The Real Robert Johnson Story
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wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 16:41 last edited by
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
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I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 17:23 last edited by@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
Did you read it through? That's pretty much what his point was.
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wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 17:28 last edited by
That whole canonization of John Coltrane thing gives me the creeps.
And no, I didn't read the whole thing - I'll take a look later.
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That whole canonization of John Coltrane thing gives me the creeps.
And no, I didn't read the whole thing - I'll take a look later.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 17:58 last edited by@Doctor-Phibes said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
That whole canonization of John Coltrane thing gives me the creeps.
And no, I didn't read the whole thing - I'll take a look later.
It's a fun read. But in the context of the rest of the book, it makes even more sense.
Basically, Johnson's claim was not unique, and it has a lot to do with music's origins. It's cool stuff.
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wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 18:15 last edited by
@Aqua-Letifer said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
That whole canonization of John Coltrane thing gives me the creeps.
And no, I didn't read the whole thing - I'll take a look later.
It's a fun read. But in the context of the rest of the book, it makes even more sense.
Basically, Johnson's claim was not unique, and it has a lot to do with music's origins. It's cool stuff.
I'll put the Ted Gioia book on my wishlist - who knows, I might even read it!
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@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
Did you read it through? That's pretty much what his point was.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 19:15 last edited by@Aqua-Letifer said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
Did you read it through? That's pretty much what his point was.
I did and maybe I'm too dense to understand.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
Did you read it through? That's pretty much what his point was.
I did and maybe I'm too dense to understand.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 19:19 last edited by@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
@Jolly said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
I think he misses the ethos of the Deep South and duality that is pervasive in everyday life and spiritual life, especially in those years.
Did you read it through? That's pretty much what his point was.
I did and maybe I'm too dense to understand.
It's hard for me to see how much sense this makes on its own because I read a lot of Gioia's stuff. This is part of a series of articles he's turning into a book.With this stuff, he thinks the folks who play down the spiritual component of the culture aren't really getting what Johnson was up to. But that's been the primary goal of biographers and music historians, because presentism.
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wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 22:11 last edited by
I read just a bit, but will definitely be back. Really intriguing.
Thank Aqua! -
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 22:45 last edited by Renauda 2 Jun 2023, 22:48
I read a bit or skimmed through as well. Will return.
His point that Johnson created his own myth rings true from what I have read; in particular what Johnny Shines said about him. Shines not only knew Johnson but played alongside and travelled with Robert Johnson. I seem recollect that Shines stated at first Johnson was a fairly mediocre player then went away for some time - a year or so - and returned a wholly transformed musician and guitar player. The crossroads and deal with the devil mythology stems from that hiatus period when nobody saw Johnson around. For his part, Johnson of course promoted the story. Makes a better yarn for gossip than to say he became a recluse and practiced his ass off day and night for a year or so.
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I read a bit or skimmed through as well. Will return.
His point that Johnson created his own myth rings true from what I have read; in particular what Johnny Shines said about him. Shines not only knew Johnson but played alongside and travelled with Robert Johnson. I seem recollect that Shines stated at first Johnson was a fairly mediocre player then went away for some time - a year or so - and returned a wholly transformed musician and guitar player. The crossroads and deal with the devil mythology stems from that hiatus period when nobody saw Johnson around. For his part, Johnson of course promoted the story. Makes a better yarn for gossip than to say he became a recluse and practiced his ass off day and night for a year or so.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 22:50 last edited by@Renauda said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
Makes a better yarn for gossip than to say he became a recluse and practiced his ass off day and night for a year or so.
Somebody made that comment about rock guitar heroes - for all their coolness once famous, they all spent an ungodly amount of their teenage years locked away in their bedrooms practicing.
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@Renauda said in The Real Robert Johnson Story:
Makes a better yarn for gossip than to say he became a recluse and practiced his ass off day and night for a year or so.
Somebody made that comment about rock guitar heroes - for all their coolness once famous, they all spent an ungodly amount of their teenage years locked away in their bedrooms practicing.
wrote on 6 Feb 2023, 22:59 last edited byI have heard that as well. A few like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore have said just that many times during interviews.