Johnson and Passion

Musically speaking, the so-called “British Invasion” of the late 60s and early 70s were interesting times. It wasn’t so much that Americans couldn’t ‘rock and roll’ with the best of them, it’s just that the British had tapped into a resource that the Americans had overlooked. Was that resource a particular piece of equipment, a new recording technique or possibly a different rehearsal technique? No. That resource was a man; and that man’s name was Robert Johnson.

To those who cut their chops on the early 60s UK R&B scene, Johnson’s recordings were both a primer and a master class on guitar playing. Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream, The Who and The Stones all cite Johnson as a major influence. Zeppelin covered many of his songs and Clapton recently released a disc of Johnson’s music.

I recently listened to Robert Johnson’s complete recorded works, and through the popping and hissing of the vinyl one word seems to summarize this amazing listening experience: passion. This is a man who lived his blues. This is the raw experience of unedited, unrefined poetry that scares the fainthearted and even makes the most sure-footed slip. One man, one guitar, one take. An unrefined voice and some incredible, if unpolished, guitar playing. If you don’t believe me, here is what Eric Clapton wrote of Johnson’s recordings:

“Up until I heard his music, everything I had ever heard seemed as if it was dressed up for a shop window somewhere, so that when I heard him for the first time, it was like he was singing only for himself, and now and then, maybe God.”

Robert Johnson, (1911-1938) who lived and died in poverty, probably contributed more to the Old School sounds of the late 60s and early 70s by allowing his passion to be experienced and communicated. One cannot imagine Zeppelin without the yelps of Plant or the excess riffs of Page. Or, concerning another passionate practice, what would a Who concert been like without the destruction of instruments and equipment on stage? This leads me to the point of this post: What has happened to unbridled passion in popular music these days?

The studio is so antiseptic, the recording software so manipulative these days, that we continue to churn out songs, perfected by the computer and void of passion and danger. Oh yes, I do know that there are some bands out there that still live and perform and record on the edge, but they are too few and far between. Passion is so very necessary to drive an audience of any size, and particularly a large audience. The passionless perfection of today’s popular music has created a vacuum in our society that feeds mediocrity at all levels. Today, almost anyone can make a “perfect” recording; but can they make a great recording, or even a good one? Do we get out and play our instruments because we are “flawless” at the technique, or because we have “something to say?” – something we are passionate about.

So, I still tip my hat to Mr. Robert Johnson; a man with a flawed voice, raw and bitter poetry, questionable lifestyle habits, and great yet unrefined guitar chops. A man who cranked out a total of 29 short songs and recorded them in a hotel room in Dallas over the course of a very few days. A man who changed the face, sound and style of popular music forever, because he had something to say…and he was passionate about it!

In this day, may you have the strength to be passionate. Leave “perfection” for the mediocre and strive, rather, to be a voice crying out in the wilderness. Have something to say…and say it Loud.