Lots of rock musicians have exploded and flamed out in my lifetime. Some I lamented for a minute or two. Some have had a lasting impact. Take Jimi Hendrix, for a most notable example. His music transcends all space and time, and has never grown old to me. Yeah, Jim Morrison and, of course, Janis Joplin had an effect on me, but not a particularly visceral one. Today, Levon Helm of The Band passed on, a victim of throat cancer. When I read the news today, oh boy, I clicked up “The Weight,” which Levon sang and tears came rolling down my cheeks.  Maybe it’s that I’m a throat cancer survivor or the mood I’m in today. Or maybe it’s just that “The Weight” with the plaintive vocals by Levon is the song by The Band that I love the most. Every other song they wrote and performed is mighty damn good, so that’s saying something.  Robbie Robertson wrote the song but Levon Helm is the one who made it what it is: A Masterpiece. It is a song of promise, regret, sadness and joy that expresses the human condition in Biblical terms and in the hippie spirit of its time.  At least, that’s how I interpreted it, which it all that matters. The signs of a true work of art are that it means something different to every person who sees, reads or hears it, and it is timeless. Doggone it Levon … thanks man.

Levon’s still singing this to the universe:

Catch a Cannon Ball now, t'take me down the line
My bag is sinkin' low and I do believe it's time.
To get back to Miss Fanny, you know she's the only one.
Who sent me here with her regards for everyone.