Deep Blues, Chapter 2

Now that I've finished reading chapter 2, "Heart Like Railroad Steel", i though I'd blog about a few of the things I found most interesting.

First of all, I found this chapter much more enjoyable than the first one, because it was more about the actual musicians and music. It was really interesting for me to read about the lives of the musicians, then look at the form and lyrics of their music.

Another thing I found interesting was on pages 59-60 when it talked about Tommy Johnson saying that he sold his soul to the Devil. It seems as if the people there really believed it. Always before, I had considered this phrase just like a metaphor, but these people don't seem to view it that way. It was also interesting for me because when he said that, I remembered that the man on "O Brother, Where Art Thou" said the same thing. Was it a common thing to say, or is it just one of those consequences?

Also, being the band nerd that I am, I loved reading about the specific rhythm patterns and melody/harmony lines in differet artists' music. For example, on page 64, Palmer discusses Charley Patton's unique and complex rhythm patterns, and I loved every word of it. I found myself trying to create the overlapping douple-triple beats by tapping on something. Then I realized there were people around me and I stopped.

One other thing that reall interested me was how they used similar lyrical lines or phrases, but changed them to make them thier own. This kind of helped me understand that it isn't always necessarily the words themselves that make an artist unique, but rather the feeling their music gives with the combination of words, musical patterns, and tone.

I'll be done now. Although I wouldn't have to be.