I'd Rather Be the Devil--Skip James and the Blues.

[Shannon Dickey]

Was in a bookstore and stumbled across Stephen Calt's "I'd Rather Be The Devil--Skip James and the Blues" Chicago Review Press.

Originally in print, for a minute, back in 1994, this is an amazing book for any and all fans of Skip James and/or the Blues. A steal at $16.95!

Looking forward to Calt's upcoming book concerning the vernacular of early Blues artists.

Awesome book!!

[AllenLowe]

much good research but a very nasty (and libelous) perspective on worthy people like Dick Spottswood - accuses him falsely, as I recall, of ripping off James -

Edited April 4, 2008 by AllenLowe

[paul secor]

Stephen Calt has some very peculiar views. I'm trying to be nice here.

I sold my copy of I'd Rather Be the Devil several years ago and haven't missed it.

[Chuck Nessa]

There's a recommendation if I ever saw one.

Every person mentioned so far is/was "nuts" and has/had a personal ax to grind.

Salt for everybody!

Edited April 5, 2008 by Chuck Nessa

[Larry Kart]

yeah & ... who else is gonna be attracted to Skip James-- a crazy motherfucker himself? Martin Williams? now not all combinations of crazy "work" but this mostly does... edc will reveal more anon.

I know for a fact that Martin Williams dug Skip James. Why would he not have? After all, Martin was among Ornette's earliest and most stalwart advocates, and Ornette wasn't exactly a button-down collar kind of guy.

[John L]

Steven Calt is a usually worth reading, even if it sometimes feels like torture.

For Skip James, I think that Calt seriously underestimates the richness of the general Bentonia blues tradition, which is misrepresented in the book as only the Skip James blues tradition. In general, Calt always seems to be arguing the postition that a few great blues musicians came up with everything, and everybody else can be classified as second-rate imitators. His arguments are always strong and informed, even when they are wrong.

Edited April 5, 2008 by John L

[AllenLowe]

nasty guy, Calt, and I think it ruins his stuff - and by the way I love Skip James, who was one of he few brought back during the revival who seemed to have a conscious sense of change in his music -

and it's irrelevant, but John Szwed told me he drove James around in those days, to concerts, etc -

[jimi089]

nasty guy, Calt, and I think it ruins his stuff - and by the way I love Skip James, who was one of he few brought back during the revival who seemed to have a conscious sense of change in his music -

I love Skip James - I mean that voice. I never thought about that latter issue although I'll listen for it now.

[Larry Kart]

LK-- comment not related to range (& limits) of MW's taste but that this task could only be accomplished by weirdos... or else he or x # of other dudes woulda thought to look for SJ, Bukka White etc themselves. that said, i don't think MW ever really revealed the chops of a cultural historian... which SC doesn't necessarily have either but he tries.

MW's sense of the cultural history of the blues may have been derived from others, but it certainly went against the then prevailing celebration of the "folk" blues; MW for one being aware that figures such as, say, Snooks Eaglin, and of course Leadbelly and countless other supposed "folk" bluesmen before Eaglin's time, were in fact hip to (and had been for all their lives) all sorts of contemporary popular and vernacular music, which they recycled as it suited their own and their audiences' needs and tastes. That is, the essential "folkness" of the blues, as the concept was understood and promulgated by so many white writers and fans from the late '50s on, was largely a fiction that served the needs and tastes and fantasies of that audience. Again, MW may not have been a pioneer in detecting the nature of that game, but he certainly was aware of and wrote about it, for which he deserves credit.

[AllenLowe]

I'd have to dig up the quote, but Williams actually had something complimentary to say somewhere about Elvis -

as for Szwed, I think he was at University of Pennsylvania -

[Larry Kart]

I'd have to dig up the quote, but Williams actually had something complimentary to say somewhere about Elvis -

He did but IIRC referred to the Rolling Stones as a minstrel act.

[AllenLowe]

I tend to agree with him on that -

[John L]

I'd have to dig up the quote, but Williams actually had something complimentary to say somewhere about Elvis -

He did but IIRC referred to the Rolling Stones as a minstrel act.

There was a big difference between the early Rolling Stones and the mature Rolling Stones in that regard. If that was MW's initial reaction to the Stones when they first appeared on the scene, then it is understandable.

[Larry Kart]

I'd have to dig up the quote, but Williams actually had something complimentary to say somewhere about Elvis -

He did but IIRC referred to the Rolling Stones as a minstrel act.

There was a big difference between the early Rolling Stones and the mature Rolling Stones in that regard. If that was MW's initial reaction to the Stones when they first appeared on the scene, then it is understandable.

It was an initial reaction.

[AllenLowe]

never liked the stones - I always thought Jagger/Richards had more talent as songwriters than performers - even when Brian Jones was in the band they always just seemed to be playing at the music rather than ever being inside of it, either rhythmically or musically -

[John L]

never liked the stones - I always thought Jagger/Richards had more talent as songwriters than performers - even when Brian Jones was in the band they always just seemed to be playing at the music rather than ever being inside of it, either rhythmically or musically -

Interesting. My opinion is somewhat the opposite. I think that Jagger & Richards are tremendous performers and so-so song writers. Keith Richards' unique guitar sound is much of what makes their best work so compelling. Jagger may not have a great singing voice in the classic sense of the word, but he often succeeds more than "better" singers in really delivering a song in a convincing way. Richards and Jagger appear to need each other, however. For some reason, they sound terrible on their own.

[jostber]

An interview with Calt here:

http://www.ridingtheblinds.com/2008/01/ste...-interview.html

An interesting article with some views on Calt:

http://www.ficara.net/writing/meeting_skip_james.html

[Hot Ptah]

Calt's book on Skip James stands as one of the most unrelenting negative rants I have ever read.

After many pages of his bleak world view, I may have been punch drunk, but I found the following anecdote strange and humorous: Skip James was invited by a group of adoring young hippie fans to a boat ride. He declined, as he believed that the hippies intended to take him out on the water, throw him overboard and drown him.

[Spontooneous]

Calt's book on Skip James stands as one of the most unrelenting negative rants I have ever read.

After many pages of his bleak world view, I may have been punch drunk, but I found the following anecdote strange and humorous: Skip James was invited by a group of adoring young hippie fans to a boat ride. He declined, as he believed that the hippies intended to take him out on the water, throw him overboard and drown him.

The review copy just arrived. Sounds like the pick-me-up I need. Can't wait!