INTERVIEW WITH RICK DANKO FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES
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.