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A review by jooniperd
Testimony: A Memoir by Robbie Robertson
4.0
caveat: i am a giant 'band' fan and also played his solo debut robbie robertson (1987) on repeat through most of 87/88 (and which has a track called testimony on it). which is to say, i was a bit stupid-excited for this book.
robertson is a storyteller as a songwriter, and that transfers well to his memoir. there wasn't a huge amount of new information for me in testimony, yet it was still very enjoyable and engaging. while, of course, this is only robertson's perspective on the years spanning his time with ronnie hawkins, the hawks, and the band (this memoir really only covers this specific era, with a bit of robertson's early life starting things off), it feels sensitive and respectful towards the other players, even when robertson is writing about the harder times they endured personally, and professionally. (and it's telling what was left out, given the ink that has previously been spilled in the media over animosities.) i hope that is the case, anyway... the sensitivity. i love all of the guys in the band. there is no 'favourite beatle' for me -- though if forced (forced) to choose, hello rick danko! robertson somehow manages to convey both a focused yet zen personality, which i am not sure if i am totally buying into. (heh! sorry.) but it sure does help with the flow of the story.
a couple of 'yeah.... but?' moments cropped up for me during the read, where i was left with the feeling of wanting more: a) robertson references photographs and photo shoots quite a bit, yet the 2 sections containing images - though wonderful to see - felt sparse. i would have loved a bit more photographic support, though recognize that rights may have been tricky to negotiate/acquire. b) some things i thought he might write about just weren't covered. one example, you know how in the last waltz interviews with the guys are interspersed with the musical performances? i would have really dug reading about that aspect of the production. but these are pretty minor quibbles on my part.
overall, i keep thinking this book is a lovely reflection on a pretty extraordinary time in the music world. also, #GoCanada
robertson is a storyteller as a songwriter, and that transfers well to his memoir. there wasn't a huge amount of new information for me in testimony, yet it was still very enjoyable and engaging. while, of course, this is only robertson's perspective on the years spanning his time with ronnie hawkins, the hawks, and the band (this memoir really only covers this specific era, with a bit of robertson's early life starting things off), it feels sensitive and respectful towards the other players, even when robertson is writing about the harder times they endured personally, and professionally. (and it's telling what was left out, given the ink that has previously been spilled in the media over animosities.) i hope that is the case, anyway... the sensitivity. i love all of the guys in the band. there is no 'favourite beatle' for me -- though if forced (forced) to choose, hello rick danko! robertson somehow manages to convey both a focused yet zen personality, which i am not sure if i am totally buying into. (heh! sorry.) but it sure does help with the flow of the story.
a couple of 'yeah.... but?' moments cropped up for me during the read, where i was left with the feeling of wanting more: a) robertson references photographs and photo shoots quite a bit, yet the 2 sections containing images - though wonderful to see - felt sparse. i would have loved a bit more photographic support, though recognize that rights may have been tricky to negotiate/acquire. b) some things i thought he might write about just weren't covered. one example, you know how in the last waltz interviews with the guys are interspersed with the musical performances? i would have really dug reading about that aspect of the production. but these are pretty minor quibbles on my part.
overall, i keep thinking this book is a lovely reflection on a pretty extraordinary time in the music world. also, #GoCanada