The Last Waltz (1978) - Quotes

From Concert to Legendary Celebration

Taglines: It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Now it's a legend.

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The Fusion of Music Genres

Levon Helm: Bluegrass and country music ... if it comes down into that area and if it mixes there with the rhythm and if it dances, then you've got a combination of all that music ...

Levon Helm: Rock and roll.

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Gratitude and Surprise in Collaboration

Neil Young: Hey, Rob, thanks for letting me do this.

Robbie Robertson: Shit! Are you kidding?

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Reflecting on a Long Journey Together

Robbie Robertson: Okay look, we've been together 16 years.

Martin Scorsese: Who?

Robbie Robertson: Who? The Band. Do you want me to plug that in there?

Martin Scorsese: Let's do that again.

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Film Experience Should Be Immersive

Opening title card: This film should be played loud!

Eric Clapton: [After his guitar strap comes loose during a solo] Hold on!

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Justification for Overdubbing in Music Production

John Simon (producer): Robbie was right in that there were some good reasons for overdubbing the whole thing. Richard wasn't singing well, Rick's bass was out of tune, and Robbie wanted to improve his guitar solos. Also, the horns were recorded completely out of balance and had to be redone in New York with arrangements Henry Glove and I put together.

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Honesty in The Last Waltz's Production

John Simon (producer): [''Helm''] I'm pretty sure that Levon is the only honest, live element in The Last Waltz, with the exception of Muddy Water's vocal. Everything else was overdubbed and redone. Levon was basically gone, because he was disgusted with certain of the business practices. Robbie asked him to do his part over again, but Levon had nothing to do with it.

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Reflections on The Last Waltz and Loss

Levon Helm: People ask me about The Last Waltz all the time. Rick Danko dying at fifty-six is what I think about The Last Waltz. It was the biggest fuckin rip-off that ever happened to The Band—without a doubt.

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The Balance of Work and Fun

Rick Danko: We always seemed to get a whole lot more done when we didn't have a lot of company around. We were more productive. And as soon as company came, of course, we'd start having fun. You know what happens when you have too much fun.

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Thanksgiving Wishes from Rick Danko

Rick Danko: Happy Thanksgiving!

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The Healing Power of Jazz Music

Garth Hudson: There is the view that jazz is evil because it comes from evil people, but the greatest priests on 52nd Street and on the streets of New York were the musicians. They were doing the greatest healing work. They knew how to punch through music which would cure and make people feel good.

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Desire for Equilibrium and Stability

Richard Manuel: I just want to break even.

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The Evolution of a Band's Identity

Richard Manuel: We started out with The Crackers. Tried to call ourselves The Honkies. Everybody sort of backed off. It was too straight. So we decided call ourselves The Band.

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Exploring the Mystical Journey of Music

Robbie Robertson: The music took us to some strange places ... physically, spiritually, psychotically. It just wasn't always on stage.

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A Job Offer with Unexpected Benefits

Robbie Robertson: [Talking about getting a job playing with Ronnie Hawkins] He called me up, and I said, "Sure I'd like a job. What does it mean? What do I do?" And he said, "Well, son, you won't make much money, but you'll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra.

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The Band's First Performance at Winterland

Robbie Robertson: Winterland was the first place The Band played as The Band. Some friends showed up and helped us take it home.

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The End of an Era for The Band

Robbie Robertson: The Band had been together for 16 years together on the road. We played eight years in bars, dives and dancehalls, eight years in concerts, stadiums and arenas. We did our last concert. We called it The Last Waltz.

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