Insomnia

By: Robbie Robertson

Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews

The rock legend tells the story of his wild ride with Martin Scorsese—as friends, adventure-seekers, and boundary-pushing collaborators—with all the heart of his New York Times bestselling memoir Testimony.

“A tender portrait of shared adventure and an unflinching reflection on brotherhood, loss and redemption.”—The New York Times

For four decades, Robbie Robertson produced music for Martin Scorsese's films, a relationship that began when Robertson convinced Scorsese to direct The Last Waltz, the iconic film of the Band's farewell performance at the Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving 1976.

The closing of the Band's story with that landmark concert thrust Robertson into a new and uncertain world. With his relationship with his bandmates deteriorating and his marriage collapsing, Robertson arrived on Scorsese’s Beverly Hills doorstep only to find his friend in similar straits. Before the night was out, Scorsese had invited him to move in. Both men, already culture-transforming stars before the age of thirty-five, stood at a creative precipice, searching for the beginning of a new phase of life and work. As their friendship deepened into a career-altering collaboration, their shared journey would take them around the world and down the rabbit hole of American culture in the long hangover of the seventies. Buffeted on either side by temptation and paranoia, veering closer to self-destruction than either wanted to admit, together they had devoted themselves to a partnership defined by equal parts admiration and ambition.

With a cast of characters featuring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Federico Fellini, Sophia Loren, Sam Fuller, Liza Minelli, Tuesday Weld, and many more, Insomnia is an intimate portrait of a remarkable creative friendship between two titans of American arts, one that would explore the outer limits of excess and experience before returning to tell the tale.

Critic reviews

“A rollicking account of the pedal-to-the-metal years that followed the [Band’s] dissolution. . . . Robertson’s speedy narrative eschews the maudlin self-analysis common in books of this stripe, delivering a magpie assemblage of impressions and anecdotes—late-night sound mixing sessions with Scorsese, cocaine-fueled gallivanting, and hobnobbing with famous faces. . . . At the same time, Robertson’s sensitive portrait of his friendship with Scorsese—particularly during his addiction-induced hospitalization—provides a potent emotional ballast to the otherwise careening narrative. For rock fans, this is a must.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A pensive, clear-eyed vision of a collapsing world as seen through grimy, rain-streaked windows . . . a pleasure for golden-age rock fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[This] lively account . . . is a tender portrait of shared adventure and an unflinching reflection on brotherhood, loss and redemption, replete with drug-fueled, all-night movie screenings and raucous cameos by Liza Minnelli, Robert De Niro and many more.”—Tas Tobey, The New York Times

In his own voice

This was a perfect final word from Robbie Robertson. The narrator’s voice was such a perfect match to Robbie’s that I felt like I was listening to him directly.

I received “The Band” as a Christmas present in 1969 my junior year in high school and became an immediate lifelong fan. I saw them years later with the 3 remaining members (Richard Manuel had recently committed suicide) and felt thrilled with the opportunity. This book is as good as “Testimony”, a good pairing with “Were Once Brothers “ and fleshes out those early years after the breakup. A must read for any fan of The Band!

His life was a quiet carnival.

Great stories. Robbie was in a wonderful position at a wonderful time for both film and music.

Thanks to his connections and position as a musical elite, Robbie was in some enviable rooms and mingled with some interesting celebrities. There’s not a lot of earth shattering revelations here, but some dirt is dished.

In the telling, Robbie reveals a little bit of narcissism, but we can’t blame him.

It seems like it was rationalized book

Robby’s confession is very misogynistic and not very much what a gentleman like. It a book that wants to justify his actions against the band, but he indulges in the same behavior. He wants to give off this vibe of sex, drugs, and rock n roll life style, but it comes off as petty and repetitive. I am a fan of The Band and Robby, but this book leaves me with the feeling there is more to the story.