Columbia/SME Records, Sony Music, and Bob Dylan's management gave Martin Scorsese access to its vaults, something Dylan has never given to any documentary filmmaker.
Martin Scorsese never met or discussed the film with Bob Dylan during filming. However he worked extensively with him during the filming of The Last Waltz (1978).
The documentary, describing the 1960 New York folk scene, served as an inspiration to Justin Timberlake for his part in the Coen brothers' related drama Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).
The title of this documentary comes from a line in the chorus of "Like A Rolling Stone".
The black cylindrical case that Allen Ginsberg was resting his hand upon during his interview was a Manfrotto camera tripod case the crew brought along with them for the interview.