Canada Files Ep 7: Robbie Robertson

[@robertacofie7387]

What a fantastic interview. Now I know Robbie! Thank you.

[@nicholasrosebush6182]

Robbie Robertson’s self titled solo Album is an absolute masterpiece.

[@krisscanlon4051]

I found it to be rustic yet modern sounding...the Band/RR had adapted to the late 80s

[@jamesbond4633]

Garth Hudson was from London, Ontario, Rick Danko from Simcoe, Richard Manuel from Stratford Ontario and of course Robbie from Toronto and the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford Ontario. I have been to all those places and live in Southern Ontario. John Till who played with Janis Joplin in the Full Tilt Boogie Band was from Stratford as well. Robbie went down south at 16 to be at the heart and to find out and be a part of the early blues and rock and roll scene. Kind of ironic all those artists came from a certain area here in Ontario. They will all be missed along with Levon. Garth is the last one standing but is old and frail these days. Time always moves on and things change but the music is timeless as Robbie said in this interview. Listening to The Band and some of Robbie's solo music like Fallen Angel ...a song about Richard Manuel...stops time for a moment. That is something to be proud of for all these brilliant and soulful musicians.

[@EvelynBolme]

R.R. Was a genius

[@dreamwell2020]

When the first wave of Rock & Roll hit, Robbie was ready for it, but he heard it as an outsider. His wanting to be a part of that revolution was what drove him early on. He could not have done better than connecting with Levon.

[@imannonymous7707]

Dont sacrifice your art ... follow your heart.... . there's alot to be learned by the bands conviction by staying true to their collective muse

[@kbv3263]

So are we expecting a Testimony volume 2 or will it rather be a book written by someone else??

[@SillyBillies1]

Robbie is what we call a "Canerican"

[@geekay1349]

Robbie was a musical expeditionary

[@volkmarschocke1586]

I do like this feature but there is something about the introduction that bothers me. If one calls Robbie the leader of The Band he is withholding that they didn't have a leader in their heyday and didn't need one. Yes in some sense he became leader of The Band later on, after the drugs came in. But there are contradictions in Robbies story and Levon's. P.S. Unfortunately there is no way to watch ONCE WERE BROTHERS here in Europe.

[@rosedale71]

You raise a fair point about leadership, Volkmar. I found it interesting that Robbie denies there was some animosity, when Levon clearly had some nasty things to say about the breakup and the way it all happened. But I understand they reconciled somewhat before Levon died. Thanks for your comment, and thanks for watching! Jim Deeks

[@volkmarschocke1586]

@@rosedale71 Thanks for submitting, Jim. Good to hear that Levon and Robbie laid down their animosities before Levon died. But I'm afraid there would have been new reasons after Robbie (and presumably Martin Scorsese) had been coming up with the idea of subtiteling the movie "Story of Robbie and The Band". Volkmar

[@rosedale71]

@@volkmarschocke1586 I wasn't aware of that! I would've objected too, if I'd been Levon. Cheers...

[@volkmarschocke1586]

Note this interesting article from Arkansas www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/apr/10/take-a-load-off-robbie-20200410/

[@lukeamosch]

@@rosedale71 I've heard many times that the "reconciliation" was more a figment of Robbie's mind than it was reality.

[@greglarry11]

The statement about The Band, by Robbie that, "nobody came back... we forgot to come back." That is clearly wrong. Sorry, they all continued to play together as The Band for many years without him. I love Robbie and respect him a lot, but the rift over publishing between him and Levon was a big factor in the fact he never played with them (Levon) again.

[@cymbelinedark4233]

Yes, the others came back together as a performing unit quite a few years later, but RR has told this story in many contexts and explicitly talks about a studio session they had scheduled sometime (weeks, months) after The Last Waltz concert, but no one else showed up. I have seen quite a few articles/interviews from the late 1970s where it's clear they (or at least he) intended them to continue as a studio effort, but if no one comes...

[@brazosbound]

@@cymbelinedark4233 3

[@helmutsecke3529]

“something” of a shackle, not “somewhat”

[@jeffkaufman9875]

@Helmut Are you by any chance with the Semantics Police?

[@joeurbanowski321]

Nothing against Robbie.. I love him. But-he seemed to get more and more “full of it..” in regards to the Grand Plan as time went by..LOL

[@Sdutt_author]

Not quite