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RIP: Garth Hudson, 87
Posted on 1/21/25 at 10:47 am
Posted on 1/21/25 at 10:47 am
Posted on 1/21/25 at 10:54 am to InkStainedWretch
Damn
The last one
RIP - The Band
The last one
RIP - The Band
Posted on 1/21/25 at 11:23 am to InkStainedWretch
Damn.
He outlived Robbie and that bitch Cathy Smith, though. I know he was happy about that.
RIP
He outlived Robbie and that bitch Cathy Smith, though. I know he was happy about that.
RIP
Posted on 1/21/25 at 12:55 pm to InkStainedWretch
This one makes me sad. Garth was a brilliant musician, he could play anything
Posted on 1/21/25 at 1:11 pm to InkStainedWretch
Man. That sucks.
All the greats are 80, about to be 80, or all up in their 80’s.
All the greats are 80, about to be 80, or all up in their 80’s.
Posted on 1/21/25 at 1:17 pm to InkStainedWretch
Goodbye to an excellent musician , and a better instructor. The Bands together again!
Posted on 1/21/25 at 2:54 pm to Burger55
quote:
The Bands together again!
I thought Levon Helm hated Robertson for stealing writing credits.
Posted on 1/21/25 at 4:35 pm to InkStainedWretch
the best band in the land, all gone now
Posted on 1/21/25 at 6:10 pm to rebelrouser
That’s BS. John Simon who produced the first two Band albums and was with them during the creative process said Robbie absolutely wrote those songs, and Larry Campbell who was Levon’s band leader in his later years said Levon was not capable of sitting down and writing a song but he thought he deserved credit for suggesting a topic or adding a drum fill.
Robbie caught s**t for the last half of his life from Band fans for selling out and going Hollywood while Levon was beloved for staying true to rock and roll.
The truth is that Rick, Garth, Richard and Levon all had publishing points in the songs. Rick and Richard sold theirs back to Robbie because they needed cash to buy booze and dope, and people have criticized Robbie for doing that but he said better a friend than some yahoo on the street.
Levon never sold his publishing points, neither did Garth, so until the day they both died they were collecting money off the songs, including the ones credited to Robbie.
The problem is that it wasn’t enough for Levon who never lost his rock and roll star tastes; Larry Campbell said even when they were basically doing one-night stands Levon insisted on a suite and premium quality room service sushi when they were on the road.
The thing is, if Levon needed money he should have done more acting because he was a marvelous actor. People fuss about the closeups of Robbie in “The Last Waltz.” Hell, Levon owned the screen every time the camera was on him. Go look up his cameo in “Shooter.” He was incredible, just mesmerizing.
Levon was basically just bitter that Robbie folded the group and, again, “went Hollywood and sold out to the man.” He used to ridicule Martin Scorsese in interviews, when Robbie and Scorsese were BFFs for a lot longer than Robbie and Levon worked together.
Robbie didn’t start out being the only songwriter, Richard had some great songs on Big Pink, but then he climbed into a liquor bottle for good and lost his muse. (He was a horrible alcoholic early in life, they almost didn’t let him into the group because of that.) And Rick and Levon got into heroin. And Rick, Levon and Richard were drinking, doping, whoring and wrecking cars all over the Catskills playing rock and roll star.
Robbie was the relative adult in the room and was trying to keep the group together; it’s a miracle it didn’t implode after the second album.
Robbie caught s**t for the last half of his life from Band fans for selling out and going Hollywood while Levon was beloved for staying true to rock and roll.
The truth is that Rick, Garth, Richard and Levon all had publishing points in the songs. Rick and Richard sold theirs back to Robbie because they needed cash to buy booze and dope, and people have criticized Robbie for doing that but he said better a friend than some yahoo on the street.
Levon never sold his publishing points, neither did Garth, so until the day they both died they were collecting money off the songs, including the ones credited to Robbie.
The problem is that it wasn’t enough for Levon who never lost his rock and roll star tastes; Larry Campbell said even when they were basically doing one-night stands Levon insisted on a suite and premium quality room service sushi when they were on the road.
The thing is, if Levon needed money he should have done more acting because he was a marvelous actor. People fuss about the closeups of Robbie in “The Last Waltz.” Hell, Levon owned the screen every time the camera was on him. Go look up his cameo in “Shooter.” He was incredible, just mesmerizing.
Levon was basically just bitter that Robbie folded the group and, again, “went Hollywood and sold out to the man.” He used to ridicule Martin Scorsese in interviews, when Robbie and Scorsese were BFFs for a lot longer than Robbie and Levon worked together.
Robbie didn’t start out being the only songwriter, Richard had some great songs on Big Pink, but then he climbed into a liquor bottle for good and lost his muse. (He was a horrible alcoholic early in life, they almost didn’t let him into the group because of that.) And Rick and Levon got into heroin. And Rick, Levon and Richard were drinking, doping, whoring and wrecking cars all over the Catskills playing rock and roll star.
Robbie was the relative adult in the room and was trying to keep the group together; it’s a miracle it didn’t implode after the second album.
Posted on 1/21/25 at 9:25 pm to InkStainedWretch
RIP. The music tree flowing out of The Band probably touches more great musicians than any other single source. There will never be another.
Posted on 1/21/25 at 10:38 pm to InkStainedWretch
I want to hate Robbie but believe just about every word of this...being less likeable doesn't make you less truthful and I know he was running the asylum for most of their run.
RIP Garth...I love that damn clav riff on Cripple Creek
RIP Garth...I love that damn clav riff on Cripple Creek
Posted on 1/21/25 at 11:14 pm to drockw1
Robbie wrote every word of his autobiography, personally. (Levon's that was so full of bile against Robbie was ghost written.)
If you haven't read Robbie's book, you need to. It's absolutely his take on things, and the real truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but it rings so true.
He was a big-city sharpie compared to the others except for Garth. He was no saint by any means but he didn't party as crazy as the others, he hung around the Brill Building in New York to learn the songwriting business. He used to go to the damn library and read American Heritage magazine to get song ideas. He always wanted to get into the movies even when The Band was still The Hawks, while the others were chasing groupies and Levon was allegedly impregnating Cathy Smith, Robbie was running around with Andy Warhol and the stars of Ingmar Bergman movies.
And The Band was an absolute asylum, those guys may have looked like country boys but Levon, Rick and Richard especially took a back seat to nobody as far as rock star excess. (Garth was off on his own cloud making music.)
Robbie's book is filled with love for them, however, but he basically says, "Levon Helm looked me in the eye and lied to me that he wasn't messing with China White heroin which is bad stuff."
He tells of giving Levon the keys to his Mercedes knowing full well that Levon was going to wrap it around a tree, which he did, but he handed over the keys because Levon was his friend and he loved him.
And fitting this site, he tells of trying to talk to Levon on group business but Levon had his nose buried in an Arkansas Razorbacks football game on TV and wasn't listening to a word they said.
Again, it was an abject miracle the thing didn't implode in 1970 and it was only because of Robbie being the boss that it limped along until 1976.
And Levon supposedly resented it because "he wasn't in it for his health," but Robbie pulled the plug because he was afraid one of the others was going to die. Not long before The Last Waltz, Richard nearly broke his damn neck trying to water ski drunk.
But God Almighty, didn't that combination of five messed up people make some of the most exquisite music there ever was ... maybe we should all remember that and not anything else.
If you haven't read Robbie's book, you need to. It's absolutely his take on things, and the real truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but it rings so true.
He was a big-city sharpie compared to the others except for Garth. He was no saint by any means but he didn't party as crazy as the others, he hung around the Brill Building in New York to learn the songwriting business. He used to go to the damn library and read American Heritage magazine to get song ideas. He always wanted to get into the movies even when The Band was still The Hawks, while the others were chasing groupies and Levon was allegedly impregnating Cathy Smith, Robbie was running around with Andy Warhol and the stars of Ingmar Bergman movies.
And The Band was an absolute asylum, those guys may have looked like country boys but Levon, Rick and Richard especially took a back seat to nobody as far as rock star excess. (Garth was off on his own cloud making music.)
Robbie's book is filled with love for them, however, but he basically says, "Levon Helm looked me in the eye and lied to me that he wasn't messing with China White heroin which is bad stuff."
He tells of giving Levon the keys to his Mercedes knowing full well that Levon was going to wrap it around a tree, which he did, but he handed over the keys because Levon was his friend and he loved him.
And fitting this site, he tells of trying to talk to Levon on group business but Levon had his nose buried in an Arkansas Razorbacks football game on TV and wasn't listening to a word they said.
Again, it was an abject miracle the thing didn't implode in 1970 and it was only because of Robbie being the boss that it limped along until 1976.
And Levon supposedly resented it because "he wasn't in it for his health," but Robbie pulled the plug because he was afraid one of the others was going to die. Not long before The Last Waltz, Richard nearly broke his damn neck trying to water ski drunk.
But God Almighty, didn't that combination of five messed up people make some of the most exquisite music there ever was ... maybe we should all remember that and not anything else.
Posted on 1/21/25 at 11:22 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
But God Almighty, didn't that combination of five messed up people make some of the most exquisite music there ever was ... maybe we should all remember that and not anything else.
Above all else, my takeaway...what an ensemble, warts and all
Posted on 1/21/25 at 11:26 pm to drockw1
At their best …
This post was edited on 1/21/25 at 11:37 pm
Posted on 1/21/25 at 11:38 pm to InkStainedWretch
This has nothing to do with Garth but for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie “Shooter,” check this scene with Levon out. Is he not friggin’ electric on the screen?
Posted on 1/22/25 at 10:29 am to InkStainedWretch
quote:well maybe for just the next few days we could remember garth hudson, who died yesterday and has this very thread dedicated to his memory
maybe we should all remember that and not anything else
Posted on 1/22/25 at 3:03 pm to InkStainedWretch
I never knew that was Levon. I've seen that scene many times, including recently.
Posted on 1/22/25 at 3:04 pm to cgrand
I get what you're saying but with him being the last one, it's hard to separate him from the group.
That group meant an awful lot to an awful lot of people and were as influential as any group that ever walked into a studio or stepped on a stage.
That group meant an awful lot to an awful lot of people and were as influential as any group that ever walked into a studio or stepped on a stage.
This post was edited on 1/22/25 at 3:05 pm
Posted on 1/23/25 at 1:07 am to drockw1
quote:
I want to hate Robbie but believe just about every word of this...being less likeable doesn't make you less truthful and I know he was running the asylum for most of their run.
I don't know why a fan of the band should hate him. Rewatching The Last Waltz after knowing more about their lives and personal dynamics, he seems to be saying in the nicest possible way that "it's been fun, but I'd like to live, and to be able do other things." It's pretty understandable. They were still fairly young guys at that point.
R.I.P. Garth.
Posted on 1/23/25 at 1:09 am to InkStainedWretch
quote:
At their best …
The Black Crowes opened up w/ the Band's arrangement of Don't Do It one year at JazzFest (2004 maybe?). Probably the best version of that song I'll ever have the chance to see live.
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