Dance of Death: The Life of John Fahey - Steve Lowenthal BOOK REVIEW

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[@StoyTheOld]

I first discovered Fahey over forty years ago when I purchased the album " Kottke , Fahey , Lang. " Since then I purchased every Fahey album I could find . I only managed to see him perform live one time . It was a memorable night at a small Indianapolis club called the Hummingbird . I arrived early and secured a table about 10 feet from where John was set up . I put a note on his speaker ( I remember nothing about what I wrote ) , and he sat down at my table during his break . I remember buying him a glass of red wine , but I can't recall what we talked about . Based on this review , I will buy this book . I can't wait to read it . Thank you for the excellent review .

[@alexjohnson9798]

Everytime I discover something cool it turns out you've already been there and done that.

[@brendonross5774]

Careful kids, it's well known bluegrass can destroy your life! Great review, can't wait to read it. Blind Joe Death's 'Transfigurations' is such a masterpiece. Fahey's 'American Primitive' compilation of old race music 78's is just mind blowing too... hearing some of those raw gospel blues hollars suddenly made heaven and hell all too real for me... The whole Revanent Records catalogue is well worth a listen if you are into raw dark blues and Americana Love your taste. There are a couple of amazing New Zealand writers/books I think you'd like so what's your mail address? Katherine Mansfield's short stories are brilliant. A master of the form. Janet Frame and Ronald Hugh Morrison... His book 'The Scarecrow' is, in a way, New Zealand's 'Catcher in the Rye', but with necrophilia and sister lust (small towns in NZ are some dark fucking places). So yeah, as a thanks for all the good stuff you've turned me on to it'd be a pleasure to gift you a killer Kiwi writers section of your bookcase. Brendonx

[@tdb517]

I can't find anything about that 78 race compilation you're talking about, do you have any information on this? Thank you

[@Ben-vf8jv]

John Fahey is fucking awesome, you have great taste man. I need to get into more blues, I don't know any of these blues artists you mentioned. Love the Vlad Tepes mention too.

[@michaelhourican1477]

I haven't watched this review yet - I just can't believe that my best worlds are colliding. You and John Fahey - wow!

[@michaelhourican1477]

Excellent. Well done.

[@Tracks777]

Keep it up! Looking forward for more videos from you, don't stop!

[@shire151]

Really appreciate these videos and everything you're doing here, Cliff. :)

[@georginareads3969]

This was the best book review I've seen in a while! So comprehensive & well thought out! And I love the style of your channel in general :)

[@georginareads3969]

Ps, I was wondering if you would want to do 'The Male Booktuber Tag'? It's a new tag that's been going around booktube recently, it's a bit more serious than the usual, fluffy tags & I feel like it would be well-received on your channel :) I've already uploaded my video so can't officially tag you (except in my description) but may I unofficially tag you in it? I'd really love to hear your thoughts- I feel like you could give some really insightful & perceptive answers :)

[@georginareads3969]

RWE Sorry, my mistake! I am new, I only subscribed an hour ago & have only watched three of his videos so far. I could tell he wasn't the sort to do the stereotypical book tags which are going around- his channel seems too sophisticated for that! Which is why I thought he might be interested in the more serious, discussion tag I wanted to tag him in :) But I didn't realise he doesn't do tags at all & doesn't consider himself a booktuber. He's like the Casey Neistat of the books world! (In the sense that Casey calls himself a film maker not a vlogger which is what most people would initially assume & Clifford is not a booktuber which is also what people might initially assume)

[@jimlivengood3962]

"Requia" was my first Fahey album, bought in Denver in '67. He's been a big part of my life ever since. I ordered this book as soon as I saw this. God bless and cheers, Cliff.

[@ragtimeshawn]

This was incredible. Great takes and interesting connections that made me rethink the way I listen to Fahey. Thank you!

[@b10me4d9]

"Life's too short to read bullshit" Heard dat!

[@kylewente9114]

You are really good with lighting. This video looks impressive even in 144p

[@whodareswings]

Just finished Fayhe's book Vampire Vultures. It skips surrealistically along like a light hearted Brautigan book and then turns so dark, you go 'Woah!" If he fibbed about punching Antononi in Italy maybe he's stretching it, too, when he writes about the dad's in his home town hurrying home after work for "The Incest Hour." I hope so.

[@palodine1]

Great review of a great artist. Thanks man

[@AndalusianIrish]

I love John's cover of "Layla". He was amazing. What a great review!

[@juliusaugustino8409]

This was fucking brilliant! One of ur best reviews man. I guess I need to get some John Fahey lps and this book. Thank you Cliff! You're awesome. If you ever come to Finland (Turku or Helsinki) for some reason, you are welcome to stay at my house. Also I wanted ask, because I've forgotten, in what video of yours was it where you said that the last cigarette you smoked was offered to you by Elias Rønnenfelt? Or was it someone else from iceage? Anyways, thanks for the great review as always. I'm going to sleep. It's almost 5 am. Cheers

[@BetterThanFoodBookReviews]

severi saaristo HA, thanks man, that would have been Loke Rahbek, yes part of that whole Dane crew. Noted on the Finnish invite - thank you

[@perrysar5954]

There were 2 guitarists who changed the way we all played acoustic and electric guitar....Fahey and Hendrix

[@n7275]

I finished reading Ulysses back in March. Still waiting for your review dude.

[@wp6007]

Oh I found this video typing in John Fahey, didn't know you knew him :) I think most people in my age group know him from Scaruffi, who put his album Soldier's Choice in his top 8 of all time

[@TheDndemon]

Just started this today. I'm totally hooked! Great review!

[@gsboss]

john fahey is great. and food is too, way better than books

[@fuckugplus]

red poney is like a train going througth the Appalachian blue ridge to pass in the mid west prairie , to the desert and finish in the Gabilan Mountains.

[@jimlivengood3962]

Also have been reading JF's books "Vampire Vultures" and "How Bluegrass Music Ruined My Life." Funny and fierce.

[@athousandgreatbooks]

Do more music related book reviews.

[@wisedog99]

Thanks so much for this. Really interesting stuff and Fahey is an icon.

[@anav7745]

I'd like to point out that the spare money I have is dwindling because every sunday I buy a new book. Whose fault is that?

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

You should review Fahey's book, How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life.

[@judet7340]

and better than sleep!

[@Orpheuslament]

Thanks for mentioning Chris Brokaw, never heard of him before but his album Canaris is really great

[@aswinunni1811]

I don't know whether you have done a music recommendation video, so I just want to ask could you please do one in the future...

[@jkdarrow]

Well done. The more people who know about John Fahey the better.

[@PaperTowelDisspenser]

What do you think of Bob Dylan's work (the good stuff, as in 62-68)? I know you usually focus on smaller names to increase their exposure, but I can't help but notice a lot of similarities between Fahey and Dylan; Dylan averted the folk-revival label, struggled with public perception, actively sought after his revered legends (found Woody Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital), and actively mythologized his life by lying about his past in interviews. Plus, he can be seen as proto-punk (see Royal Albert Hall concert) and proto-rap (see "It's Alright Ma")

[@trship6274]

Good review ☝️ Love John Fahey.

[@ninadubois2842]

Fuck. I love me some Fahey.

[@RB939393]

do you like Jandek?

[@user-qb3jg8ep9t]

RWE fuck off

[@RB939393]

Somebody is bitter.

[@thedudeperson]

RWE u probably don’t even know what marxism is lmao

[@LfunkeyA]

sorry to offend your comparisons, but it's really a disgrace to compare fahey to punk or black metal. sure, he's outsider music, a bit of a rebel, dark, etc. but it is also important how strongly linked he is to the blues, classical music and folklore, in a way that you simply won't find in punk or black metal. if he were born 40 years later, he probably wouldn't have made the same music. so thank god he wasn't.

[@palodine1]

I think Fahey would fit in w/ the Sonic Youth crowd. Glen Branca, whom Sonic Youth guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo played with before SY, was influenced in part by Fahey. So, yeah, maybe some punk(ish) and black metal(ish) residue in there.With open tunings there is a wide variety of sounds and tonality that can extend to many different styles and if you start layering on effects(guitar pedal effects), there is no end to the influential impact. American Primitive-style of guitar playing is coming back into style with a whole slew of new young players and they are often as influenced by the likes of Fahey as they are modern players. With all that said, I discover Fahey from an interview with Tom Waits. Can't go wrong with that recommendation!

[@LfunkeyA]

just because those things are in someway derived from him, doesn't mean that he can exist the same way in them. it's more nuanced than that. also sonic youth are kind of far from punk and metal, in my opinion, but also not something Fahey would really fit in. he did work with Jim O'Rourke, who is much more comparable to Fahey, and did in fact end up with sonic youth for a time.

[@palodine1]

Thats great rely and I think we agree. Nice to talk to someone who knows about Jim O'Rourke. I didn't mean that they derive from him; only that it's fitting that an alternative way of guitar playing can lead to many different roads.

[@user-qn6dn1ht4j]

This guy's too young to know what he's talking about,

[@mike9rr]

Skip James - lot of him in Fahey.

[@M.E.N.E.M.]

Looks like Christian Bale and Jeff bridges raised a boy together

[@BlackHoleBrew42]

The best

[@nicolefoster7976]

Does this book talk much about Alan Wilson? Sorry if he talks about him in the video. I don't have the time to watch it at this second.

[@maximosmagyar9653]

Have you read Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson?

[@sekarkuno4899]

Jordan Peterson is a paranoid self-aggrandizing gasbag.

[@maximosmagyar9653]

Sekar Kuno Care to explain?

[@charlespeterson3798]

And Suttree reduced to water melons. Jeesh, what a pain you are. Learn to write.

[@charlespeterson3798]

Sans importance, this is criticism at its most self absorbed and tedious, the editing bothersome and intrusive, very appropriate and thankfully distracting. I see in the margin a review of Proust. Snob superimposed on the image. Are you always living on the edge? Who are you? You are food, you silly poseur.

[@johnnyguitar7921]

haha