I'd Rather Be the Devil: Skip James and the Blues
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- Create Date：2021-08-17 09:52:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Stephen Calt
- ISBN：1556527462
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Summary
Skip James （1902–1969） was perhaps the most creative and idiosyncratic of all blues musicians。 Drawing on hundreds of hours of conversations with James himself， Stephen Calt here paints a dark and unforgettable portrait of a man untroubled by his own murderous inclinations， a man who achieved one moment of transcendent greatness in a life haunted by failure。 And in doing so， Calt offers new insights into the nature of the blues， the world in which it thrived， and its fate when that world vanished。
Reviews
Hunter Devolin
，
One of the most caustic biographies I've ever read。 Skip James' volatile personality and views， along with the Calt's bitter disposition， make for a fairly grueling read。 Fans who find themselves enamoured by James' music and enigmatic cult status will likely have a reflexive gut reaction on learning more about this previously mysterious figure， especially if they're not comfortable with their artists and public figures being less than savoury characters。This reads very much like a bad dream tha One of the most caustic biographies I've ever read。 Skip James' volatile personality and views， along with the Calt's bitter disposition， make for a fairly grueling read。 Fans who find themselves enamoured by James' music and enigmatic cult status will likely have a reflexive gut reaction on learning more about this previously mysterious figure， especially if they're not comfortable with their artists and public figures being less than savoury characters。This reads very much like a bad dream that seemingly lasts all night。 Impossible to decide whether to read this as a total hit piece on Skip James， or to admire Calt's willingness to write the truths he found during his time spent with James。 It's a very biased account of James' life either way， and we'll never know for sure how true this portrait is， and if anything is obscured or left out for the reader。A necessary alternative document on the blues， if you choose to go along with Calt's perspective， and one that adds a great layer or depth and complexities to its subject， and to other great blues writing of the past forty years。 But certainly a deep cut read mostly for hard fans of Skip James or pre-war blues in general， and even then I'd day it's a 50/50 on whether that crowd enjoys the book。Either way， my main takeaway is that the world that the 'country blues' was born out of was not as idealized as white fans of the 60s would like to think， and sometimes the artists themselves were equally as complex。Never meet your idols has never rung so true。 。。。more
Michael Lisk
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This is a strange book。 After meeting Skip James in the '60s， Calt， a fan of the music James recorded in the early '30s， gradually grows to dislike him as he endeavors to tell his story。 Not your typical music biography。 Worth reading if you're a fan of James and early country blues in general。 This is a strange book。 After meeting Skip James in the '60s， Calt， a fan of the music James recorded in the early '30s， gradually grows to dislike him as he endeavors to tell his story。 Not your typical music biography。 Worth reading if you're a fan of James and early country blues in general。 。。。more
Sharon Barrow Wilfong
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Fascinating， if unflattering narrative on the life of Skip James， but also other blues performers of the early part of the century， their comeback in the 60s as white audiences discovered their love for the blues and their impact on the history and culture of American and also global music。The author met with and befriended Skip James and was intimately involved with the Blues revival of the sixties。 He reveals that many of these musicians led extremely rough， even lawless lives。 Their relations Fascinating， if unflattering narrative on the life of Skip James， but also other blues performers of the early part of the century， their comeback in the 60s as white audiences discovered their love for the blues and their impact on the history and culture of American and also global music。The author met with and befriended Skip James and was intimately involved with the Blues revival of the sixties。 He reveals that many of these musicians led extremely rough， even lawless lives。 Their relationships with white people throughout the South was far more complex than how it is often portrayed in today's media。The author also showed how the Blues Revival of the sixties wasn't necessarily profitable for these blues musicians。 Many of the managers and record companies took advantage of them， making money for themselves， but not the blues musicians themselves。I'd Rather be the Devil， not only provides a historical chronology， but delves into the rich， old culture of the South and Southern black people， combining their religious beliefs， intertwined with superstitions that preceded the introduction to Christianity and the hard determined grit the was necessary for survival in those pre-civil rights days。 。。。more
Jamie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Just finished reading this during a trip to the Bentonia Blues Festival。 SeeFirst of all， the author is an authoritative and sfor much of James’ later life。 He is also well versed in the social history and country blues in general。 He is one of those ‘Blues mafia’ guys， collector of 78s， etc。。 that made a living off ‘being there’ on the scene。/22-33:: was That being said， he takes a bit too much artistic license in piecing together many of the ‘blind spots’ in James’ earlier life， that time betw Just finished reading this during a trip to the Bentonia Blues Festival。 SeeFirst of all， the author is an authoritative and sfor much of James’ later life。 He is also well versed in the social history and country blues in general。 He is one of those ‘Blues mafia’ guys， collector of 78s， etc。。 that made a living off ‘being there’ on the scene。/22-33:: was That being said， he takes a bit too much artistic license in piecing together many of the ‘blind spots’ in James’ earlier life， that time between his famous Grafton recordings in 1931 and his rediscovery in the early sixties。 He rather boldly suggests that James was a hardened criminal and a violent man。 Pure conjecture。My only other beef is that he is one of those boomer Blues mafia guys that completely dismissed the notion of a ‘Bentonia school’ of blues。 It’s this kind of elite snobbery that hurts the genre and acts as some sort of pseudo intellectual shackle and chain on the art form。Incredibly， he is derisive about many local blues greats， such as Jack Owens and Henry Stuckey （the man who brought back crossnote tuning from WWI）。 Regarding the former， he derisively calls him a ‘strummer。’ In a sense， it will be a great thing for the Blues when this generation of so-called experts （however reluctantly） passes the torch to a more objective， younger generation。Otherwise， an informative read。 。。。more
Andy Alexis
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A disturbing， cynical profile of Skip James， the cultures he lived in， and the music he played。 Skip James was a misanthropoic and misogynistic man， slightly paranoid and ego driven， who lived a rough and tumble life but nonetheless carved out a piece of eternity with his beautiful and unique blues styling。 The author respects his music and was apparently a friend to James in his later years， but he doesn't seem to like him， or many of the 1960s folk music figures he encountered。 Most of the aut A disturbing， cynical profile of Skip James， the cultures he lived in， and the music he played。 Skip James was a misanthropoic and misogynistic man， slightly paranoid and ego driven， who lived a rough and tumble life but nonetheless carved out a piece of eternity with his beautiful and unique blues styling。 The author respects his music and was apparently a friend to James in his later years， but he doesn't seem to like him， or many of the 1960s folk music figures he encountered。 Most of the author's takes on how James was cheated have the ring of truth to them， but they are disturbing to read about in such great detail 。。。more
Merc
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This real-life tale details the arc of the pioneering gambler， bootlegger， murderer， and （seemingly incidental） guitar genius Skip James， who didn't die at 27 on a crossroads in the delta， but managed to survive the juke joint era and pass away just as the 60s folk revival turned him into a hero。 A solid and refreshing biography which exposes the traditional bluesman archetype as fundamentally racist and self-serving。 This real-life tale details the arc of the pioneering gambler， bootlegger， murderer， and （seemingly incidental） guitar genius Skip James， who didn't die at 27 on a crossroads in the delta， but managed to survive the juke joint era and pass away just as the 60s folk revival turned him into a hero。 A solid and refreshing biography which exposes the traditional bluesman archetype as fundamentally racist and self-serving。 。。。more
Andrew
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Good account of the life （the parts that he revealed） of Skip James and blues in general。 It did， however， chronicle the singer's darker past， as a gambler， bootlegger， （alleged） murderer and pimp。 As others have commented， towards the end of the book there is a descent into bitterness towards James' and other bluesmen's declining powers over time， a decline which is understandable given the circumstances of their lives and a break from performing that lasted for decades。 This aside， it throws s Good account of the life （the parts that he revealed） of Skip James and blues in general。 It did， however， chronicle the singer's darker past， as a gambler， bootlegger， （alleged） murderer and pimp。 As others have commented， towards the end of the book there is a descent into bitterness towards James' and other bluesmen's declining powers over time， a decline which is understandable given the circumstances of their lives and a break from performing that lasted for decades。 This aside， it throws some light on an artist that I like， although I'm not sure if I would have liked Skip James the man。 Still。 。。。more
Ian
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ever hear the song in ghost world？
Rupert
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I have mixed feelings about this book。 I love Skip James' music and this book provides a lot of history and information， but it all gets soiled and tainty by the writer's blatant bitterness。 Truly sad that even the best intentioned white boys ended up being colonial exploiters of blues talents and that blues artists weren't doing it all purely for art's or god's sake， but at the end of the day Skip James left behind some of the most mind blowing recorded sounds within "popular" music。 I have mixed feelings about this book。 I love Skip James' music and this book provides a lot of history and information， but it all gets soiled and tainty by the writer's blatant bitterness。 Truly sad that even the best intentioned white boys ended up being colonial exploiters of blues talents and that blues artists weren't doing it all purely for art's or god's sake， but at the end of the day Skip James left behind some of the most mind blowing recorded sounds within "popular" music。 。。。more
Mat
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Fascinating， definitive， caustic， scathing - these are just a few of the many adjectives that come to mind about this book。On the one hand this is a fascinating portrait of， to my mind， the best blues performer of all time - Skip James。 This book is full of interesting facts such as the background behind the legendary 1931 Vanguard sessions， some of James' influences such as Stuckey， and at the same time the homicidal tendencies of Skip James himself。 Not only did he fantasize about gunning his Fascinating， definitive， caustic， scathing - these are just a few of the many adjectives that come to mind about this book。On the one hand this is a fascinating portrait of， to my mind， the best blues performer of all time - Skip James。 This book is full of interesting facts such as the background behind the legendary 1931 Vanguard sessions， some of James' influences such as Stuckey， and at the same time the homicidal tendencies of Skip James himself。 Not only did he fantasize about gunning his ex-girlfriend down but as Calt relates， in his younger years， James was not afraid to pull his gun on someone。 In one particular incident James killed an innumerable number of people at one of his local hoedowns， where he was secretly operating as a bootlegger as well。 On the other hand， this is a merciless assault by the obviously bitter and caustic Stephen Calt。 Calt not only rips into James about how his born-again religiosity destroyed his musical ability， he totally discredits almost everything Skip tried to play or record post-1931。 Which is weird。 Go on youtube and listen to Hard Times Killing Floor Blues - both the 1931 version and the version recorded in the 1960s。 Both are great in my opinion but the latter one is superior （obviously） in terms of sound quality， making it much more listenable but according to Calt， no， it's no good。 Even Skip's slower version of I'm So Glad （which Cream later turned into a hit） was a flop according to Calt because it wasn't fast enough。 There are so many jaw-dropping stories in here， for example， his recording company in the 1960s made him do a recording even when he was in excruciating pain waiting for surgery， there was a possible connection between Skip James and Robert Johnson， either directly or indirectly， and finally， and most incredulously， Skip offered to name Stephen Calt （who was a young fawning fan of James' at the time - yet to turn into scathing critic） the benefactor of his will when he died。 There are so many stories in here which make this biography truly fascinating。 But a word to the wise - take Calt's devastating critique with a truckload of salt。 There is heaps of conjecture and bitterness in here， which sadly prevents this book from being a complete classic。 Still worth the read。 Highly recommended for blues enthusiasts。 Thanks to Jeff for giving me a free digital copy of this book！ 。。。more
John W
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Pungent， unsentimental and （presumably） definitive。 Calt clearly has a massive ax to grind， but the quality of his analysis and the depth of his knowledge more than justify the occasional chippy attack on other blues-bods。 Anyone wanting to balance the dyspepsia of this one should read the more measured and scholarly 'Escaping the Delta'， but this is the mortal humus from which the blues， and ultimately Rock and Roll， were cultivated。 Pungent， unsentimental and （presumably） definitive。 Calt clearly has a massive ax to grind， but the quality of his analysis and the depth of his knowledge more than justify the occasional chippy attack on other blues-bods。 Anyone wanting to balance the dyspepsia of this one should read the more measured and scholarly 'Escaping the Delta'， but this is the mortal humus from which the blues， and ultimately Rock and Roll， were cultivated。 。。。more
Kiof
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I couldn't finish this one， even though i like skip james's music a lot。 The mixture of Calt's academic mean-spiritedness meeting the mean-spirtedness of an egotistical artist is a deadly tonic。 mean-spirited is definitely the word for the book。 and Calt is to blame for it。 Although Skip might be a little self-obsessed， and probably would make for bad company， at least he made the music。 Calt has nothing to show for himself except for his consistent meanness。 Highly unrecommended。 I couldn't finish this one， even though i like skip james's music a lot。 The mixture of Calt's academic mean-spiritedness meeting the mean-spirtedness of an egotistical artist is a deadly tonic。 mean-spirited is definitely the word for the book。 and Calt is to blame for it。 Although Skip might be a little self-obsessed， and probably would make for bad company， at least he made the music。 Calt has nothing to show for himself except for his consistent meanness。 Highly unrecommended。 。。。more
Ross Cohen
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I just finished this book and I'm unsure as to whether this is a biography or a character assassination。 I applaud the author for not crafting yet another blues hagiography， but did he have to malign his subject so？ I don't think so。 Seems like much of the cruelty the author accuses James of having lives inside of him。 I just finished this book and I'm unsure as to whether this is a biography or a character assassination。 I applaud the author for not crafting yet another blues hagiography， but did he have to malign his subject so？ I don't think so。 Seems like much of the cruelty the author accuses James of having lives inside of him。 。。。more
Rob
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Frustrating， mean-spirited book。
Paul Secor
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Some ok information about Skip James， but you have to get past Stephen Calt's poor writing style and obnoxious personality， which pervades the book。 My recommendation is to skip the book and listen to Skip's recordings。 Some ok information about Skip James， but you have to get past Stephen Calt's poor writing style and obnoxious personality， which pervades the book。 My recommendation is to skip the book and listen to Skip's recordings。 。。。more
Now This Sound Is Brave
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Being the only biography of James I've come across， it's good for the information， but Calt comes across as extremely cynical and even hateful， even to his subject matter。 Being the only biography of James I've come across， it's good for the information， but Calt comes across as extremely cynical and even hateful， even to his subject matter。 。。。more
Amanda
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I would have given this book five stars for the bio bits， but the author spent too much time showing off his music theory knowledge。
Aengus
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Skip James was a blues innovator， a sour， murderous pimp who also happened to be 。 。 。 a piano tuner！
Brian H。
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