I'VE BEEN HOODWINKED!!!

The reason I learned the guitar was because I didn't have many friends.  There's a bit more to that.  Here it is.

On November 25, 1976 a group called "The Band" had a concert they called "The Last Waltz".  They decided to go out with a bang, hosting a HUGE concert with music heavy weights like Eric Clapton, Ringo Star, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, and Van Morrison.  A bunch of others were there as well, and Martin Scorsese filmed it all.

One day, in the late 90's, I caught it on TV.

I sat there and watched "The Band" play songs that I had heard my dad play on his "old man radio stations".  Secretly, I liked them...but would NEVER admit that my dad's "old man radio stations" would play anything I'd like.  But now, SEEING these guys have SO MUCH FUN while playing, I wanted in on that buzz.

That was the day I decided to learn the guitar (no...I'm still not any good...but I have fun). 

They say, "Ignorance is bliss", and I'm glad I was so ignorant as to the "behind the scenes" at the concert.  As much as it was (and still) the single greatest concert ever put on MUSICALLY.  The background stories from that day are so gross, that to think music actually came out of it, is nothing short of astonishing.

Scorsese admits now that during the planning of the movie, he was HEAVILY using cocaine with members from "The Band".  There were actually pictures of noses in the greenroom with white sheets hung from them.  Producers had to edit out "white powder" on Neil Young's nose when he came out to perform "Helpless", and apparently bags of cocaine, and "other drugs" were just sitting on tables backstage.

Of the members from  "The Band", drugs is being blamed on Richard Manuel's suicide, Rick Danko's heart attack that killed him, the throat cancer that Levon Helm is recovering from, and depression and health problems with Robbie Robertson.

I'm not a moron.  I know there are A LOT of musicians that use A LOT of drugs.  And I'm not so judge mental that I feel like anybody that uses drugs is a bad person.

The problem that I have, is these musicians felt the drugs were PART of the music.  They felt it was ok to get wasted because they needed to be in another state of mind to get the experience right.  They felt that because they were "artsy", doing drugs helped their craft.  They were there for a good time, and drugs made things feel like a good time.  The music just kinda happened.  As such, I feel like they sold me on a product they didn't even care about.

I guess I feel hoodwinked. I didn't see a group of professional musicians having a blast because their music was special.  I saw a bunch of guys wired on coke, lucky enough to an ability to play music with each other.

It's damn frustrating is what it is. 

I still listen to the Last Waltz on CD, and still watch the movie.  I LOVE the music, and do my best to forget the guys were all a wreck that night. 

But MAN, is it ever annoying that I have to work so hard to enjoy something so good.