Trivia

He was the primary inspiration for the title character in the Coen Brothers' film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).

Despite his Dutch sounding surname, his heritage was mostly Irish.

Upon his death, his remains were interred at the First Presbyterian Church in New York City.

A seminal figure in the 1960s folk scene. He was a friend, colleague and something of a mentor for the young Bob Dylan when the later came to Greenwich Village in 1961. Van Ronk was one of the few folkies to publically support Dylan after he went "electric" and started playing rock music.

He was involved in many radical left-wing causes, including the Workers League, was a dues paying member of Industrial Workers of The World (IWW) up until his death.

He never learned how to drive a car.

Shipped out twice as a Merchant Marine.

Was a Trotskyist.

Wrote reviews for the folk fanzine "Caravan" under the nom de plume Blind Rafferty.

In 1957 he co-founded Folksingers Guild. It lasted until 1958.

Other than a brief period of living in California in the early 1960s, he spent his entire life in New York City and was disinterested in ever moving away.

In 1974, he appeared at "An Evening For Salvador Allende", a concert organized by Phil Ochs, alongside such other performers as his old friend Bob Dylan, to protest the overthrow of the democratic socialist government of Chile and to aid refugees from the U.S.-backed military junta led by Augusto Pinochet.

He was a fan of science fiction stories.

He had a fear of flying and refused to do so for many years.