A biography for Robbie Robertsonhasn’t been written yet.
“By the time I was 13, I was the only one in London, Ontario, who knew how to play rock n' roll.”
“I think that there's always great music being made. Always has been, always will be.”
“You don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be explored and shared.”
“Music isn't necessarily made to last, and there's always been disposable music.”
“Most of my younger Native American friends are not in any way looking for sympathy, and they're not looking to lay guilt on anybody. They have their dignity, and they do what they do.”
“Record making is an extraordinary experience.”
“When I was playing with Bob Dylan in, like, 1966, I was, like, 20 years old.”
“After the 'Last Waltz' concert, it just seemed very healthy to me to put making a record as far out of my mind as I possibly could.”
“The kid at 9 or 10 who knows who Billie Holiday is... that's the coolest thing ever.”
“I saw Ray Charles at Massey Hall.”
“The Band was rebelling against the rebellion. The rebellion went to a place where it became too obvious, too trendy, like you were just following the pack. So it was our choice to get off the bandwagon - no pun intended - and do things that were in our background and what was the most honest thing to do.”
“I haven't been to many music events where somebody was performing and it actually made me cry.”
“To find a new star in the sky is pretty hard.”
“I'd always thought Cage's 'Root of an Unfocus' would be great in a movie.”
“I really have to feel a sense of freedom in my storytelling.”
“Do you know what a skin walker is? It's a thing in Indian mythology. There are certain people born with this gift, and they're able to actually get inside you and mess with your feelings and with your mind. And if a skin walker chooses to get a hold of you, there's not much you can do.”
“Everybody grows in their own way.”
“I asked Bob Dylan to paint the album cover for 'Music from Big Pink.' He said, 'Yeah, let me see what I can come up with.'”
“I admire those old road dogs, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan. That's their life.”
“The native music of North America, the original-roots music of this country, is also the underworld music of this country.”