ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads

I had more fun watching the random documentaries about this case on youtube years ago. This documentary kinda kills the supernatural mystery of the story, I mean not exactly kills, but puts very little emphasis on the straordinariety of the story, which is what fascinates me most in the first place, and focus instead on a more mundane explanation for it all.

The life of Robert Johnson, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. A bluesman whose career ended before World War 2 and whose number of recorded songs is very limited, he influenced some of the greatest artists and bands of the century, including Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cream and Eric Clapton.

A musician who is well known to me, largely due to covers of his songs by Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream, the White Stripes and the Blues Brothers, amongst others, but whom many people will never have heard of. He died in 1938 at age 27 and his body of recorded work amounts to 29 songs yet his influence is immense.

This documentary goes some way to detailing his life and career, showing his great musical talent and capturing how influential he is. It also examines the age-old myth that he sold his soul to the devil to gain his talent, a well-worn blues jealousy not reserved exclusively for Robert Johnson. The filmmakers humour this notion though by researching how he got to be so good in such a short space of time.

The film could have been a bit more comprehensive though. Most documentaries tend to be padded with unnecessary interviews and editorials instead of information but this feels like it could have done with more information. That's one of the problems with Johnson though: not much is known about him.

How did he get his songs recorded? Where did he live? How did he live after getting recorded? So many gaps in this movie.

It's a safe bet that all blues fans know who Robert Johnson was. Netflix's "ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads" looks at Johnson's life and work. Featuring interviews with Keb' Mo', Keith Richards, and even Johnson's grandson, it makes clear that Johnson was one of the greatest musicians of all time. Of course, it also notes the historical context (Johnson grew up in the deep south during the most racist period in our country's history). It's so sad that Johnson's life got cut short; I have no doubt that he would've continued making great music.

Basically, whether or not you're a blues fan, you gotta see this documentary. Pretty much all music in the US has its roots in the blues, and you owe it to yourself to hear Robert Johnson.

Was slightly hesitant to watch this documentary because I'm not extremely familiar with Blues history but then I thought that's even more of a reason to watch and I'm so glad I did. Just hearing the trials and tribulations Johnson went through lends a higher amount of respect to his music and himself as a person than can even be imagined. What a fantastic musician and also adds more fuel to the fire for all of you conspiracy theory folks out there. A MUST WATCH!