The Duel

Years ago when I worked as a contractor at Nestle, I sat with the other contractors in basically a long hallway with desks along both walls. They put two programmers at each desks, but they were really just wooden tables, as there were no drawers, though there were some upper cabinets to put manuals in. I sat next to a guy, and I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember his name, but he was a Native American with this beautiful long straight hair the reached almost to his waist. We would sit and talk about stuff as we worked and one day I mentioned how much I loved blues guitar and he asked me if I had ever seen Crossroads?

"It was made in the 1980s and starred Ralph Macchio, and it's about the Crossroads from Robert Johnson's song Crossroads."

Now most people these days don't know who Robert Johnson was, but most do know the song Crossroads by Cream and that is Robert Johnson's song about selling your soul to the devil for the ability to play the blues. The crossroads is where you go to meet the devil.

I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above, have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please

Standin' at the crossroads, tried to flag a ride
Whee-hee, I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me, everybody pass me by

Standin' at the crossroads, risin' sun goin' down
Standin' at the crossroads baby, the risin' sun goin' down
I believe to my soul now, po' Bob is sinkin' down

You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run, tell my friend Willie Brown
That I got the crossroad blues this mornin', Lord, baby I'm sinkin' down

I went to the crossroad, mama, I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad, babe, I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman, ooh well, babe, in my distress

Well, I went out that night and rented the movie and really fell in love with it. I've never quite seen anything like it. One of the unique features of this movie is the ending duel between Ralph Macchio's character and the devil's champion guitar player (Steve Vai). It's like those big fights at the end of action pictures or the big games at the end of sporting pictures, only with guitars!

I love it! And you might too!