Blues Music, Y'all

To say the least, we don't have much time left in this semester. That means that there may be very little original material that we can put on this blog. All of his have tackled the material from many different perspectives that relate to discrimination, gender identity, and generally surviving in this world as women coming from multi-cultural backgrounds. But to me, there are more "fun" ways to talk about these individuals as they can relate to relationships and power.

I was very pleasantly surprised that we were able to tie blues music to the work in Lucy Negro, Redux, because I think that there was a connection with the poetry and with the Blues tradition (and if Foghat's music was what Prof. Marshall was firstly drawn to, he has a solid taste in music) I find the connection between what was being said in Caroline's work as it related to women who have a concious autonomy, and also to men who would care about nothing more than pleasure. "I Just Want to Make Love to You" is a song that encapsulates that arch very well, because it demonstrates that kind of struggle.

The Blues is a tradition that is grounded in stark reality, in sadness, and expressing a longing for better. Go back and listen closely to B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and even Stevie Ray Vaughn, and you will see that tradition, and its influence on rock music as well.

That being said, please enjoy one of my favorite Foghat covers, and I would be interested in your thoughts on what Robert Johnson is saying, and how we can further relate that to the struggles of both men and women of all races.