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
Set, Mine, Took, Memphis
If you give it good concentration, good energy, good heart and good performance, the song will play you.
- Levon Helm
Song, Play, Give, Good Heart
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
Hero, Always, Couple, Conway
The crowd is just as important as the group. It takes everything to make it work.
- Levon Helm
Work, Important, Crowd, Group
The Jungle Bush Beaters didn't last too long as a group, but we had a pretty good time while we did.
- Levon Helm
Pretty, Last, Pretty Good, Group
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
Song, Play, Tape Recorder, Recorder
My dad and I played music. He teaches me a song or two every time I'm home.
- Levon Helm
Song, Played, Dad, Every Time
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
Chemistry, Last, Studio, Waltz
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
My Life, Play, Here, Play Music
Forever Young, by Dylan, is one of my favorite songs.
- Levon Helm
Young, Forever, Songs, Dylan
When I was younger, I used to drive up to a bunch of turkeys, roll down the window and say something. They'd all gobble back at once.
- Levon Helm
Back, Younger, Roll, Turkeys
My parents wanted me to be smart and be a scholar, and the best I could do was graduate high school.
- Levon Helm
Best, High School, Could, Scholar
I've had all the lessons I could get. I've learned from everybody I've ever met.
- Levon Helm
Everybody, Ever, Learned, Lessons
Anytime I switch to another instrument, I immediately turn it into another kind of drum so that I can understand it better.
- Levon Helm
Kind, Understand, Another, Switch
Dad and mom would have preferred that I be a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist, or a great humanitarian.
- Levon Helm
Doctor, Would, Dad, Lawyer
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
Song, Way, Put, Breathe
I've always thought it was easier for girls to sing harmonies because their voices can go to that higher plane so much more easy than a male voice.
- Levon Helm
Voice, Always, Plane, Harmonies
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
Star, Rock Star, Before, Groupies
If things are going slow, I'm itchy.
- Levon Helm
Slow, Going, Things, Itchy
I don't hear record companies coming up with any good ideas or suggestions. Historically, if it ain't their idea, it ain't no good, so you got that to contend with.
- Levon Helm
Ideas, Idea, Good Ideas, Suggestions
I had throat cancer, and I had to have radiation treatments, and I couldn't sing for a long time; and this was in '97. I had 28 radiation treatments. I didn't die, thank God.
- Levon Helm
Die, Throat, Had, Radiation
The Band never really played big concert tours. We never sold millions and millions of albums.
- Levon Helm
Never, Big, Sold, Tours
If you pour some music on whatever's wrong, it'll sure help out.
- Levon Helm
Music, Help, Some, Pour
You got to pick one - pay your medical bills or pay the mortgage. Most people can't do both, and I'm no different.
- Levon Helm
Medical, Pay, Your, Bills
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
Country, Subscribe, Like, Restaurants
There were no rules, other than that the song should sound good and be fun to play.
- Levon Helm
Song, Play, Other, Fun
Drums just always sounded like the most fun part of that good music for me.
- Levon Helm
Music, Always, Most, Fun
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
Started, Voted, Crackers, Calling
We live in an age of miracles.
- Levon Helm
Age, Live, Miracles
I love horns, and the bigger the band, the better it sounds to my ear.
- Levon Helm
Love, Better, I Love, Ear
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
Some, Like, Been, Band
If you feel like you're getting into a rut with a song, a night off usually fixes it.
- Levon Helm
Song, Like, Getting, Rut
I was in high school, trying to get out of high school. The only thing slowing me up was grades.
- Levon Helm
Grades, The Only Thing, Slowing
I don't think I'm a millionaire, but I'm comfortable.
- Levon Helm
Think, Comfortable, Millionaire
Drums usually seem to tune themselves.
- Levon Helm
Themselves, Seem, Tune, Drums
With horns and a full rhythm section, the drums always looked like the best seat in the house.
- Levon Helm
Always, Seat, Rhythm Section, Drums
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
Song, Best Way, By The Time, Ready
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
Have Fun, Reward, Lot, Fool
Songs don't wear out. Good songs are good now. If they were a comfort during those hard times in the past, they'll be a comfort in today's age.
- Levon Helm
Past, In The Past, Wear, Songs
We all love musical architecture; there's no doubt about that.
- Levon Helm
Love, Music, Musical, No Doubt
Well, somebody's got to sing. They won't hire you unless you sing.
- Levon Helm
Well, Hire, Unless, Sing
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
Song, Lord, Resist, Towards
Good times don't last long sometimes.
- Levon Helm
Sometimes, Last, Times, Good Times
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
Here, Like, Within, Distance
I like walking on the edge.
- Levon Helm
Walking, Like, Edge
It's different playing in a studio than it is playing live, of course.
- Levon Helm
Course, Than, Playing, Studio
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