Rick Danko talks about his musical history with The Band, Bob Dylan, his friends and even a lesson in environmentalism.
DM) Well Rick, the first question I have is one that I've
always wondered since I first heard of you. I first heard of
you when I learned about Dylan with his backing band, the Band.
In addition, at a separate time I member first hearing the song,
"The Weight" done by The Band and finally, I received
the solo album from Rick Danko. It's almost as if you had a three
separate careers in the way, that is struck me as interesting.
RD) I do a lot of different things. Music has been kind to
me over the years and at first it was, "Take, take, take".
Now it's time to put something back. When I was younger, I had
big visions of changing the world. Eventually, I thought to myself,
"That's a little bit much". After convincing myself
that was maybe you should at least help out your neighborhood,
I really started to think about it later on in life. About putting
something back, and then I thought, "Boy, let's go back
to that time of changing the world, even if I have to do it one
CD at a time!" Speaking of helping the environment, have
you got my CD, "Live On Breeze Hill"?
DM) Yes I did. It was great.
RD) That picture that you're seeing on the cover of the album,
with me looking out over the mountains, that's off my back porch.
I'm here in the mountains, in the foothills of the Catskills.
I am using soybean based ink, which is recyclable. There's no
cellophane or plastics, it's only recyclable material. You know
those plastic things always broke anyway, right! When CD technology
first came out, it was just so much waste.
DM) When did you start getting involved in environmentalism?
RD) My first payback to society in life, was The Dolphin Project.
One of the men who helped me on that also was the one who trained
Flipper, which is a whole different story. He went crazy after
they did what they did with Flipper, so we started a project
to save his family and provide a foundation for his livelihood.
Then, there was Greenpeace, I remember that when they first started
out with the boats in the waters, and the guys in the boats between
the whales and the boats that will hunting the whales with spear
guns.
When I was a kid a growing up in Ontario, Canada, Lake Erie was
so polluted, I never thought it would ever, EVER be turned around
where they could start cleaning it out in my lifetime! With global,
ecology, thought minded things in this world we can make a difference.
It's like Pete Seger, on the Hudson River, it's in a cleaning
up mode, every little bit of it does help. If you are no consciously
trying to do something to make things better, it doesn't happen.
It's logical, but if you do, "do something" it happens.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
DM) What other environmental projects have you worked on?
RD) Just this last year, I made the statement by hooking up
with Greenpeace. By not only contributing money, but by contributing
more my time. Using soybean based ink, using recyclable materials.
With every CD I figure we're saving... Also a portion of my sales
go directly to Greenpeace. Didn't you see the little...
DM) (interrupting)Yes, a little Greenpeace pamphlet in there.
RD) There you go. It's kind of self explanatory, you know.
The point is, the more people think this way, whether it be Greenpeace
or any number of things, it all helps. By doing something positive
in this world, you're helping people and the future. We're all
trying to help the world... make it a better place to live. We're
actually still changing the world, aren't we?
DM) Yes we are. And so it seems besides the music that you're
known for, you seem very active environmental issues.
RD) Its part of my life, its part of my daily routine, one
day at a time.
DM) Okay, looking back on your career though, between your
solo stage, with The Band, and playing with Dylan, what was your
favorite part, musically?
RD) You know, I enjoy it all, and it's all part of my life.
I did a project with George Harrison, Eric Anderson and Jonas
Fjeld. We have two albums out. That's another project. Is just
good to stay busy, you know? Idle hands is the devil's workshop,
or whatever that saying is.
DM) So you always try to stay busy?
RD) I try to, so when I take time off, I really get to appreciate
it.
DM) So what you working on now?
RD) I'm in a studio now, working on new studio album, with
all new songs.
DM) Do you have any of your famous friends guesting on it?
RD) Sure lots of them. My release date is scheduled for this
spring. I've set up studio time until March. I'd like have 20
or 30 songs recorded by then, so when I choose to release it,
it would be the best studio album I've ever released.
DM) And this most recent one, however is entirely live.
RD) That's all from one night, live. We did it in this friend
of mine's backyard in Connecticut. The bonus track on there is,
"Sip The Wine". You've seen the movie, "The Last
Waltz", haven't you?
DM) Of course, I loved it.
RD) I've always consider it the best concert film ever
made. Talk about friends... Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young,
Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond...
I am sure I am leaving a lot out. It's directed by Martin Scorsese,
and we filmed it on Thanksgiving of 1976. And it's been rated
and its been hailed as one of the best concert films ever released.
DM) This is a question I've always wondered, about my favorite
song, "The Weight". Everybody remembers the famous
lyrics, "Take the load off, Fanny." What does the song
really mean?
RD) It means different things to different people on different
days.
DM) But what is the real meaning? (laughs)
RD) (laughs) You know, you got me!
DM) What does it mean to you?
RD) Different things on different days. Helping. Maybe it
means to help the neighborhood. Or that I'm here to not embarrass
myself or my friends. Removing responsibility from one person
to another. It's a hard one, it's a hard one to answer.
