was filmed and included in Martin Scorsese’s 2019 mockumentary. Watch the clip above.

In a 2023 documentary, Baez reflected on her relationship with Dylan, describing it as “totally demoralizing,” and noted that although she has forgiven him, they are no longer in contact.