Do the custodians of the gifted, troubled researcher's work on the great bluesman Robert Johnson remain intent on keeping a major portion of that work off-limits to the public? Unfortunately, they do.
Really interesting. As a researcher, I'm with you. There is no integrity or ethical justification in editing someone else's work in this manner, for any reason. It is a deliberate distortion of the historical record.
thanks for a very interesting article. In terms of what you say I am out of my depth, but tend to agree with you about Troutman. All I would add is that, unless I am misunderstanding something, the Robert Johnson box would have not come out except for the late Larry Cohn, who told me that Columbia (Sony?) did not want to put it out. He had to fight for it and of course it became a major success, for which Larry, who was on salary, received no royalties and not enough credit.
I can neither confirm nor deny whatever Larry says. I knew and liked him, but we were ships passing in the night. A tremendous, years-long struggle surrounded the release of Johnson's ouevre, as you know from reading the piece you've just read. And which I'm glad you enjoyed. Salut!
While McCormick's treatment of the Johnson family was appalling, you have captured the bad decisions that occur when obsessiveness combines with - or becomes - mental illness. The expurgated McCormick book is deeply moving, and captures his drive, but I think John Troutman overplayed his hand as editor. He acts as judge and jury, and his sentence is final. (It will also not age well.) His knocking of McCormick isn't just in the verbose introduction or afterword, it's constant throughout the book, irritating to the reader and frustrating to other researchers. Oh that our own research, editing, and writing decisions can be as faultless as Troutman's. It's also good that you've reminded people of LaVere's behaviour, 34 years after Robert Gordon's excellent piece in the LA Weekly.
Your judgments are correct. It's remarkable that (in this case, for not very good reasons), there's so much that remains unknown about Johnson. I agree that Mr. Troutman's editorial decisions, and large pieces of his preface, afterwords, and notes, will not age well. Political correctness is never attractive, whether brandished by the right or the left. In this case, Mr. Troutman brandished it overzealously.
I agree, but I also that the decision is in other hands, of those who might want to profit from the rights they hold in a manner that would benefit no one but themselves and their buyers.
I was in contact with both Mack and LaVere when I began thinking about Johnson in the early 1970s. Both were extremely open, hopeful, and encouraging, seemingly proud of their research and wanting to share it. I soured on LaVere after his awful production of and notes for the three CD Johnson reissue and his gross marketing of everything connected to Johnson. Mack I never heard from again. I think the book John Troutman edited and published is an invaluable contribution to Johnson and the study of his work, and a great tale well told. We’re lucky to have it when the chances of anything appearing seemed long lost.
Well, Greil, whether its chances of appearing are slim or not, there is what I'd guess is a major amount of material about Johnson still out there, decades after he died. I'm talking about the sisters' embargoed interviews. Yes, McCormick shared with a researcher or two some of what the sisters had told him about Johnson, so we're not talking about a complete black hole. But my guess is that Johnson research would be immensely furthered by the release of those interviews. I am really irritated by what amounts to Mack's cancellation. And to repeat what I wrote in my Tidal piece of April 5, 2023, I do NOT share your high opinion of Troutman's treatment of McCormick's book. Although I had issues, to continue kvetching, with the editing of my Tidal piece, I'd recommend going back and checking it out. Or I can send you my pre-edited version. The mystery surrounding the great artist likely remains, more than 85 years after his death.
Thank you for your article on Mack McCormick. I considered myself a friend of Steve Lavere, and was dismissive of Mack's personal attacks on Steve because they did not match my recollections of him. Your writing is causing me to reevaluate how I think of Steve. It is difficult to change one's ideology based on facts, but it allows for the truth to come through much better than seeing the world from the other direction.
Thanks for your note. Having written about Steve LaVere in some detail, here and elsewhere, I'll stand back and let my words do the talking. I'd recommend others' writing on LaVere, including a 1991 LA Weekly piece piece by Robert Gordon, "Hellhound on the Money Trail," reprinted in 2018 in Longreads, as well as the Tidal piece I wrote in 2023, link provided in the notes to my new piece. Thanks again.
Really interesting. As a researcher, I'm with you. There is no integrity or ethical justification in editing someone else's work in this manner, for any reason. It is a deliberate distortion of the historical record.
thanks for a very interesting article. In terms of what you say I am out of my depth, but tend to agree with you about Troutman. All I would add is that, unless I am misunderstanding something, the Robert Johnson box would have not come out except for the late Larry Cohn, who told me that Columbia (Sony?) did not want to put it out. He had to fight for it and of course it became a major success, for which Larry, who was on salary, received no royalties and not enough credit.
I can neither confirm nor deny whatever Larry says. I knew and liked him, but we were ships passing in the night. A tremendous, years-long struggle surrounded the release of Johnson's ouevre, as you know from reading the piece you've just read. And which I'm glad you enjoyed. Salut!
While McCormick's treatment of the Johnson family was appalling, you have captured the bad decisions that occur when obsessiveness combines with - or becomes - mental illness. The expurgated McCormick book is deeply moving, and captures his drive, but I think John Troutman overplayed his hand as editor. He acts as judge and jury, and his sentence is final. (It will also not age well.) His knocking of McCormick isn't just in the verbose introduction or afterword, it's constant throughout the book, irritating to the reader and frustrating to other researchers. Oh that our own research, editing, and writing decisions can be as faultless as Troutman's. It's also good that you've reminded people of LaVere's behaviour, 34 years after Robert Gordon's excellent piece in the LA Weekly.
Your judgments are correct. It's remarkable that (in this case, for not very good reasons), there's so much that remains unknown about Johnson. I agree that Mr. Troutman's editorial decisions, and large pieces of his preface, afterwords, and notes, will not age well. Political correctness is never attractive, whether brandished by the right or the left. In this case, Mr. Troutman brandished it overzealously.
I agree, but I also that the decision is in other hands, of those who might want to profit from the rights they hold in a manner that would benefit no one but themselves and their buyers.
I was in contact with both Mack and LaVere when I began thinking about Johnson in the early 1970s. Both were extremely open, hopeful, and encouraging, seemingly proud of their research and wanting to share it. I soured on LaVere after his awful production of and notes for the three CD Johnson reissue and his gross marketing of everything connected to Johnson. Mack I never heard from again. I think the book John Troutman edited and published is an invaluable contribution to Johnson and the study of his work, and a great tale well told. We’re lucky to have it when the chances of anything appearing seemed long lost.
Well, Greil, whether its chances of appearing are slim or not, there is what I'd guess is a major amount of material about Johnson still out there, decades after he died. I'm talking about the sisters' embargoed interviews. Yes, McCormick shared with a researcher or two some of what the sisters had told him about Johnson, so we're not talking about a complete black hole. But my guess is that Johnson research would be immensely furthered by the release of those interviews. I am really irritated by what amounts to Mack's cancellation. And to repeat what I wrote in my Tidal piece of April 5, 2023, I do NOT share your high opinion of Troutman's treatment of McCormick's book. Although I had issues, to continue kvetching, with the editing of my Tidal piece, I'd recommend going back and checking it out. Or I can send you my pre-edited version. The mystery surrounding the great artist likely remains, more than 85 years after his death.
Thank you for your article on Mack McCormick. I considered myself a friend of Steve Lavere, and was dismissive of Mack's personal attacks on Steve because they did not match my recollections of him. Your writing is causing me to reevaluate how I think of Steve. It is difficult to change one's ideology based on facts, but it allows for the truth to come through much better than seeing the world from the other direction.
Thanks for your note. Having written about Steve LaVere in some detail, here and elsewhere, I'll stand back and let my words do the talking. I'd recommend others' writing on LaVere, including a 1991 LA Weekly piece piece by Robert Gordon, "Hellhound on the Money Trail," reprinted in 2018 in Longreads, as well as the Tidal piece I wrote in 2023, link provided in the notes to my new piece. Thanks again.