WALT WHITMAN VIVA'D LOCAL LOSERS—

SEX MONEY DRUGS CHAINS ON MY CHEST THAT VINTAGE CELINE DIAMOND GRILLS CHAMPAGNE BOTTLES SWAGGER I BLEED I WANT SEX MONEY BITCHES AND THE STICKIEST WEEEED

“The lyric [to ‘Me and the Devil’] has more than a touch of hip humor and sophistication. This is an aspect of [Robert] Johnson’s work, and of blues in general, that has far too often been overlooked or undervalued. White writers, performers, and audiences, living in a world where blackness is routinely equated with toughness, violence, primitivism, and innate rather than conscious artistry, have a tendency to interpret songs rather differently than the black songwriters, musicians, and audiences that supported blues as a modern, relevant, pop style. Dave Van Ronk, one of the pioneer white revivalists, told me of a performance he once gave at a blues festival in New England: He arrived late, and did not know who was on the bill, but gave his usual show, ending with a shouting steamroller version of ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,’ full of aggressive macho bluster. Exiting to wild applause, he found to his embarrassment that Muddy Waters, the songs’ originator, had been sitting in the wings watching him. Waters, always the gentleman, hastened to put him at ease. ‘That was very good, son,’ he said, putting his hand on Dave’s shoulder. Then he added, ‘But you know, that’s supposed to be a FUNNY song.’”