Required Reading

25Apr08

For all of those who have never seen The Last Waltz, I will step upon my soapbox and preach.

(From left to right, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Rick Danko, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson)

The Last Waltz was a concert performed by arguably the best set of popular musicians ever. Really, an entire post just listing the line-up would be good enough, but it doesn’t capture the essence. Damn lousy kids today, they don’t know about The Band. Amazing, a band that had so much impact on the most famous American musicians gets passed over time and time again. In their 16 years on the road…(16 FUCKING YEARS?!?!?) they played with the likes of Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, fucking EVERYONE, and for their final concert they invited all their friends back to sing at least a song per person as their last concert ever. And a young Martin Scorcese calls up and says “HEY! I wanna film that!” In a huge undertaking to plan every shot and camera angle with some 7 of the best videographers in the world…it’s just brilliant. Awesome director, awesome music, awesome artists, awesome commentary. From the beginning frames of the movie “THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD!” you know you’re in for it.

This movie I have been known to watch about once a week and have since been able to recognize even the most minute things, such as the point where Clapton’s guitar strap breaks off and Robbie Robertson picks up his solo without so much as a blink, to the lighting malfunction during the harmonica solo that looks like they planned it, but I always watch it differently with someone who’s never seen it before. It really is the best concert movie ever made, not as a point of opinion, but one of fact.

What adds to the entire experience (warning: hippie-ness) is the fact that everyone involved is completely fucked up. All the cameramen are fucking high, Scorcese is fucking high, CLEARLY every one of the musicians at least has a base marijuana high going, and virtually every viewer of the movie has been high.

For anyone considering the music business, or at least considers music to be the beez neez, you MUST watch this film. Not to mention its no more than $10 at any video store. The box looks like this.

Don’t rent.

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