Fearing the devil, the townspeople buried him in an unmarked grave.
Johnson's recorded legacy supposedly refers to his deal with the devil in "Crossroads Blues", "Me and the Devil Blues" and "Hellhounds On My Trail".
A more likely explanation for Johnson's tremendous guitar prowess was probably a magical ritual known as "practice" as well as help from a guitar tutor, one Ike Zinneman (an unrecorded bluesman known for practicing in the local cemetery, sitting on gravestones). But the sold his soul legend persists to this day.
Part II: The Satanic 60's
When rock 'n' roll appeared in the 1950's, and its effect on teens became known, it was only natural that it would be derided as the Devil's music as well. It was also attacked as decadent, dangerous, immoral, obscene, and even part of a Communist think tank's psych-op assault on the West. Rock music was one of the first cultural movements in America that was somewhat colorblind as well; white musicians covered black songwriters, black musicians covered white ones. White kids bought records by black musicians, which alarmed fundamentalist, segregationist elements in society. Many forces aligned in the late 50's to end the menace before it could get out of hand. So Elvis was drafted, Chuck Berry arrested, Jerry Lee Lewis blackballed. Eddie Cochrane and Buddy Holly were killed in accidents, Little Richard became a preacher. By the early 60's, rock was, for all intents and purposes, dead. Gone with it were the hip shaking, dancing, shaking, and partying the Devil commanded.
It was a short-lived victory for the legions of decency. The Beatles rolled into town in 1964, and worse, so did the Rolling Stones and Animals. The British Invasion was also greeted with accusations of communist plot and devil's music, but it was too big to stop. Also too big was the demographic who listened to it, the first Baby Boomers to reach adulthood. The enormous demographic swing of the 1960's saw an unprecedented number of young people reach prime record buying age.
The 60's were a time of reckless experimentation and fads. Drugs became a significant component of white suburban life for the very first time, as youth experimented with pot and LSD. The drug experience, coupled with a new political awareness thanks largely to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement, helped create a new underground youth movement, which popularly came to be known as the counterculture, egged on by the Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out and Never Trust Anyone Over Thirty philosophies of the day.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Al Barger
UAO, this is an outstanding historical overview. Good work.
I note that this quote is definitely more an argument of Satanism in the pop group than of cleanliness in the Satanic group. "And the Carpenters are just as Satanic as Venom."
However, I think that perhaps you missed the most Truly Satanic singer in the land.
2 - Michael J. West
Quite excellent, indeed. I learned some stuff!
What do you think about the darker stuff like Roky Erickson's The Evil One or Skinny Puppy's The Process, which also flirt with satanic imagery but don't have the glammy overtones?
I was also reminded of Funkadelic's America Eats Its Young, with the liner notes by Process Church of the Final Judgement...but then again, liner notes don't really count, do they?
3 - Guppusmaximus
Uao,
Very Good!!! Cheers.... Ofcourse, here's my feedback: Even though Venom may have put Satanistic themed music on the map for us "severely disaffected " youth, it was Slayer who apitimized the exploitation of Satan in Metal for mere profit. King Diamond was another figure who brought the satanistic theme into a Drama set. Kind of like Queen meets Lucifer...but overall, The band Deicide was the only Metal band in the early 90's who had actual Satanists that broke through into the mainstream...
4 - Vern Halen
Great article - only one correction: I believe the saying is, "Never trust anyone UNDER thirty." Yeah, I'm pretty sure about that one.........
5 - uao
doh! Thanks Vern Halen. Me and my typing.
And thanks everyone else; this was a very tricky topic to address and research. There's a lot of rubbish from Christians and Satanists on the internet, but I couldn't find any kind of sober article on just, historically, what the connection between Satanism and rock was. So, this is a step in that direction.
The really scary stuff are the Norwegian scenes, which is already the subject of a couple of books.
Slayer was more prominant overall in rock in the 80's; I gave Venom a little more attention as they debuted a little earlier. Didn't mean to slight Slayer, though.
6 - Al Barger
Yes UAO, this was a good step in the direction of starting to untangle and define the Satanic influence.
But you're missing the real stuff, Satan wise. You start with the argument that those who openly profess Satanism in their music really aren't Satanic.
Consider then an alternate view. Perhaps their is no ONE being who is Satan. I could well imagine that "Satan" is really a committee.
Obviously, the chairman of that committee is Kenny Rogers. Is he or is he not the face of true evil? Of course, he has junior members of prominent standing on the committe with him, such as Garth Brooks, the anti-Hank.
Why don't you look into them? Wonder what kind of backwards masked messages you'd get out of "Coward of the County." What's this? "Shop at Wal-Mart. Vote Republican. Go see a Tom Cruise movie. Become a Scientologist."
7 - Guppusmaximus
UAO,
Don't get me wrong...Excellent Article!! I was just saying that Slayer was the Britney Spears of Satanic Pop...lol:) As for Kenny Rogers, He is just Pure Evil.... Very Scary.
8 - uao
Michael West--
A fuller history would have to include more on industrial rock, Skinny Puppy, etc.; they've always been on the Satanic fringe. Genesis POrrige of Psychick TV used plenty of Satanic devices and moved in some satanic circles. As noted in the article, Trent Reznor had a Manson fixation.
Funkadelic did indeed include liner notes by the Process Church; that could go in there, too. It's part of the packaging.
I haven't heard the Roky Erikson album you menison; I mostly just know 13th Fl. Elevators. But I'll look into it; been meaning to get to him for awhile.
Al Barger:
Well, LaVey saw Satan as ambient energy in the universe which makes more sense to me than a deposed diety. So sure, that makes Kenny Rogers satanic.
And again, a Satanist will tell you that strumming a single chord is Satanic; it's done for no other purpose than pleasure, like all the best things in Satanic life.
Personally I always thought the Carpenters were Satanic, and still do even, even though they'd be appalled at the notion.
Guppusmaximus:
I'm going to look into some of the bands you mentioned in your first post; someday, I'd like to flesh this piece out more. Thanks!
9 - Vern Halen
My understanding about Roky Erikson was that he faked schizoprenia to avoid the draft, but then became an LSD casualty. He came to believe that vampire aliens were coming after him or something weird like that. So, if he's mentally wrecked, I don't know if that qualifies as true Satanism or not. He had a few good but lyrically odd tunes: Before in the Beginning, Two Headed Dog, etc., but most people will never hear them - he'll always be on to the fringes of rock 'n' roll.
10 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Good over-view of the Satanic metal movement. The one thing that has always made me laugh is those who don't get that venom were seriously taking the piss. They never took themselves too seriously; course that could be said for quite a few of the extreme/black metal bands in Norway and other parts of Scandinavia. After I know of a band that insisted on going on first at a major gig (Inferno London) even thought they headlined so they could go fishing!
BTW I have met a few satanists in my time; they tend to be collosal bores. Rather like their happy-clappy opponents actually....funny dat!
11 - godoggo
Since a good 50%+ of my tastes in rock music center around bands from the LA punk scene when I was in high school, the 2 Satanic bands that come to mind are the Flesheaters and Christian Death.
Regarding the former, I remember reading that some TV preacher waved their A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die album before the camera while (just a moment, thesaurus.com time) seething that "You can buy this trash at K-Mart!" which took me pleasantly by surprise. This was the X/Blasters lineup, whose rockabilly image in the album photo were kind of at odds with all the occult gobbledygook that surrounded it, or so it seemed to me.
Regarding Christian Death, I was a fan mainly because they had bitchen punk rock guitarist Rik Agnew from the Adolescents. In any case, at least one member (bassist I think) took the Satan stuff pretty seriously, as I recall reading him say after he'd repented. Which brings us to what makes me most uncomfortable about Satanism: my suspicion that inside the belly of every believer lies a Christian waiting to be born again.
12 - uao
I'm an Angeleno myself godoggo, and have always been interested in the history of LA-area music too.
In fact, for one year I worked at a cemetery in Hollywood where Roz Williams' cremated remains are on display in a columbarium with some poetry and pics and things. I used to have to dust the columbarium daily (I have a much better job elsewhere now), so I saw Roz (and fan-pilgrims who came to the cemetery) all the time.
I always thought of Christian Death as Goth more than Satanic, but now that you mention it, Only Theater Of Pain did have some fairly explicitly Satanic songs on it. So they could qualify too.
I've actually never heard the Flesheaters (not sure I've even heard of them although I know X and the Blasters well). I'll look into them too, thanks!
13 - godoggo
Of course, there was no such word as "Goth" then. Meanwhile, all these bouncy young Suicide Girls just look like punk rock chicks to me. I'm starting to understand where Billy Joel was coming from back in the day.
14 - tony
what are you kidding me?? a lot of those bands were not satan worshippers and especially the blues thats deff. not i just think its dumb you actually take time to do this stuff
15 - LEE
FUCK SATAN! HE SUCKS... BUT I LOVE HIM.. REMEMBER HIM ALWAYS...
16 - Sully
Chuck (Garvey) is Satan!
17 - StingK
It may well be that I'm just drunk but, I'd just like to say that this was a fascinating article. :)
Got any more?
18 - rotting angel
Satan is something or it isn't but peopple that follow him are really lost in a world of shit drugs and rock and roll .they follow it no matter if it suks .They need Jesus or the list a Psycologist .Follow nobady
19 - satan fuckin rules
dude yall forgot so many bands cradle of filth job for acowbor and lots more dam yalls arent even really satanic
20 - Jeff
Awesome article, blues is very symbolically satanic, and I mean that in the most artistically positive way possible. Satanic rock is not religious in my views, but rather just a way to be symbolically rebellious towards the white establishment. The white youth of the 60's dissented from what it is to be a "white" American. So ironically, Satanic Rock is about equality, and requires an open mind to discern the "evil" in it.
21 - Will Brennan
Great article. There was blues guitarist who Robert Johnson actually mentored with during that year he disappeared. But he was devil haunted, that's for sure. Some of the Norwegian bands are the real thing. I like Bob Dylan's line, "I accept chaos. I'm not sure whether chaos accepts me." The universe is a complicated thing.
22 - lazar
good work,lot of facts.I love rock so God help us all! Greeting from Serbia
23 - Gravy
Great article.
The Norway bands are no more or less "evil" than anything else, there are a few morons that exist anywhere. Most Norway satanic bands are about anti-christianity, not hurting people.
Venom, if you read their website, was all about the "show" as is Rob Zombie. It's like classic horror, only musically.
As, of course previously mentioned in the article and this blog, ALL music is about the show, and done for personal pleasure, and is, thus, satanic.
Think of that next time you sing "Silent Night" after Christmas Ham!
24 - Tyler
ok,ok this is a load of bull, Music has no effect on your religion. im a christian and i listen to rock/heavy metal. Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, it is just that the church is to hypocritical.
25 - Marilyn Manson
My life is gooood and my music is better than my every aspect of life.