> new songs that were unfathomably deeply in dialogue with the old songs
Great description!
A buddy I knew years ago in the indie music scene would cover "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" frequently. I also didn't know of Garth Hudson's passing today, nor that he was the last surviving member of The Band. I already have tomorrow's article of mine written, and I lead with a Bob Dylan tune, pre-The Band, though.
That’s beautiful, WD. Lotsa chills. The Band was singular. I mean, multiple of their recorded concerts vie for best ever live rock concert recording. You nailed it with what they tapped into and accomplished. And Robbie Robertson was not just Canadian; he was also an Indian fella (Cayuga and Mohawk). And what you write about The South is spot on and I want to read more from you on this. The South is America’s soul and womb and battlefield. It is where everything real and important and special that is uniquely American comes from. Not just music. The north really only produces fake value (debt, advertising and lies). The South is where the real juice is.
Well, hell yeah, better said than I have said it (thus far). That will be a task to do it well… I’ve sort of been tiptoeing around it. To do list: grapple with the South in a way that does not falsify reality, does not play into racist nonsense, but uncover’s its virtues- got it.
Just be real and don’t worry about offending anyone. You will. But that’s not on you. It’s not possible to write “The South …” without some jerk (almost certainly not from The South) getting offended.
There are some pieces on Substack that are so rich and luxurious in their passion, language and thought that reading them is sheer pleasure. Bravo!
> new songs that were unfathomably deeply in dialogue with the old songs
Great description!
A buddy I knew years ago in the indie music scene would cover "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" frequently. I also didn't know of Garth Hudson's passing today, nor that he was the last surviving member of The Band. I already have tomorrow's article of mine written, and I lead with a Bob Dylan tune, pre-The Band, though.
Thanks man.
That’s beautiful, WD. Lotsa chills. The Band was singular. I mean, multiple of their recorded concerts vie for best ever live rock concert recording. You nailed it with what they tapped into and accomplished. And Robbie Robertson was not just Canadian; he was also an Indian fella (Cayuga and Mohawk). And what you write about The South is spot on and I want to read more from you on this. The South is America’s soul and womb and battlefield. It is where everything real and important and special that is uniquely American comes from. Not just music. The north really only produces fake value (debt, advertising and lies). The South is where the real juice is.
Well, hell yeah, better said than I have said it (thus far). That will be a task to do it well… I’ve sort of been tiptoeing around it. To do list: grapple with the South in a way that does not falsify reality, does not play into racist nonsense, but uncover’s its virtues- got it.
Just be real and don’t worry about offending anyone. You will. But that’s not on you. It’s not possible to write “The South …” without some jerk (almost certainly not from The South) getting offended.
https://open.substack.com/pub/johnnogowski/p/take-it-easy-garth?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios
Thanks for the post. Perhaps helpful, "Robbie Robertson Discusses Writing The Band’s ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’" https://www.jambase.com/article/robbie-robertson-the-band-night-they-drove-old-dixie-down
Thanks for the resource.
You're welcome.