An exclusive book excerpt: From Scorsese's cocaine stash to Neil Young's white "booger," plus highlights from the flick by Joni Mitchell, The Band, and Van Morrison.
Wow, I'll check that out. BTW Greg, I think you'd be interested in my latest photography/story book, Cocker Power www.cockerpowerbook.com and the documentary movie that just came out about both the 1970 tour and the 2015 reunion/Tribute concert with TTB, Leon and alumni.
PS, I dated Levon! Yes, that is the word!! Dated... I was only 19 and I'll never forget how much of a gentleman he was with my parents and grandmother, and the change in him once we got out of the house!!! He took me to Sammy Davis Jr.s house where they were recording and then a group of us went to visit Dr. John in his tiny apt in Hollywood, where he had 3 key instruments in his dining room and a swivel chair to play them all. Priceless, then at some point during that weekend, we went to their concert. By the time I got home I had been privy to some of the recording of the 2nd Band album and an amazing array of musicians. Too bad I didn't bring my camera along on that date. !!!
Hi Greg, more of an overall muse but this might make an interesting question for the blog: who is the greatest American songwriter, male or female of the last 60 years? Hint: my vote would not be Bob Dylan. Food for thought...
Good question but of course impossible to settle. Most people on any such survey (best album, best movie etc.) simply vote for their "favorite" or at least something from their adulthood and not really showing awareness of anything or anyone before the year xxxx. Or they stopped listening or watching long ago so how can they judge the past 40 years? Or it's a top of the head vote they might change twenty minutes later, as some admit when making a choice. At least with a song or album or film it's a single entity--but when it's a career thing than you'd have to ask, quality or quantity? Someone who wrote 12 fantastic songs and few dogs so % of great songs very high. Or someone who wrote 30 classic songs but it took 50 years and almost all were early in career? Then there's the question of "most influential" but maybe not "best songwriter, really." Plenty of short-lived or less-than-great artists are in the Rock Hall of Fame but rightly in as "influencers." So who's your pick, in any case?
You make some excellent points but those of us of a certain age who have spent their lives immersed in music personally and professionally – we both qualify – should have an intelligent perspective. And that’s not to say that I don’t admire Dylan. I do, but like Springsteen I feel that his best work is concentrated in a fairly short period of time, and some recordings that others lionize are not important to me. But it’s still hard. Paul Simon is a leading candidate. S & G, then a solo career that roared at its peak from the early 70s to the late 80s. And I love his records from the last decade as well. My sleeper candidate(s) won’t have a great deal of support but if you love Steely Dan like I do – the seven albums between ’72 and ’80 are perfect in every respect IMO and Two Against Nature ain’t half bad – then it’s Fagen and Becker. Then there is the issue of Neil Young. Canadian born, but an American citizen. He doesn’t qualify in my view but if he did then there is enough brilliance in his 50+ albums, many of which are not special, to merit consideration. If you lean to the more commercial side but still with a view to quality and long term resonance then Don Henley has to be in the discussion, not just for his Eagles co-writes but also for The End of the Innocence which was a serious accomplishment. The same could be said for Tom Petty. But I prattle on. Who comes to mind for you?
What a great excerpt! One of my favorite movies about one of my favorite groups and featuring many of my favorite musicians. The Neil Young coke story is one that will always live on in infamy. The other is why Neil Diamond was part of the Last Waltz concert. As with so many stories, the explanation depends on who you ask.
Thanks, yeah, I though Robbie was about to produce a Neil album or something? I had hoped Taplin would get into the adventures in getting Van from the hotel to the hall, quite a saga, and getting him "dressed," but it is told elsewhere.....
That's the story I have always heard as well. Levon confirms as much in his book and really goes to town on the whole episode. (I haven't read Robbie's book yet.) Arguably, it was something of an out-of-left-field inclusion, though I do enjoy Diamond's performance. And Van....whew, that's a whole other topic for another time.
Wow, I'll check that out. BTW Greg, I think you'd be interested in my latest photography/story book, Cocker Power www.cockerpowerbook.com and the documentary movie that just came out about both the 1970 tour and the 2015 reunion/Tribute concert with TTB, Leon and alumni.
PS, I dated Levon! Yes, that is the word!! Dated... I was only 19 and I'll never forget how much of a gentleman he was with my parents and grandmother, and the change in him once we got out of the house!!! He took me to Sammy Davis Jr.s house where they were recording and then a group of us went to visit Dr. John in his tiny apt in Hollywood, where he had 3 key instruments in his dining room and a swivel chair to play them all. Priceless, then at some point during that weekend, we went to their concert. By the time I got home I had been privy to some of the recording of the 2nd Band album and an amazing array of musicians. Too bad I didn't bring my camera along on that date. !!!
Hi Greg, more of an overall muse but this might make an interesting question for the blog: who is the greatest American songwriter, male or female of the last 60 years? Hint: my vote would not be Bob Dylan. Food for thought...
Good question but of course impossible to settle. Most people on any such survey (best album, best movie etc.) simply vote for their "favorite" or at least something from their adulthood and not really showing awareness of anything or anyone before the year xxxx. Or they stopped listening or watching long ago so how can they judge the past 40 years? Or it's a top of the head vote they might change twenty minutes later, as some admit when making a choice. At least with a song or album or film it's a single entity--but when it's a career thing than you'd have to ask, quality or quantity? Someone who wrote 12 fantastic songs and few dogs so % of great songs very high. Or someone who wrote 30 classic songs but it took 50 years and almost all were early in career? Then there's the question of "most influential" but maybe not "best songwriter, really." Plenty of short-lived or less-than-great artists are in the Rock Hall of Fame but rightly in as "influencers." So who's your pick, in any case?
You make some excellent points but those of us of a certain age who have spent their lives immersed in music personally and professionally – we both qualify – should have an intelligent perspective. And that’s not to say that I don’t admire Dylan. I do, but like Springsteen I feel that his best work is concentrated in a fairly short period of time, and some recordings that others lionize are not important to me. But it’s still hard. Paul Simon is a leading candidate. S & G, then a solo career that roared at its peak from the early 70s to the late 80s. And I love his records from the last decade as well. My sleeper candidate(s) won’t have a great deal of support but if you love Steely Dan like I do – the seven albums between ’72 and ’80 are perfect in every respect IMO and Two Against Nature ain’t half bad – then it’s Fagen and Becker. Then there is the issue of Neil Young. Canadian born, but an American citizen. He doesn’t qualify in my view but if he did then there is enough brilliance in his 50+ albums, many of which are not special, to merit consideration. If you lean to the more commercial side but still with a view to quality and long term resonance then Don Henley has to be in the discussion, not just for his Eagles co-writes but also for The End of the Innocence which was a serious accomplishment. The same could be said for Tom Petty. But I prattle on. Who comes to mind for you?
What a great excerpt! One of my favorite movies about one of my favorite groups and featuring many of my favorite musicians. The Neil Young coke story is one that will always live on in infamy. The other is why Neil Diamond was part of the Last Waltz concert. As with so many stories, the explanation depends on who you ask.
Thanks, yeah, I though Robbie was about to produce a Neil album or something? I had hoped Taplin would get into the adventures in getting Van from the hotel to the hall, quite a saga, and getting him "dressed," but it is told elsewhere.....
That's the story I have always heard as well. Levon confirms as much in his book and really goes to town on the whole episode. (I haven't read Robbie's book yet.) Arguably, it was something of an out-of-left-field inclusion, though I do enjoy Diamond's performance. And Van....whew, that's a whole other topic for another time.