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[Ishotdanieljohnston]

There's some stuff I've been wanting to write for a while, and recent discussion in the "music blog discussion thread" encouraged me to post this article I've written about blues. It's the first critical thing i've written, and though i don't know an awful amount about blues I thought i'd give it a try. You don't have to be gentle, feedback would be appreciated.

HOWLINGS FROM THE DUSTY PORCH
THE MUSIC OF THREE FATHERS OF EARLY BLUES

Blues music has always interested me, though I’m certainly no expert in the genre. Early blues music, particularly that with the raw, dirty, Mississippi Delta sound, has a beautiful power. Music to play late at night into the headphones. To me, in many ways, this is pure music. The stark nature of their recordings, which match a quality which would now be described as lo-fi, with the artist singing cause it’s the only thing the can do. For these men and women it was the only outlet from the struggle which defined their lives. The simple, formulaic, though unmatchably expressive quality of the sound was perhaps the only respite from their lives. When listening to this music, it seems to me that the decades between its recording and that moment vanish, they are wailing, howling, whispering, rasping directly into my ears. My blues collection is limited almost exclusively to the works of Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, and Robert Johnson, and I wish to discuss them in a series of three articles.
I first started listening to Willie Johnson after the owner of the store I frequent, Warwick, insisted that the Muddy Waters collection I was holding would do no justice to real Blues music. “Listen to Blind Willie Johnson and you’ll have heard all the Blues you’ll ever need to hear”. I crept over to the record player by the counter, slipped in the modest “complete recordings”, and stood by the counter with the headphones gripped to my ears for the next hour and a half.
You may recognise Johnson if you’ve seen Paris Texas. The man howls out from the despair of the solitude inflicted on him by his blindness, he yells out to a Lord he can not ever see and whom he has not yet heard. These are not hymns, they are desperate prayers of longing for salvation. I am not religious but the power of this humble struggle does not escape me.
In content they are undoubtedly spirituals, in style though they are pure Texan blues. His slide guitar work is considered legendary, and his growling, haunting voice which barks of Jesus and death and longing is entirely unique, though often imitated. Think a more solemn Tom Waits. The myth has it that he almost incited a riot with his soulful rendition of “If I had my way I’d tear the building down”, and I can clearly imagine the broad shouldered, awkward looking man (only one photo of him exists) standing in the courthouse, appalled at some racial misjustice, his unmistakable voice ripping through the room and into the conscience of the persecutors. Certainly an over the top and perhaps melodramatic imagining of something that might not have happened, it still certainly suits the sheer expressive skill of the ancient blues legend
This song is typical of his style, a complex song about Samson’s frustration over Delilah. Many of the lyrics are almost unhearable, alternating throughout between a frightened, ugly bark and a rambling whisper which is often lost beneath the chatting, fast guitar. The most haunting Willie Johnson song is “Dark was the night, Cold was the ground”. It consists only of him humming above his guitar, which is at its most minimal, and occasionally intoning “ah well”. The song brings to mind long stretches of desert with silhouhetted lone figures wandering aimlessly towards the coming dawn. His songs are not so much full of wonder as they are of desperation. “Dying will be easy- I know”, he wails in his early song “Jesus make up my dying bed”. He yearns for the promise of a future eternity better than the struggle his race endured throughout life, and the death he speaks of is the bridge with which to reach this salvation.
In his later work (his recording career was horrendously brief- consisting only of 30 tracks), his often violent, unrestrained voice is mellower, more within the mould of traditional blues. Though the music is still unmistakably spiritual, it is easier on the ears. Where his early tracks consist of often heart wrenching slide guitar with the young man wailing simple, desperation driven mantras, his later work has a more playful quality, complimented by the charming, plaintive singing of his wife, Angeline Johnson. Even though these songs were recorded across five sessions over three years (1927-1930), the difference is unmistakable. The later songs, like “take a stand” consist of a gentler finger picking style and his gravely bass is far more subdued.
Much of his life and work are shrouded in mystery, and as this writing is attempting to demonstrate, the only real way to reveal the character and spirit of Johnson is through close listening. However, what is known of his life certainly seems to reflect the nature of the music. Born in 1897, he was determined, as he told his father, to become a preacher when he was five. He  fulfilled this ambition, as records show reverend W. Johnson working out of the Beaumont House of Prayer in 1940. The strange, tragic circumstances of his death fit perfectly with the brooding, uncomfortable atmosphere of the music. His home burnt in 1945, and with no where else to go, he slept in its damp ruins till he contracted pneumonia two weeks later. His wife later claimed that admission to the hospital was refused to him due to his colour.
Blues, though the content is so specific to a certain period in history, has a universal appeal which is embodied by Johnson’s music. The mood evokes a dusty porch in the south, the sun beating down, children playing, running, yelling in the surrounding area, and Blind Willie there, on a creaky rocking chair, using his dagger to slide his tunes. It is lonely music, you do not listen to this at a party, or even in the background with friends. This is for the dead of night, alone with Johnson singing down your headphones. This is true blues.

The next instalment is on Blind Willie McTell

Brief, I know, but i do have time restraints.

[Kallahan]

The points you make and the anecdotes you share are great. The wittings crap though.  If you weren't asking for criticism is would not have made it past the first sentence.
"Blues music has always interested me, though I’m certainly no expert in the genre. " Don't be disappointed, like anything in life, writing takes practice. How do you know what reads well if you don't write often. How do you know if you witting is good if you don't look at ways to improve it?

For more writing advice than you can shake a stick at, http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6710

there is no better source for writing wisdom than that thread, I realize it's a long thread and mostly about fiction writing. there's an index of sorts stickied on the forum.

James D. MacDonald has been a professional writer for years, yet to quote him, "I know, as I write it, that most of it will be changed, moved, or deleted in the revision process. That doesn't bother me. The revision and rewriting and such takes place in another part of my day" take this to heart.

[Ernest]

dude why are you such a dick

I am no expert on dicks such as you, but they have always interested me

you should learn not to be a dick

I found this website where you can learn: http://2girls1cup.com

but if you are never not a dick, how can you expect to become better at not being one?

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

Hey, nah. I'd prefer honesty, and that's why I posted it on here. It its the first thing I've written and I was hardly expecting a positive response. That thread looks really good, I'll check it out.

[Shadows Collide]

Well the fact you mentioned yourself the lack of experience with writing means that guys comment is useless, it's not like you pretended to write amazing or anything.

[a pack of wolves]

Parts of it are a little clunky, like that opening. It's a tad redundant but is the kind of thing that's so natural to preface something with, I generally find myself doing something similar to get started and then going back to cut it out later. There are one or two other bits that didn't flow very well either, such as the placing of this line: 'My blues collection is limited almost exclusively to the works of Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, and Robert Johnson, and I wish to discuss them in a series of three articles.' It jars where it is now.

However, these are minor quibbles and the kind of thing that you'll lose with time in any case so not something to be too worried about. The meat of it, both what you're trying to say and the way you express it, is very good and one of the few kinds of music writing I enjoy. You describe what the pieces evoke for you and I was particularly interested in the imagery you present as being created when listening to them. I also thought this was interesting, and nicely put: 'The man howls out from the despair of the solitude inflicted on him by his blindness, he yells out to a Lord he can not ever see and whom he has not yet heard. These are not hymns, they are desperate prayers of longing for salvation. I am not religious but the power of this humble struggle does not escape me.' I would have liked to see you say more on that.

In short, this is great and I'm looking forward to seeing what you write about Blind Willie McTell.

[Kallahan]

dude why are you such a dick

I am no expert on dicks such as you, but they have always interested me

you should learn not to be a dick

I found this website where you can learn: http://2girls1cup.com

but if you are never not a dick, how can you expect to become better at not being one?

He asked for an honest review, I gave it. I did not mean to hurt his feelings, and I did not just say this sucks. I gave advice and encouragement. You, however, just called me a dick.

[Johnny C]

Well, you did call his writing crap.

I think it's a little stiff, but not really bad. You might benefit from being more conversational in tone when you're writing an informal piece.

[Tom]

Thing is, he tries to be conversational at times but it just feels a tad restrained. Other than that, I enjoyed the article.

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

Thanks, that's actually a much better response than I was expecting. I'm still trying to get out of yr.12 english mode, which may be why it comes across a little stiff. I'm preparing to write the Willie McTell one now.

[camelpimp]

Well, you did call his writing crap.

I think it's a little stiff, but not really bad. You might benefit from being more conversational in tone when you're writing an informal piece.

No, Kallahan didn't. They called his "witting" crap. Which I agree. I'm telling ya, I didn't even chuckle once.

[supersheep]

"The writing's crap" is not constructive criticism.

I like it, but I think you should go back and redraft it somewhat. Also, I think that you should also go into a bit more detail about the songs you mention. Otherwise, though, it's a good piece of writing, especially for your first piece of music writing.