Customer Reviews

Me and Big Joe

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bloomfield's Me and Big Joe is a wild little book. It's a drunk and dirty account of Bloomfield's attempt to "live the blues" with Big Joe Williams, one of the stars of the Rediscovery period of the blues back in the early 60s, and the discovery that he may be able to learn how to play the guitar by watching Williams play, but there was no way he was ever going to be able to live in Williams' manner. The anecdotes are extemely funny adn poignant, and Bloomfield takes great joy in presenting his and Williams' very, very different lives and expereinces. The music pulled them together, no doubt, but Bloomfield never descends into cliches about bridging cultures and becoming soul-mates and so on. He stays on the ground, and in the process writes one of the few interesting works of blues auto-biography. If you want lots of PC uplift stories about Williams as a musical genius, go elsewhere. This is a book about musicians, not role models, and the picture ain't always pretty, even if it's enlightening, fun and defintitely wierd.

Like being there, this story captures the feel of hootchhouse blues and the myths and legends that surround them. Fans of blues, Michael Bloomfield, and their great history should buy and read this book. Highly recomended

Most of this book is kind of annoying - for much of the first part of it you wonder why Bloomfield, who was by all accounts just a brilliant guy, couldn't manage to write any better. The ending of the book on the other hand is great - featuring two pages that Mike might well have taken a mouthful of.

That is, Bloomfield should have stuck to guitar playing, as Mailer should stick to writing. This effort in my view is basically just a ... of the Bloomfield name. Wofully lacking in content or a story line. Save your money for his recordings.