So there’s three schools of thought about the Devil v. Johnny match:
The First: America wins, as is also informed by The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936)
The Second: Rock and Roll wins, as is informed by The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) also Rock & Rule (1983) also Crossroads (1986)†
The Third: Johnny’s victory against the devil may be the start of Johnny’s story, in which he gets noted by the labels, performs for three albums, makes it to the top of the radio charts and goes on tour during which he has sex with an uncountable number of groupies, tries out all the drugs, does a Tonight Show interview on Heroin, and dies before thirty, either to an overdose, an assassination by a crazed fan, suicide without any clear cause or an equally mysterious mob hit. (Id est, is a 20th century music GOAT)
† The devil’s been tightly involved in music since time immemorial, not only being credited (blamed) for Rock & Roll but also its predecessor, blues. Also ragtime and romanticism. And then there’s Niccolò Paganini, who, according to the Church, sold his soul to the devil to gain his violin superpowers, and denied him a proper burial for fifty years after his death (and a lot of pressure from his family estate). Paganini developed modern violin techniques and his Caprices 1-24 are used in violin bravura competitions. (Yes, I digress. I know. I like to talk about it.)
All that said, the Devil in stories seems to be a sucker for musician virtuosos who perform their best for him, and he may secretly just love a good jam.
I thought it was: 1. The devil defeats Johnny, 2. Johnny defeats the devil but disappears after, and 3. Johnny defeats the devil and returns as a child to warn the Pope.
So there’s three schools of thought about the Devil v. Johnny match:
The First: America wins, as is also informed by The Devil and Daniel Webster (1936)
The Second: Rock and Roll wins, as is informed by The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) also Rock & Rule (1983) also Crossroads (1986)†
The Third: Johnny’s victory against the devil may be the start of Johnny’s story, in which he gets noted by the labels, performs for three albums, makes it to the top of the radio charts and goes on tour during which he has sex with an uncountable number of groupies, tries out all the drugs, does a Tonight Show interview on Heroin, and dies before thirty, either to an overdose, an assassination by a crazed fan, suicide without any clear cause or an equally mysterious mob hit. (Id est, is a 20th century music GOAT)
† The devil’s been tightly involved in music since time immemorial, not only being credited (blamed) for Rock & Roll but also its predecessor, blues. Also ragtime and romanticism. And then there’s Niccolò Paganini, who, according to the Church, sold his soul to the devil to gain his violin superpowers, and denied him a proper burial for fifty years after his death (and a lot of pressure from his family estate). Paganini developed modern violin techniques and his Caprices 1-24 are used in violin bravura competitions. (Yes, I digress. I know. I like to talk about it.)
All that said, the Devil in stories seems to be a sucker for musician virtuosos who perform their best for him, and he may secretly just love a good jam.
Robert Johnson likewise has the devil-soul-exchange legend
I thought it was: 1. The devil defeats Johnny, 2. Johnny defeats the devil but disappears after, and 3. Johnny defeats the devil and returns as a child to warn the Pope.