I listened to the Radiolab Short/Podcast called "Crossroads." This podcast details Jad Abumrad telling Robert Krulwich about his pursuit of 'the truth' regarding the blues artist, Robert Johnson. There's an urban legend that Johnson was a terrible guitar player once a upon a time, and then he disappeared. When he returned, he was one of the most talented blues guys to ever exist on this earth. The legend is that he went to a crossroads at midnight with his guitar and sold his soul to the devil to be a great musician.
The beginning is super creepy, because Jad and one of their producers actually go to the famed crossroads in Mississippi at midnight to see the environment and wait for the devil. Of course, he didn't show up, but the rest of the show has clips from documentaries and interviews he performed with people who know 'the real story.' Even after hearing 30 minutes of testimony, however, we are still unsure of what really happened. He theorizes that Robert Johnson's story is actually a pastiche of several different musicians' stories; that they were put together to make him sound more ominous (especially since he has a song called "Crossroads").
I have done some research on Johnson in the past (not a lot but some), and this is the best exploration of Johnson's life I've heard so far. Jad's process of going to Mississippi, finding the music producer who discovered Johnson after he died, digging up recordings of people who actually knew him, and asking for experts' point of view is through and enlightening. So hearing all of the possibilities and what Johnson's life may have actually been like was quite an experience.
Style-wise, the short was fascinating. This may have been said during the presentation, but I don't quite remember. Radiolab feels like a book to me. The way Jad mixes on-location recording, personal commentary on his thoughts at the time, and analysis of the information sounds very novel-like to me. It's like he's reading aloud a book he wrote on trying to find the truth behind the legend.
Long story short, I loved it! I loved hearing facts on Johnson and what experts and his peers thought about the legend.
It's free on itunes! So if you have an extra 30 minutes, check it out :)
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