Evil
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A stranger at the bus stop gave me a CD of this heavy blues artist last week.
The CD is Howlin' Wolf: His Best.
Next morning, I uploaded the CD and then put my entire iTunes library on shuffle mode, making it possible for me to hear any one of 300+ songs.
I was eating Snackimals on the couch, reading M. Scott Peck's People of the Lie: The Hope For Healing Human Evil, and being elegantly blown away by a theory of social evil therein. Snackimals tumbled, forgotten, from my parted lips. I was frozen in the soft breath of crystal dawning that breaks when a single sentence in a book washes clean ancient stains of confusion.
It was in that crystal dawn that I heard Evil for the first time. Track three of Howlin' Wolf: His Best had been chosen randomly in the shuffle. Spooky.
I've witnessed personal events of synchronicity involving the idea of evil in the past week or so. Not heaps of events, just enough of them to warrant my tiptoeing through sleety ice, bleak dirty snow-crust and fallen senior citizens to the internet cafe to write this post. I must say, the seniors are fascinating to study - silent and wiggling on their backs like upside-down beetles on the sidewalk, clawing at the air like that. If you can find one of their canes nearby, try gently prodding their midsections - the response is subtle but kinda wild. Well, I do digress. Back to the evil.
There is the recurring theme of selling one's soul to the devil, all around me. Too many instances to mention - you know I am really just too lazy. But I will say I found myself watching The Devil's Advocate with Heather a coupla weeks ago after having systematically, and successfully, avoided the film for a decade.
The Devil's Advocate
We were doing one of our favorite things - watching thoroughly unwatchable movies. Films so smarmy, negligent in production, deliriously over-acted - well, it doesn't matter what makes them awful, it only matters that these movies elicit simultaneous feelings of visceral repulsion and morbid enthrallment to the point of affection. To the point where we inhale in perverted masochistic delight, then exhale in awe at the time, equipment and producers on meth it must have required to make something so inadvertantly foul.
Heather was aiming to load up Dirty Dancing. I did not understand this. So I, carefully casual, reminded her that
a) it is actually rumored to be a great film, despite the way she tears it up like a post-coital mantis and
b) we are supposed to be watching bad movies that make you feel like your nipples are being tweaked and turned like radio knobs by an eager-to-please yet anatomically clueless hottie you had misgivings about in the first place, but gave a shot after, well, a few shots: hotly annoyed, but sensing alot of potential for pleasure and the opportunity to correct things. Not cute bad movies. Remember?
c) watching it will terminate my record of always being the only person I know since about 1991 who has never seen Dirty Dancing.
She slid The Devil's Advocate in the tray with a great weight of consequence.
(I was dubious. Remember, I had avoided it for ten years. I always thought the movie would be nauseating, but sorta watchable, which would then make it too good to be unwatchable, which would then be a waste of my precious time. But I never had to sweat it: The Devil's Advocate is torturous in its entertainment value. Bad, bad, bad. In fact I have to say, it almost ranks up there with Running Brave, maudlin Sweet November and even Gigli on my personal shite-o-meter.)
I Dunno
Peck's book, Wolf's music, The Devil's Advocate. - then there's my cousin finally returning my Crossroads, the Ralph Macchio blues movie he borrowed from me like forty-seven years ago. I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do with it now. The legend of Robert Johnson I won't even get into.
I may be seeing nonexistent connections to my current preoccupation with evil.
Maybe I have been a lifelong victim of evil on a massive scale. Maybe I just like the subject of evility. I dunno. I am tired of writing this now, I do know that. Besides, I'm thinking of going back outside. There are fun things to do with the seniors out there, despite the weather. No glumly staring out the window for this kid!
Howlin' Wolf knows something about evil.
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It was a charming, hardly harmless Scottish man who talked with me at the bus stop last week. He had a soundtrack for evil at hand, and just happens to own two copies. He gave me one, insisting I can take it. He certainly has a vast knowledge of the Chess blues collection. He says he loves black women, and that he's a real-life redheaded stepchild, he really is.
He's not evil, though. Just very naughty.
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Listen to "Evil"
Look at "People Of The Lie"
Eat Snackimals
(Really, just listen to an entire Howlin' Wolf album if you can get your hand on one. And don't get turned off by vegan Snackimals, folks - they are delicious)
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10 comments:
"Nobody puts Baby in the corner!"
In my younger days, way back in college, a girl who was a friend but not a girlfriend, and I would always dance to the theme song from "Dirty Dancing". To this day, I do not know why, but she seemed to think it was important. I have never seen the movie in its entirety to this day. After reading your post, I was inspired to see it, but unfortunately for the local seniors, I was more inspired to poke them in the midsections to see what happens.
I'm off to the Bingo Hall. Wish me luck.
P.S. I also once knew a girl with the nickname "Evil". I recall her fondly to this day.
I always get Howlin' Wolf confused with Screamin' Jay Hawkins - both are amazing names for singers.
So I guess the lesson is beware of Scots with good taste in music?!?
1. I've never seen Dirty Dancing.
2. I kinda sorta liked the Devil's Advocate.
Limpy: I used to find it strangely satisfying being the only one I knew who hasn't seen DD. But it looks like I'm not unique after all. As usual!!
I am learning a song called "Evil Gal Blues" for a blues jam next month. Wish ME luck! Oh, and good belated luck to you..
MJB: beware of Scots - period. That is the lesson.
Diesel: I only wish Keanu had had to do and accent of some kind. That would have been a bonus..
The senior citizens reminded me of "Death of a Salesman"
Great post .. and no your not alone .. I have never sat thru a Dirty Danceing in its entirity .. I get bored.
"Evil" is a great track - you take music from strange men at the bus stop?
I have to post Oreo Cookie Bluses for you.
Cathy; I vaguely remember Salesman. If there is any harassment of fallen seniors in the play, I really must read it again! Thanks for visiting..
ac@45: I take no sh**t from strange men anywhere, as a matter of fact. Unless they're Scottish. And charming. And have really good blues in their pocket...;}
got if off itunes
spent three hours listening
sipping on cognac
LQ:
not hard to do cuz
Wolf's got a howlin' wail
his growl turns me out
thanks for the visit, my 'kuing friend.
Funny how sometimes we notice a new word and then it seems to crops up everywhere?
Seems like your encounter with evil was of a similar nature. I have no theories to explain this thing, but this is the nature of our brain. :)
Similar to this are various phenomena:
1) When you and a friend are together, and in reaction to some sound, or some stimulus, both or you sing begin humming the same tune!
2) When you stop and look at some roadside ad or some shop and then when you think of leaving, there's a crowd that has assembled that's doing the same thing you're doing.
3) Deja Vu
Talking of movies, almost all Bollywood (the Indian analogue to Hollywood) movies belong to the category you described.
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