Honest With Me

May 6, 2005 8:45 AM

Honest With Me: Musical Stories on Bob Dylan "KEXP [Seattle] presents a series of stories on the musical life of Bob Dylan. Told by Dylan’s friends, scholars and fans, 'Honest With Me' features firsthand accounts from Joan Baez, Al Kooper, Izzy Young and the Band’s Robbie Robertson." And they're all pretty great, even if you've heard some of the stories a hundred times.
posted by ericost (8 comments total)

Not to be too pedantic, but Robertson is no longer touring with The Band.

More importantly, this is a great find. Thanks!
posted by docgonzo at 8:55 AM on May 6, 2005

I love posts to Dylan material. Such a fascinating guy.

Thanks, ericost.
posted by PhatLobley at 9:12 AM on May 6, 2005

No band is The Band without Robertson, Danko, or Manuel involved. And with two of those it's not optional.

Great stuff though ericost - thanks!
posted by mikel at 10:50 AM on May 6, 2005

Excellent. Thanks ericost.
(mikel, don't be forgetting Levon Helm - his voice is awesome on Up on Cripple Creek ) [but yeah....The Band will be no more. Poor Richard is playing mood keyboards in heaven]
posted by peacay at 10:59 AM on May 6, 2005

For sure - I was limiting the list to those who have a) never come back to the group after The Last Waltz, or b) died.

AFAIK Levon Helm is still alive - though a friend has reported over the years that he's pretty sick - as is Garth "early case of Aspergers?" Hudson.
posted by mikel at 11:06 AM on May 6, 2005

Unfortunately Levon Helms' voice has been has also been silenced - by throat cancer in his case.

When I saw them in 1998 (at Helm's short-lived New Orleans club) he had to leave all the singing to Rick Danko, so I think Danko's death must have finished the group for good.
posted by timeistight at 11:11 AM on May 6, 2005

The post-Robbie stuff was never as good as their with-Robbie stuff, IMHO -- it's a classic example of the Lennon/McCartney axiom of rock and roll: The sum of the whole was so much bigger than the sum of the parts.

Still, I was lucky enough to see Levon Helm and the Barnburners at a grotty club on Spadina in Toronto a couple of years ago -- I won't soon forget Levon and co. barrelling in through the front door, shaking my hand, a glass of rye in the other -- and although Levon has been silenced, his playing is still as gorgeous as ever.
posted by docgonzo at 11:37 AM on May 6, 2005

The Band was one of those unique cases where, in my opinion, all of the members were truly indispensible. each one them brought so much to the whole that the removal of any of them brings a major drop in quality.
posted by jonmc at 11:43 AM on May 6, 2005