Testimony: A Memoir Paperback – October 3, 2017

The majority of great writing about Rock N Roll has been done by either journalists (Lester Bangs, of "Cream" magazine, Jann Wenner and Ben-Fong Torres of "Rolling Stone") or Academics with journalistic experience (Peter Guralnick, LAST TRAIN TO MEMPHIS, CARELESS LOVE, DREAM BOOGIE and SAM PHILLIPS). But every once in a while, one of those "in the trenches" with enough writing talent manages to cobble up either a highly readable tome (BORN TO RUN by Bruce Springsteen) or a highly readable, hard-to-look-away-from tell-alls (I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD by Crystal Zevon). Every now and then, one of them writes a true classic: like TESTIMONY by Robbie Robertson.Yeah, Robertson's memoir of his early days as a rock N roll guitarist -- and founding member of "the Band" -- contains some of the "Entertainment Tonight" kind of material -- like an affair with Carly Simon (Robertson played guitar on "Mockingbird") -- but it's kept to a minimum. For the most part, Robertson sticks to narration about making music, writing songs, and the more than occasional encounter with an icon. And those encounters with icons make for both humorous as well as insightful tales of the men and women who became famous Rock N rollers: Robertson's fortuitous timing in his travels with Ronnie Hawkins and, later, the group that would become known as The Band, had him bumping into Jimmi Hendrix, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond and, of course, Bob Dylan.His first encounter with an icon -- when still a young, 15-year-old, fan -- was with Buddy Holly, who was so down-to-earth he shared a tip on how to get the "Buddy Holly" sound while playing guitar. Other memorable stories involve everyone from Dylan (naturally) and Keith Moon -- both saved from drowning, oddly enough (one in a bathtub, one in the ocean) -- to run-ins with Marlon Brando and Salvador Dali.And, of course, the heart of the story: Robertson's time with The Band, from its formation (when Robertson and fellow Canadians, Manuel, Hudson and Danko, joined up with Ronnie Hawkins and his drummer, Levon Helm) to its eventual break-up, which was initiated by Robertson (who had had enough of the Rock N Roll band touring life). As noted by others, Robertson doesn't delve deeply into the issue of song-writing credit; but he DOES tell some tales that should offer enough proof of authorship (such as seeing the label, "Nazareth, PA" inside of an acoustic guitar, before he wrote "The Weight"). Likely due to respect (for his fellow bandmates) and NOT having the need to prove himself, Robertson doesn't get into details about the semi-famous (in Rock circles, and in fan circles) Levon Helm-fomented feud over song-writing royalties. But anyone truly wondering about the truth of the matter could have seen, long ago, that Levon Helm never had what it took to be a writer (6 post band albums bearing his name contain not a single Helm-penned tune), and that Danko and Manuel didn't have the drive it takes to continue with their fledgling efforst after "Music From Big Pink" (Danko mainly co-wrote songs with others; Manuel managed to pen a few songs of his own, and co-write a few others). Danko's lack of writing ambition led to only an album or two in the Post-band era (containing mostly co-written material, or old, Robbie Robertson material) and Richard Manuel's problems with drugs and then alcoholism led to an early loss of self-control and an early demise.Aside from the fact that his ego and insecurities got the better of him -- so he spent too many waking moments spreading untruths about Robertson -- one particular revelation about talented drummer and vocalist Levon Helm explains a lot of the paranoia that seeped through his bitter comments: he was a heroin addict. At one point, Robertson gives up on the friendship when he discovers Helm didn't actually give up his heroin, as he had claimed (having first discovered Robertson, Helm and the rest of The Band via "the Last Waltz", in hindsight this revelation isn't so shocking: after all, in "The Last Waltz", Helm can be seen smoking a cigarette AND chewing tobacco at the same time -- talk about addictive personalities!)TESTIMONY ends with the making of "The Last Waltz", the legendary Rock N Roll documentary by Martin Scorcese, and with the break-up of "The Band". In a few interviews, Robertson has noted that he cut this book from 800 pages down to its current length, ending at a natural point with The Band's break-up. And that he is planning to write a second volume. Which is great news for those who enjoy erudite, insightful writing about musicians and the music they make. TESTIMONY is a classic of Rock N Roll-centered literature. I can't wait for the "sequel".

I read this book right after Levon's, so it had a tall order to meet. It doesn't always have the authentic down-home storytelling energy of Levon's, but it does have a firmer structure, and its focus is different enough that it rarely feels like I'm reading the same story again. Good stuff.

As a musician, I found fascinating a lot of stories about the early days of Ronnie and the Hawks, and then becoming Dylan's back-up band, and later, The Band. However, there is a lot of trivia that might not be for everyone, including, for example, Robertson talking about various girlfriends and one night stands, or taking credit for recommending the tune "Just Like a Woman" to Richie Havens. Really?For the rest of the story, highly recommend Levon Helm's "This Wheel's on Fire".

I just finished reading "Testimony" this morning. The last line of the book, which I already knew by heart from watching "The Last Waltz" over and over, "Good night, Good bye", just put a perfect The inflection Robbie uses in those four words sums up so much of the attitude he writes so well about for almost 500 wonderful pages. I'm not a speed reader but this was a book I knew the loose structure of: joining The Hawks at a young age, backing up Bob Dylan in the days when they were relentlessly booed for electrifying his music and then the move to Woodstock and then towards the end, a westward move to California.I've watched the movie and listened to the soundtrack album dozens of times in many different playlists (The Band only, The Band and most of the guests, jams #1 and #2 and finally the rehearsals) and it keeps getting better and better with every watch/listen with jaunts off into Joni Mitchell and others. You can't help but smile when Dr. John delivers a swampy performance (looking sharp in his decked out regalia) of "Such a Night".The only thing I knew about "Testimony" was what some of the reviews discussed and what I took away was the well-know friction between Levon and Robbie. And it also helped to have just watched (and ordered) "Once Were Brothers" which gives you a great visual backdrop for reading this, my new favorite book about being on the road and what it's like to have four brothers you go through hell with.I became a fan of "The Band" when I opened a Christmas present from my sister in 1970. The album, "Stage Fright" with that watercolor painting on the cover, is still with me and it will turn 50 this December. I put on for a spin a few months ago (some guys and I got together and I suggested we all bring our first album we personally owned (not family records)) and was surprised at how fresh and energetic it sounded! From there, "The Last Waltz" has been opening me up to going back and buying "Music from Big Pink" which is spinning right now at 45 RPM on the 180 Gram vinyl that arrived yesterday. "The Brown Album" will probably be next and I hope it sounds this wonderful. You see, as a 12 year-old, I had to work hard to build my record collection. So going back and purchasing their first two albums just wasn't quite in the cards. But alas, one of the great pleasures of life now is to make up for lost opportunities. My true regret, though is that somehow I wasn't able to attend their farewell concert on Thanksgiving night, 1976. Oh well, I have the concert and it is a gem and a terrific companion to reading "Testimony". In fact, I think watching "The Last Waltz" is a prerequisite for reading the last chapter in the book.