Hollywood Flashback: Sam Peckinpah Put Bob Dylan Through the Wringer
Peckinpah was at his ranch near Durango, Mexico. It was a sweltering day when he lounged in a tub, bare, regaling onlookers with stories, when Dylan made an entrance. Katy Jurado, the actress, was serving drinks. Spottiswoode recalls Peckinpah saying, “Bring Bobby Dylan a drink, Bobby Dylan needs a drink.” Peckinpah kept mispronouncing Dylan’s name and making him uneasy. “It seemed to me that Dylan didn’t enjoy being surrounded by strangers, or perhaps he just wasn’t fond of them,” Spottiswoode added. However, Peckinpah wouldn’t let him leave. He said something like, “I hear you play a great guitar, right? And you write songs and things?” Dylan replied hesitantly, “Uh, yeah, uh …” Peckinpah persisted, “Well, Bobby, I’d love to hear a tune. Play us a tune.” “I don’t usually do that,” Dylan said. “You don’t have a guitar?” Peckinpah urged, “Katy, Katy, get him a guitar! There’s a mariachi band playing out there; the man needs a guitar!