[Jandek] Blues

[Davidson Roberts]

Ah yes, I'd almost forgotten about how I used to make some general statement on this list and then get schooled by people with more musical knowledge. At last this time none of us were jerks about it! I bow to you, BlackMonk, and to those who reminded me of New York (what was I thinking?!).
 
I'm also a bit embarrassed that my ideas ended up on that DVD. I hope my name wasn't attached to them too. I'd feel real sheepish to know that my solitude-induced manic ramblings have been immortalized on film. 
 
-Dave 

BlackMonk <BlackMonk at msn.com> wrote:

----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: 
Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Jandek] Where can I find Jandek records in Belgium?


> It's true that there were some bands doing some blues or blues influenced
> material before the Stones came but you had to go out and find them.

Since those bands were very popular, finding them wasn't at all difficult. 
And the importance of their playing blues goes far beyond their commercial 
impact. It meant that that "White America" was familiar with blues. Who do 
you think was listening to those bands? Who do you think made up those 
bands?

The Stones,
> Zepplin and the Yardbirds and others from over there made the sound super
> popular over here to the mainstream youth (white) market, most of whom had
> never heard it befor and didn't even know what it was..

That's, again, a myth unrelated to reality. By the time Zepplin was around, 
EVERYONE was familiar with Blues. In fact, by the time the Stones were 
around, everyone was familiar with Blues. Again, I refer you to both the 
folk revival and 50s rock muscians. As for the Yardbirds, they weren't super 
popular here at all.


It is almost impossible
> to say that the Blues wasn't re imported to our side by those guy's. The 
> only
> reason that the big blues guys even went over there was because they 
> couldn't
> make a living here.

That's untrue. Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf were hardly looking for gigs or 
record sales. Jimmy Reed had a string of records that made the billboard 
top 100. He even made the top 40 a couple of times, as did Slim Harpo.

> The Rolling Stones already had 3 or 4 albums out before
> Capt Beefheart released their first one and I'd be willing to bet that 
> those
> 3 or four outsold all of Capt. Beefheart albums ever released by 3 or 4 
> times.

That doesn't change the fact that Beefheart was playing blues before the 
Stones had any impact in the US, and playing them much better than the 
Rolling Stones, who really weren't much of a blues group until the late 60s. 
Their first American hit was a cover of a Buddy Holly song that had been 
influenced by Bo Diddley. If the Rolling Stones can be considered blues, 
then you have to acknowledge that the US audience had been familiar with 
blues for a long time. 



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