Robbie Robertson – HuffPost 4.5.11
Mike Ragogna: Do you have any advice for new artists?
Robbie Robertson: I think the advice for new artists is don’t treat music like you got a guitar for Christmas. I think that it’s really important to get the right seasoning in what you do, and to not get ahead of yourself in doing it. Really develop and get some depth in what you’re doing, and in doing that, I think that there’s a better possibility of your music and your work having a longer life.
MR: The environment of the record industry has changed so much over the last few years with labels closing and a lot more DIY albums, singles, videos, and more coming out. Does the DIY approach provide an artist the ability to express themselves more than ever before, or is it something…
RR: … I think, Mike, that I know exactly where you’re going with this. Something that we touched on earlier was that years ago in Woodstock, in the basement of this pink house, we were making music called The Basement Tapes, which nobody was supposed to hear because they were just supposed to be song demos for other artists to record those songs. The music that was made was in an atmosphere that was everything wrong with the way you’re supposed to record music — in a concrete basement with a big metal furnace in the middle of the room. The idea that you could do anything, anywhere — The Band was a great example of this. We made records in our atmosphere, and now everybody can do that, and I think that there is a tremendous personal, private advantage to that.
I don’t have a great longing for the idea that you have to be in a professional atmosphere to make a record. The idea that you can do it in your bedroom I think adds something personal. So, that advantage, I applaud very much. The fact that it doesn’t have to live up to any standards can have a negative effect too, so there’s always a balance in these things. Hopefully, with what is happening with music companies in this day and age, we’re really gearing up for a new model for music. I love the idea that we’re going through something now that when we come out the other end, there could be something extraordinary that happens, and that’s what we’re rooting for, really. We’re not rooting for music to go away in our lives at all.