I had plans to meet a friend (Mike) to see the new Martin Scorsese documentary “Once Were Brothers” on Robbie Robertson and The Band (click here for NPR’s movie review), but the Covid Kung Fu Virus got in the way. A small stupid thing in the grand scheme of how much pain this virus has caused the world… but meaningful to me in my little music bubble. I was really looking forward to seeing “Once Were Brothers” in the theatre and making it an event. Not often does something as near and dear to my heart debut on the big screen.


Lucky me though… the film is now available for six bucks to rent on Amazon Prime.

Photo taken 12/31/16 on beach in Dominican Republic

I watched the movie at home with the fireplace on and a big drink (Fortaleza Blano Tequlia, Illegal Mezcal Joven, St. Germain and lots of lime on the rocks) and was delighted with the outcome. 

The film provides a robust visual supplement (like only Martin Scorsese could deliver) to Robbie Robertson’s book “Testimony” (See Thunderbird Ranch Story on this here). 


Coupled with the other books I have read on The Band by Greil Marcus, John Simon, Barney Hoskyns and Levon Helm, all the pieces (sides) of the story fit nicely. Scorsese certainly helped Robbie soften the idea that he stole all the song royalties from Levon and other band members. With Levon, Rick and Richard Manuel now gone… Robbie, with the help of master storyteller Martin Scorsese, gets the last word.


Rent the movie. 


Watch it with a big drink. If you’re reading this blog… you will like the movie lots.


Seeing the movie before reading the book would have been a nice warm-up and provide a roadmap to Robbie’s “Testimony” story. So if you haven’t read the book yet… go nuts! Complete the cycle. Then read Levon’s book “This Wheel’s On Fire” too.

Some movie notes worth mentioning:


1) Capturing Robbie Robertson on film explaining his song writing process is a gift for The Band fans. He says, “write about who you know, what you’ve seen, and how you feel. The people I knew, the things I saw, and feelings I had were more bazaar than I realized at the time.”


The movie segment on Robbie’s writing of “The Weight” and Dylan’s reaction to the song the first time he heard it was really solid. The Nazareth reference to open the song being where Martin Guitars are built, not where Jesus was born man makes all the sense in the world now to me. That kind of perspective changes a song I have been humming since I saw Easy Rider in high school at T-bone’s house after school.


“I pulled into Nazareth, was feeling about half past dead…”

2) The movie’s enhancement of the book is wonderful as it shares additional insight to Robertson’s odd Jewish-Toronto organized crime family background and Moses-like journey to Arkansas to try out for Ronnie Hawkins band, where he eventually met Levon Helm and the The Band was started.

3) The interviews Martin Scorsese procured for the movie are heavy. 
Commentary from Eric Clapton, Jann Wenner, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie’s wife (Dominique) is stellar and a calorie-dense treat.

Eric Clapton’s remarks about traveling to Woodstock to see if The Band would let him join is particularly nice to see on film. 


(See my last story on Clapton following this period.)  


I love when Clapton says in the movie that the first night in Woodstock when he asked The Band to “jam”… they all responded that they don’t “jam” and shared with him what a real song-writing outfit was like.  He left The Band’s Catskill home more envious then before and headed down a new musical path himself far from the Guitar God place he resided.

Ronnie Hawkins comments were great too on how Robbie was dripping with talent AND worked twice as hard as anyone at writing music. This testimony holds a lot of weight with me, as Hawkins has phat street cred. Hawkins discusses in the film the notion that The Band quickly outgrew Ronnie and The Hawks, and how he felt privileged to see “the world’s best rhythm and blues band” come together on his stage.

From left to right: Rick Danko, Richard Manuel on piano, Ronnie Hawkins, Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson on the organ.

I have read several books on The Band and never understood Ronnie Hawkins until now. I always thought the Hawk was bitter at The Band’s success, but you can tell by seeing him speak on film about the guys in The Band… he was proud of them (at least now he is).


I could go on and on about the film, but would rather you see it for yourself.


Go on out (or in as a result of Kung Fu Covid) and catch the show.


😉