Mike Greenblatt:

In James Mangold’s stunning new film A Complete Unknown, there’s a scene where the 19-year old Bob Dylan visits legendary folksinger Woody Guthrie at a New Jersey hospital in Morris County where the ailing Guthrie spent the majority of his last few years. Dylan loved Woody, so much so that he patterned his entire onstage charisma, lyric-writing and performance tics after the elder composer, going so far as to sing for him in the hospital room a song off his 1962 self-titled debut called “Song To Woody.”

It took years for Dylan to shake off Woody from his public persona. By the time he was a full-fledged rock star, you could barely ascertain the Woody within. “This Land Is Your Land” is Woody’s most famous song. It should be our National Anthem, instead of that awful war song that’s so hard to sing. It debuts on our Hot 100 at #1.

Our “History” section this month is on that great New Jersey artist, Johnny Cash. Just kidding. But know that Cash did, indeed, love the town of Asbury Park so much that he bought, with two friends, a hotel there and would spend time on the beach, at the hotel, and playing pinball in the many arcades. (He told me so himself.) 

“Visual Sound” is loaded this month.  All Systems Go, from Burlington County, makes its debut. Kramer, from Bergen County, has a new band, Squanderers, whose video is rather ambient but still grabs your attention. Rock’n’Roll Hall of famer Ricky Byrd—the former lead guitarist in Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes—has an instrumental Jeff Beck tribute is out and it’s magnificent. Finally, Beau Jarred, the son of Jersey alt-folk Icon Melanie, also makes his debut here with a heartfelt tribute to his mom, covering David Bowie’s “Everybody Says Hi.”

So go ahead and feast on all the sections. If Woody isn’t controversial enough for you, wait’ll you get a load of “Jersey Bookshelf” this month.