Gnarly
2865 posts
Aug 02, 2020
12:02 PM
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The junction of highway 61 and highway 49 in Mississippi is said to be the infamous "crossroads" where bluesman Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for talent and fame.
Looks like a fairly soulless spot.
Can one realistically sell one's soul to the devil?
What does he do with it?
Can one function as a human being without a soul?
Wouldn't you sound soulless after the deal was done?
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dougharps
2158 posts
Aug 02, 2020
2:31 PM
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Looks like a fairly soulless spot.
Not really, my recollection is that it looked pretty good back then, though having more primitive roads and being very isolated.
Can one realistically sell one's soul to the devil?
What is "real"?
Sure, if it is "real" to you...
Sign now, soul collected later...
What does he do with it?
He??? Really? Are you sure???
Probably torments it eternally.
Can one function as a human being without a soul?
Examples of this are encountered every day in bureaucracies.
Anyway, when you sell your soul it is reportedly collected later.
Wouldn't you sound soulless after the deal was done?
Soul is collected later. The deal would not detract from whatever "soul" you currently possess.
Your soul is still with you until the end when it is collected. Sort of like a reverse mortgage...
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Doug S.
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Gnarly
2866 posts
Aug 02, 2020
6:24 PM
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Doug S. Wrote:
“ He??? Really? Are you sure???”
And this why I love this guy.
“But when he laid that paper on me,
And he showed me where to sign,
I said, ‘Thank you very kindly but I’m in too great a need of mine’”
Last Edited by Gnarly on Aug 02, 2020 6:25 PM
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jbone
3246 posts
Aug 02, 2020
7:41 PM
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That may be the original crossroads but then again it may have been chosen later for driving convenience. Sometimes the original route is called the "old road" and seldom used after the new improved roadway is completed.
It all makes for a good tale at any rate. I think RJ may have been like some others, myself included- driven, stubborn, and with an inherent gift or feel. He disappeared for a while and maybe he just woodshedded his A$$ off!
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1109912442677135/?ref=bookmarks
Reverbnation
Facebook
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kudzurunner
6658 posts
Aug 02, 2020
7:46 PM
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Please buy and read my book. (See below.)
You will never ask questions like this again.
Cut to the chase: the answer is no. The intersection of Hwy 61 and 49 in Clarksdale has almost no significance in any rational history of the blues.
https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Crossroads-Devil-Blues-Tradition/dp/1469633663/
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Whose Blues? Facing Up to Race and the Future of the Music
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Aug 02, 2020 7:48 PM
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Sundancer
364 posts
Aug 02, 2020
8:16 PM
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Lucinda Williams thinks there’s a man living without a soul
https://youtu.be/272voTjeHy4
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Gnarly
2868 posts
Aug 02, 2020
8:27 PM
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Very topic--and blues-like (no V chord, how harmonica centric).
Soul means passion, yes?
Edit--bass goes to the V at the five minute mark . . . except for that, it's all IV I.
https://youtu.be/272voTjeHy4?t=303
Last Edited by Gnarly on Aug 02, 2020 8:30 PM
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Mirco
641 posts
Aug 02, 2020
9:06 PM
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I sold my soul to host the monthly blues jam at Poor House Bistro. It's not worth.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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Rontana
552 posts
Aug 03, 2020
4:21 AM
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Successful shoe salesman sell their soles every day . . . and rarely suffer metaphysical repercussions.
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Ron Marr Custom Wood Carving
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dougharps
2161 posts
Aug 03, 2020
11:46 AM
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If shoe salesmen sell their soles every day, then they must act like heels!
Would having the Walking Blues qualify as a metaphysical repercussion?
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Doug S.
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Gnarly
2869 posts
Aug 03, 2020
1:33 PM
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@dougharps more like Metatarsal percussion.
Considering the thread title and the list proper, I may have actually wandered back on topic.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Aug 03, 2020 1:34 PM
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Honkin On Bobo
1532 posts
Aug 03, 2020
3:51 PM
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"rational"....."the blues"
Now that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.
I usually view the part of me that's analytical, logical, cerebral (however big or small that might be LOL) as separate from the blues. Don't get me wrong. There's a feeling mystical or otherwise that I get when I listen to the blues that's undeniable. And I attribute it to the psychic, and often physical pain felt by the originators of said music, so profound, that the music would resonate with so many people who did not have that same experience. But I reject wholeheartedly the idea that any of the metaphysical aspects of the tradition reflect reality in any way, however fun the storytelling may be.
For example, Robert Johnson. Sold soul? Ya, I think not. How about took off for some woodshedding that over the years, story retellers compressed to make it seem as though he came back in a month or two a witch. A switch hitting witch (a Bull Durham reference for you baseball fans).
Anyway, the point is I LOVE the blues and harp. It strikes a chord in me that's mysterious, comforting, wise. That said, I'm calling bullshit on all the supernatural stuff.
The major domo may or may not call all this stuff out in his book. I dunno didn't read it however worthwhile that may be.
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