While on tour in England (and being filmed for the Pennebaker doc), Bob got the idea to take advantage of the film crew following him around. He sought to make a short music film for French machines called Scopitones, which were visual jukeboxes that played three-minute music videos on 16mm film.
Members of the Dylan entourage – including fellow singer-songwriter Donovan, writer Allen Ginsberg and cohort Bob Neuwirth – helped Bob scrawl portions of his politicized hodgepodge onto flimsy cue cards (which were actually re-appropriated sheets of cardboard from a shirt laundry). Some cards displayed lyrics lifted straight from the song, while others included intentional mistakes, puns and jokes about Dylan's accent ("pawking metaws").
Almost instantly, the clip became famous, enduring as a classic of the short music film (later to become the music video in the MTV era).
– Revisiting Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' Video
