The Good Quote
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Home
Authors
Levon Helm
American
Musician
About the author
I played some Yamaha drums that I like a lot. And I like the Yamaha people a lot too. They've been really nice to me and The Band.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#People
Good times don't last long sometimes.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
The crowd is just as important as the group. It takes everything to make it work.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Work
If you feel like you're getting into a rut with a song, a night off usually fixes it.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Song
#Night
If you pour some music on whatever's wrong, it'll sure help out.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Wrong
#Help
#Music
Lord, when the song wants to pick up and go a little faster towards the end, it's hard for me to resist.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#End
#Song
You can either make it come around or you can't. By the time we would be ready to record a song, we would know for sure that it was the best way we could do it.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Time
#Song
My dad and I played music. He teaches me a song or two every time I'm home.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Time
#Home
#Song
#Music
#Dad
If things are going slow, I'm itchy.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
If you give it good concentration, good energy, good heart and good performance, the song will play you.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Will
#Heart
#Play
#Song
#Performance
#Energy
The Jungle Bush Beaters didn't last too long as a group, but we had a pretty good time while we did.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Time
#Pretty
#Jungle
The rock star stuff never came up for us. The Band was never attacked by groupies before, during or after any show that we ever played.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
The way to do it is to put as much life into the song as I can. You can either get it to breathe or you can't.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Life
#Song
There were no rules, other than that the song should sound good and be fun to play.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Fun
#Play
#Song
#Sound
#Rules
We all love musical architecture; there's no doubt about that.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Love
#Architecture
#Doubt
We're all dealt with the same hand here, so to speak. I feel like I've had it a lot better than most people. I've had the opportunity to travel and play music all my life.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Life
#People
#Play
#Opportunity
#Music
#Travel
Well, somebody's got to sing. They won't hire you unless you sing.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
With horns and a full rhythm section, the drums always looked like the best seat in the house.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
Most of our stuff was trial and error. You live with a tape recorder, you turn it on, you play the song and you listen to it.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Play
#Song
#Error
When the second record came out, they started calling it The Band. I voted to call it The Crackers. I'm no fool.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Fool
Don't we all want what's best for each other?
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Want
I've had all the lessons I could get. I've learned from everybody I've ever met.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
The Band never really played big concert tours. We never sold millions and millions of albums.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
A friend of mine took me to Memphis advised me that I should get in the musicians' union. He gave me a set of drums and said, Stay on the job, son.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Friend
#Job
#Musicians
#Son
Anytime I switch to another instrument, I immediately turn it into another kind of drum so that I can understand it better.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
By the time The Band did The Last Waltz, the chemistry had changed, and it wasn't a thrill anymore to live that studio kind of life.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Time
#Life
Dad and mom would have preferred that I be a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist, or a great humanitarian.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Mom
#Dad
Drums just always sounded like the most fun part of that good music for me.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Fun
#Music
Drums usually seem to tune themselves.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
I love horns, and the bigger the band, the better it sounds to my ear.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Love
I was in high school, trying to get out of high school. The only thing slowing me up was grades.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Trying
#School
Conway Twitty was always our local hero while I was growing up. He had a series of good bands. I wanted to sit in, if Conway would let me. And he did a couple of times.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Growing up
I never subscribe to the stay-at-home policy. I'm not sick of the road or sick of eating in good restaurants around the country. I like to travel.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Policy
#Eating
#Country
#Road
#Travel
#Restaurants
Forever Young, by Dylan, is one of my favorite songs.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Songs
#Favorite
I like walking on the edge.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Walking
I like to get within handshaking distance of the crowd. If it happens, they know it, we know it, and that's all we came here for.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
I don't fool with a lot of things that I can't have fun with. There's not much reward in that.
Levon Helm,
American
Musician
#Fun
#Fool
#Reward