THE LAST WALTZ

Sometimes when you hear raves about a film you wind up disappointed when you finally see it. Particularly a movie billed as "the greatest xxx" of all time. Not so The Last Waltz. When I finally watched Scorsese's chronicle of The Band's last concert it not only captivated me but led me down the rabbit hole into an immersion of 70s rock that I knew existed (after all I live with the ultimate 70s rock music fan) but didn't really know.

I watched the movie five times in one week. I could say it had to do with Muddy Waters tearing up Mannish Boy, or The Staples Singers soaring on The Weight, or Dry Your Eyes by Neil Diamond or I Shall Be Released by everyone. I could say it had to do with the baroque glowing red stage set, borrowed from an opera company. I could say it had to do with how Scorsese put me on that stage with Clapton, Dylan, Danko, Helm, Hudson, Manuel, Wood, Mitchell, Young, Starr, etc. etc. All would be true. But really it had to do with Robbie Robertson. There's a reason girls love rock stars and guys want to be rock stars and if you watch RR in this movie you'll know why.

Sayonara, George Clooney.

My husband may have rolled his eyes but he gave me the cd box set as a gift and the fall continued ... into an iTunes exploration of everything Emmylou Harris ... which reminded me how much I love Linda Ronstadt ... to more live Neil Diamond (Hot August Night) and more Van Morrison ... and then to Bob Dylan. Did I know Kevin had dozens of Dylan cds stashed in the basement? Yes. Had I ever listened to every single one of them, night after night, for months? Ah, no. But I have now.

DIVA DVD: The Last Waltz. For movie-inspired music picks browse my Amazon store.

Photos from The Band's The Last Waltz 25th anniversary cd box set.