# Why does Levon Helm hate Robbie Robertson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2005, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280 "2005-11-16T07:16:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/41 "2011-08-02T06:44:32Z")
Is it Americana if most of the members weren’t American? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/42 "2011-08-02T12:06:05Z")
Last time I checked, Canada was in North America. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/43 "2011-08-02T13:57:41Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Last time I checked, Canada was in North America. Yes, but we’re not American. If you’re speaking about people connected with the USA, ‘American’ has become the default term. If you’re speaking about things connected with Canada, you need to say ‘Canadian’. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/44 "2011-08-02T17:50:27Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Is it Americana if most of the members weren’t American? Yes. And it has nothing to do with them being Canadian, either. “Americana” here refers to musical characteristics. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/45 "2011-08-02T17:55:33Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Yes. And it has nothing to do with them being Canadian, either. “Americana” here refers to musical characteristics. Heck the current UK band Mumford & Sons is Americana… ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/46 "2011-08-02T18:13:35Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > My highlights from The Last Waltz: > > Van Morrison high-kicking his stumpy little legs thorugh the closing to “Caravan” > Paul Butterfield and Levon storming through “Mystery Train” > Muddy Waters nearly giving himself a heart attack grinding out “Mannish Boy” > The Staples Singers and the Band combining to creat multipart harmony in the last verse of “The Weight” > Robbie picking up Clapton’s solo in “Further Along Up the Road” after Clapton’s strap broke > Ronnie Hawkins, big time at last, hamming it up in front of his former sidemen. > Levon, Rick, and Robbie yodelling through “Up on Cripple Creek” > Garth’s greasy sax solo in “It Makes No Difference” > Levon singing the immortal lines 'Vrigil Caine is the name, and I worked on the Danville Train." for what was presumable the last time. Ah, what the heck, as long as this has been resurrected, here’s something I’ve wondered idly but not enough to start a separate thread: Is it just me, or does Baez look _incredibly_ uncomfortable standing next to Neil Young onstage? He seems to be leering at her, and she seems to be edging away, but again, maybe it’s just me - Neil Young, musical talent aside, looks .. scary. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/47 "2011-08-02T18:52:44Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Ah, what the heck, as long as this has been resurrected, here’s something I’ve wondered idly but not enough to start a separate thread: > > Is it just me, or does Baez look _incredibly_ uncomfortable standing next to Neil Young onstage? He seems to be leering at her, and she seems to be edging away, but again, maybe it’s just me - Neil Young, musical talent aside, looks .. scary. Scarily drunk, yeah. Doesn’t he blow the intro to “Helpless” and have to start over? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/48 "2011-08-02T20:31:46Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Yes. And it has nothing to do with them being Canadian, either. “Americana” here refers to musical characteristics. Yes. “Americana” is a musical genre, not a nationalistic label. With their eponymous album, The Band practically defined the genre. It struck many of us like a bolt of lightning. The next year, the Grateful Dead’s _Workingman’s Dead_ & _American Beauty_ continued in the vein of Something New that sounded like Something Really Old. (Some of the folk rockers & country rockers had been mining the same rich vein. Things aren’t simple. Labels aren’t that important. Borders suck.) ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/49 "2011-08-02T20:43:54Z")
Levon Helm is one of the most beloved, well respected American musicians alive today, while Robbie Robertson is a self-absorbed, preening peacock who doesn’t have one true friend left in this world, due to his ego and narcissistic personality… ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/50 "2011-08-02T20:49:17Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Ah, what the heck, as long as this has been resurrected, here’s something I’ve wondered idly but not enough to start a separate thread: > > Is it just me, or does Baez look _incredibly_ uncomfortable standing next to Neil Young onstage? He seems to be leering at her, and she seems to be edging away, but again, maybe it’s just me - Neil Young, musical talent aside, looks .. scary. I remember reading that Neil Young was coked up to his eyeballs at this gig, and that they had to rotoscope obvious powder from his nose in the film. No idea how true this is, but he certainly looks like he’s on cocaine. ETA [Wiki agrees with me](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Waltz#Drug_use), for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/51 "2011-08-02T21:06:21Z")
I’ve had this performance on repeat recently. [Levon Helm performs “Ophelia” at Ryman Auditorium in 2009.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcgxuGiI7wU) He still rocks. 🙂 I just try to ignore the intro by Billy Bob Thornton. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/52 "2011-08-03T12:31:29Z")
Do ANY of these 1960s rock groups ever have members that get along? The Four Tops were together for 44 years before members started dying off but look at the ones with infighting. Beatles, Cream, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Temptations, Supremes, Jefferson Airplane, Allman Brothers, Kinks. The Rolling Stones survive with some members leaving but Keef and Mick were sniping in the 1980s. Pink Floyd blew up after years of being anonymous. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/53 "2011-08-03T12:39:39Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > I remember reading that Neil Young was coked up to his eyeballs at this gig, and that they had to rotoscope obvious powder from his nose in the film. No idea how true this is, but he certainly looks like he’s on cocaine… Weren’t they all? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/54 "2011-09-01T20:12:18Z")
This month’s Acoustic Guitar has an interesting [interview and article](http://www.acguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=26890) about Robbie Richardson. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/55 "2011-09-01T21:27:25Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Do ANY of these 1960s rock groups ever have members that get along?.. Yeah, I wish I played well enough to have Levon Helm or Roger Waters mad at me… ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/56 "2011-09-01T21:43:05Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I’ve had this performance on repeat recently. > > [Levon Helm performs “Ophelia” at Ryman Auditorium in 2009.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcgxuGiI7wU) > > He still rocks. 🙂 I just try to ignore the intro by Billy Bob Thornton. I am flying out to Boston to hear Levon perform in a couple of weeks, and I absolutely can’t wait; The last time (in fact the only other time) I have seen him play live before was way back in 1994, with The Band, at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, so after all these years, and with all the personal and professional travails Levon has faced recently, to be able to witness his triumphant artistic Renaissance should be truly momentous. “Take a load off, Annie…” ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/57 "2011-09-03T04:22:07Z")
There’s a great (probably apocryphal) story about the Canadian premiere of **The Last Waltz**. At the end of the movie, invited guest Ronnie Hawkins stands up and drawls, “Well, that was pretty good. The only thing that movie needs is a couple more close-ups of Robbie.” ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/58 "2011-09-06T17:24:48Z")
> [@waits](#): > > There’s a great (probably apocryphal) story about the Canadian premiere of **The Last Waltz**. At the end of the movie, invited guest Ronnie Hawkins stands up and drawls, “Well, that was pretty good. The only thing that movie needs is a couple more close-ups of Robbie.” Levon Helm himself says, in his book, that that’s what Ronnie said to him after the two of them saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![glovemonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5ac83/32.png) [@glovemonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glovemonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/59 "2013-01-06T13:54:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Up on Cripple Creek” got to #25 on the Billboard Charts. It was their most successful single. > > Their version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” never charted. (Joan Baez’s version did get to #3.) > > So, no. They didn’t have any hits. A single song just barely making the top 25 hardly qualifies, and they are criminally overlooked by “Classic Rock” stations, who tend to stick with groups that had successful singles (the the exception of Traffic). > > They were primarily an album group: The Band reached #9 and Cahoot hit #5. Dont forget “before the flood” although released as a Dylan album the band did more than back hisbobness and the album had great commercial sucsess ---
**Author:** ![glovemonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5ac83/32.png) [@glovemonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glovemonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280/60 "2013-01-06T14:04:19Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Levon Helm himself says, in his book, that that’s what Ronnie said to him after the two of them saw the movie. Yup 20 minutes of Robbie singing into a switched off mic nearly ruined it for me!! Best bits for me - the Weight, first time ive seen the staples and nearly shat myself they were so good. Danko on bass the entire movie his energy was just electric Up on cripple creek 3 words - LEVON FUcKING HELM!!! Missed - Richard singing i shall be released Anyway the band were and are amazing music from the big pink has been in my cd changer for 4 years!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-levon-helm-hate-robbie-robertson/331280.md?page=4)