Uncut UK – October 2019

ONEMANBAND

A Buyer’s GuidetoRobbie Robertsonsolo

ROBBIE

ROBERTSON

(GEFFEN,1987)

Robertson’scopious

contactbookensured

a lavishsolodebut.

GuestsRickDanko

andGarthHudson

werejoinedbyPeter

GabrielandU2,while

thelatter’sproducer,

DanielLanois,added

trademarkswampy

atmospherics.The

mostlyspoken-word

“SomewhereDown

TheCrazyRiver”

solvedtheproblemof

TheBand’snon-singer

steppingup to the mic.

7/10

STORYVILLE

(GEFFEN,1991)

A self-consciousreturn

toTheBand’smythic

rootsmusic,thistime

focusingonNew

Orleans.Danko,

HudsonandNeil

YoungjoinedAaron

andIvanNevillefor

a super-session,

buttheresultwas

disappointinglytinny

’90sAOR.5/10

MUSICFOR

THENATIVE

AMERICANS

(CAPTI O L ,1994)

Forhissoundtrack

albumforPBSseries

TheNativeAmericans,

RobinsonemployedThe

RedRoadEnsembleto

explorehisMohawk

roots.FemaleNative

Americanvocals

soundedfresh,but

Robbie’sownmusical

voiceremained

puzzlingly indistinct.

6/10

CO N TAC T

FROMTHE

UNDERWORLD

O FR E D BOY

(CAPITOL/EMI,1998)

HowieB wasthe

latestU2producerto

gravitatetoRobertson,

ashecombinedNative

NorthAmericanprayers

withsmoothelectronic

popwashes,givingan

unexpectedtwisttoThe

Band’sbrandofrustic

Americana.6/10

HOWTOBECOME

C L A I RVOYA N T

(MACROBIOTIC,2011)

Begunasa

collaborationwith

one-timewannabe

Band-memberEric

Clapton,thisquasi-

autobiographicalreturn

toformwasbolstered

bySteveWinwood

andTomMorello.

“WhenTheNightWas

Young”documented

hisdeparturefromThe

Band:“Signsread‘Repent,

theendis near’/I’mnot

surethat’swhatwe

need...”6/10

SINEMATIC

(U M C,2019)

Robertson’smost

fullyrealisedsolo

albumtodate.Subjects

veerfromthenoirish

• Shangaigangsters,
  Irishmobsters–
  toscenesfrom
  Robertson'sown
  life,includinghis
  adolescenceandthe
  endofTheBand.Van
  Morrisonjoinshimin
  thestudioforthefirst
  timesinceTheBand’s
  “4%Pantomime”.
  (FULL REVIEW NEXT ISSUE)

OCTOBER 2019 • UNCUT• 55

gangsters.EvenwhenI joinedRonnieHawkinswhenI was16,I
clearlyrememberhimtellingme,“You’dbedoingtimeif I hadn’t
hiredyou.”I’dlaughandgo,“Oh,no,no.”Buttherewasdefinitely
a goodchance that I could have just gone down the wrong street
one night.

Withthatbackground,didyoufeellikeanoutsider?I don’t
know.BecausewhenI stumbledintomusic,thathappenedonthe
Indianreserve.Allmyrelatives,cousinsandunclesandaunts
seemedtoplayinstruments.ButI wasdrawntotheguitarbecause
ofcowboymovies.Whenmyparentsgotmemyfirstguitar,it had
a pictureofa cowboyonit. It was the Indians on the reserve who
taught me how to play.

SotheSixNationsReservewascriticalindevelopingyour
earlymusicallife?Firstofall,whenI wasveryyoung,andwe
wouldgofromthecity,Toronto,tovisittherelatives,I thought,
‘Thesepeople,they’vegotit made.Theyknowhowtolive.’Because
theyhadthisconnectionwiththewildernessandtheearth.They
knowhowtogrowthingsandmakea weaponina minute,andthey
allcarryknives.Everybodyplayedmusic,andknewhowtoruninto
thefieldsandpickwildstrawberries.Therewasa beautytothat,and
tothewaterwaysthattheyswam.SoI grewupthinkingtheyhadit
made.It wasn’t’tilyearslaterwhenI heardpeoplesay,“Oh,it’s
reallytoosadabouttheIndians.”I sleptwithallofmycousinsin
theirrooms.I wasanonlychild,andthey’realltogether,andI’m
thinking,‘Thisis fantastic.Youdon’thavetofeellikeyou’re
alone.’Therewasthatpartofit.Therewasthemusicit afforded
me.Therewasa sense of my own heritage in my mum, which
I carry with me.

“BeautifulMadness”touchesonyourtimelivingwith
Scorseseinthelate’70s.ThelyricreferstoNicRay’sfilm
BiggerThanLife, abouta manwhoselifespinsoutofcontrol
afterhebecomesaddictedtoa drug.WasJamesMason’s
characterinthatfilmsomeoneyouidentifiedwithback
then?[Laughs] Perhaps!I waswatchingit withaneyelike,‘Jesus,
thatguy’scrazy!’Atthesametime,you’reright– it probably
wasmesaying,“Iknowhowhefeels!”Inthe’60sand’70s,
therewasa definitemadnessintheair.Atthattime,MartinScorsese
andI wouldwatchmoviesallthetime.BiggerThanLifewasone
ofthem.I thought, ‘I like riding close to the edge. But I don’t want
to go over.’

Duringthatperiod,youandScorsesewerebachelorcoke
fiendslivinginanunfurnishedapartmentwithblacked-
outwindows.Thesongseesthisperiodasa criticalstagein
yourrelationship...Yep,that’sverytrue.Earlieron,I mighthave
thought,‘Holyshit,man– we’reluckywe’restillalive.’I couldhave
dweltonthat.Butnow,whenMartyandI talkaboutthis,it’switha
certainamountofjoy.Weknowit gotdark.Butmostofthetimewhen
werevisitthisinourmemories,it’switha bit of a smirk. ‘That was
dangerous. But, boy... that was fun!’

GEORGE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES; LARRY HULST/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

ROBBIE ROBERTSON

WithVanMorrison

andBobDylanat

theLastWaltzshow

in SanFrancisco,

November 25, 1976

InSanta

M o n i c a ,19 87,

aroundthetime

ofhisself-titled

debut solo LP