If only I had come up with a song title “Hellhound on my Trail.” Damn that’s good. Maybe the only thing better is the brilliance of this gem from Hank Williams “Settin the Woods on Fire”:
You’re my gal and I’m your feller
Dress up in your frock of yeller
I’ll look swell but you’ll look sweller
Settin’ the woods on fire
The Devil Made Me Do It
In this case, we’re talking about one from the endless vaults of Netflix $15 Billion annual content budget. Criminy, that’s a whole lotta’ dollars to capture our nightly consumption. In the riveting new documentary Devil at the Crossroads, we hear the legendary story of Robert Johnson, who non-music buffs may not realize, is pretty much ground zero for modern music.
You can draw a crooked line from him to Buddy Holly to Elvis to Johnny Cash to James Brown to The Beatles and Stones to Zeppelin to P-Funk to Public Enemy to Beck to Jeff Tweedy to yes… Childish Gambino. Would be an interesting argument to hear a music raconteur like Wynton Marsalis discuss the sonic impact of Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie. What would hip-hop and all things rock or alt look like without them?
But I digress. The film discusses whether it’s myth or truth that Johnson sold his soul to the devil to gain talent and success. If he did, it was short-lived, as he died at 27 — a fascinating number in music: Curt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison and Amy Winehouse all died at the same age. Things that make you go hmmm. The film has outstanding graphics along with compelling insight from a wide swath of musicians, historians and family. Which segues to the bigger question, for what would you sell your soul? Don’t believe in all that hocus-pocus?
The Bible says this in 1 Peter 5:8,
Be sober-minded; be watchful.
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.
You don’t believe scripture? Fair enough, how about the little voice in your head? Does it always give you a choice between something positive and something negative? Is there a battle to do the right thing, a constant tension? What honest adult has not heard these thoughts pinballing around their mind, “You’re not good enough… smart enough… thin enough?” If you have — and yes you have — well then my friend, you DO believe in spiritual warfare. Theologians point to that small quiet voice as the “needler” and source of all things evil. From the snarky comment you may or may not post on social media, all the way to the full-blown horror of serial killers and genocide. Yes, most of us are able to corral the evil of our minds. But soul-selling? We all partake every damn day. How? In little increments we give to the almighty career instead of time watching our kids splash in the rain. How important is it when our kid says, “Mommy-daddy, watch me!” Or the time spent scrolling through social channels, head down and missing a chance to engage in a conversation with a spouse dying on the inside. Or when I withhold a compliment or love because I’m keeping score on the passive-aggressive scale. Will I ever wield a pickaxe on someone? I pray the answer is no. But if not kept in check, I’ll for damn sure add a slow-working toxicity with my closest friends. Yes, that’s when we sell our soul to the enemy.
By the way, Dallas folks, drive downtown near City Hall, and check out the building at 508 Park Ln. Even better, bring care packages for the 30-40 homeless citizens who’ve created a small community there. This is one of two locations where Johnson recorded his groundbreaking songs. Is it important?
The significance of any building is what we put into it. A building is just bricks and mortar. But 508 Park Avenue is one of two buildings that has a connection with and is part of the story of two of the most important recording sessions in American history. I think the significance is in the event that took place there, every bit as much as the site at Gettysburg
is as important as the battle that took place there.
Michael Taft, director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress
You can also see the building and space in the fantastic 2004 documentary with Eric Clapton and Doyle Bramhall Jr, Sessions for Robert J. Pretty cool piece of Dallas history.
When the hellhound comes knocking, pay attention to the voices this week. Don’t listen to the jackass toxic one. Do hear the one that says you look sweller.
See ya next time. ML