{"id":5450,"date":"2017-06-07T12:22:36","date_gmt":"2017-06-07T12:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/06\/07\/eric-clapton-culturally-appropriates-robert-johnson\/"},"modified":"2017-06-07T12:22:36","modified_gmt":"2017-06-07T12:22:36","slug":"eric-clapton-culturally-appropriates-robert-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/2017\/06\/07\/eric-clapton-culturally-appropriates-robert-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Clapton ‘Culturally Appropriates’ Robert Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talk of 'cultural appropriation,' as knuckleheaded leftists use this phrase, is bullshit. But bullshit is the stock-in-trade of the divisive and destructive Left.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now enjoy<\/a> the white boy's blistering performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, with all due respect and gratitude, give a listen to Robert Johnson<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

………………<\/span><\/p>\n

London Ed responds:<\/span><\/p>\n

No problem with \u2018cultural appropriation\u2019, which is the way all culture has been transmitted for millennia. Note Robert Johnson wore a pin stripe suit. And played an instrument that originated in Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Re Clapton:<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) Guitar. Page captures nicely the quarter tones of the Delta Blues, see e.g. the opening bars of this<\/a>. Clapton follows more closely the Western diatonic classical scale so it\u2019s not authentic sounding blues for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

(2) Voice. Johnson sings from the dark depths of the soul e.g https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Yd60nI4sa9A<\/a> 0.55 onwards \u2018standin at the crossroads, tryin to flag a ride .. aint nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by\u2019. Compare Crapton https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MtLhPeLB9bA<\/a> on the same verse around 1.10. Elevator music. Particularly \u2018everybody pass me by\u2019 which somewhat lacks the despairing alienated spirit of Johnson\u2019s version, no?<\/span><\/p>\n

For another comparison https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Uy2tEP3I3DM<\/a> Otis Rush, "I Cant Quit You Baby," and same version by Zeppelin https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=29PSPafL54o<\/a> . Plant is good but the delivery just doesn\u2019t stack up against Rush.<\/span><\/p>\n

BV: Ed touches on an interesting set of questions that I don't have time to tackle at the moment. But just to add to the data set: Charles Adnopoz, Robert Zimmerman, Michael Bloomfield. Three Jews from comfortable backgrounds who sought authenticity in the music of the down and out and dispossessed.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Admittedly, Clapton is not singing from the dark depths of a tormented soul. And if you saw Clapton at a crossroads flagging a ride, you'd pick him up for sure; if you saw someone who looked like Robert Johnson, though, you'd probably pass him by.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talk of 'cultural appropriation,' as knuckleheaded leftists use this phrase, is bullshit. But bullshit is the stock-in-trade of the divisive and destructive Left. Now enjoy the white boy's blistering performance. Finally, with all due respect and gratitude, give a listen to Robert Johnson.  ……………… London Ed responds: No problem with \u2018cultural appropriation\u2019, which is the … Continue reading “Eric Clapton ‘Culturally Appropriates’ Robert Johnson”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maverickphilosopher.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}