MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Robert Johnson went down to the crossroads. He got down on his knees and in doing so continued the Faustian role of trading souls for juicy guitar licks. Is this allusion to the devil a savvy marketing ploy by artists, an easy scapegoat of the competition, or an indictment of the hold that Christianity has on the arts?

Those accused of selling their souls for greatness have not shied away from the mystique that comes with talk of the devil and some have fanned the jealous flames to allow suspicions of witchcraft to drive interest in their music. Paganini was rumored to have made a deal with the devil due to his brilliance. The songs of Robert Johnson reveal a man haunted with “hellhounds on his trail” and a mournful voice accompanied by a masterful stride-style blues guitar on recordings captured just a year before his death at 27. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, admittedly taken with the occultist Aleister Crowley to the extent of purchasing his home, deflected questions of his beliefs. Brian Johnson of AC/DC crooned “If you’re into evil, you’re a friend of mine” and acclaimed guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, in the movie Crossroads, gave life to Jack Butler who ‘cuts heads’ to win souls for Old Scratch himself.

It is not the evilest musicians who carry the sign of the black mark, rather those who have demonstrated superlative mastery and through it achieved stardom. There is no talk of Venom, one of the first Black Metal bands, selling their souls or even of Ghost who take the stage as faceless ghouls with a skeletal pope in full regalia. Not easily written off as savants or prodigies, these modern masters must have a secret that gifted them inexplicable skill. It is surely the devil.