With the new Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” to be released Dec. 25, does Dinkytown pay enough homage to the Noble Laureate that once called it home? 

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By Matt Zeichert / The Hubbard School

As Bob Dylan once sang, “The times they are a-changin,’” and so is the community he once called home. 

Dinkytown, the formerly beatnik community nestled between the University of Minnesota campus and the Como neighborhood, bears only one piece of artwork recognizing the folk singer formerly known as Robert Zimmerman. The recently repainted “Positively 4th Street” mural, directly across from the Arvonne Fraser Library, displays Bob Dylan’s likeness.

But beyond this, Dylan is hard to find in Dinkytown. 

Jon Bream, author of “Dylan: Disc By Disc” and music critic for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, agreed and said the lack of Dylan recognition in the community boils down to one thing.

“Dinkytown is being reimagined,” Bream said. 

It’s hard to argue with that point given the construction of multi-storied apartment complexes and the dominance of national franchises that have chased away the distinctive small businesses that made Dinkytown distinct.

An upcoming biopic might get people interested.  “A Complete Unknown”, starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, arrives in movie theaters nationwide December 25. 

If you look, Dinkytown has Dylan written all over it. Bream argues it was a pivotal influence on his growth as a person and a musician.

“I think (Dinkytown) is more important to (Dylan) than a lot of people think. He broadened his musical horizons in Dinkytown. When he lived in Hibbing, he only knew about what was on the radio.” 

Not only did Dylan’s music knowledge evolve while attending the University of Minnesota, but so did his style. “Most of the time he dressed pretty conventional, but he sort of changed when he plugged into the Dinkytown scene,” said Bream. 

According to Bream, “the hipsters and the Bohemians hung out in Dinkytown,” making it the obvious hangout for the young lyricist, who grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota. 

How should Dinkytowners honor or recognize Dylan? 

Places Dylan frequented are up for consideration. This includes Gray’s Drugstore, Dylan’s former pad, which is now planned for a reconstruction that will effectively knock it down. 

Bream was blunt: “If you knock it down, what good would it be to have a plaque that says Bob Dylan lived here?” 

Bream waffled on the idea of building a statue of Bob Dylan’s likeness in Dinkytown, saying people in Dinkytown “have enough on their plate” without worrying about erecting a statue. 

Bream said online maps are available for self-guided Dylan tours. “He’s certainly represented in Minnesota (as a whole),” Bream said. 

But chances are, you won’t see Dylan walking the streets, Bream said. Dylan doesn’t do anything in a public way as an act of self-protection. 

“He’s got a lot on his mind. He’s pretty introverted,” Bream said.“If you talk to him like a normal person, he’ll talk to you like a normal person.” 

But running into Dylan isn’t impossible. Dylan owns a home outside the Twin Cities and even owned the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis for some time.