Mister Satan's Apprentice: A Blues Memoir

By Adam Gussow

Book Overview

Mister Satan's Apprentice is the history of one of music's most fascinating collaborations, between Adam Gussow, a young graduate school dropout and harmonica player, and Sterling "Mr. Satan" Magee, a guitarist and underground blues legend who had originally made his name as "Five Fingers Magee."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816667756
• ISBN13: 9780816667758
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Paying his dues...

It is an amazing thing when an artist (in this case, Gussow, a writer/blues harp player) can somehow manage to make their mark despite all the confusion and hard knocks life throws at them- and they sometimes throw at themselves. This is a moving story about a burgeoning blues musician captured with excellent dialogue... Gussow has made his characters come alive and jump off the page the way writers are supposed to. Not only is it Gussow's personal memoirs of his early years in music, but a riveting biography of one of the most unique and original blues acts in recent years- Satan & Adam. Gussow's accounts of his early music/life mentors (such as the underexposed harpist Nat Riddles) with sincerity and genuine emotion is fascinating. The telling of Mister Satan's story is a valuable contribution to blues history that could well have been lost in obscurity. There are issues explored in this book that have rarely been expounded upon with any meaningful insight in any musician interview or book I can remember. The passages in the book where Gussow is in the middle of Harlem grappling with the rift and misunderstanding between black and white is especially poignant, particularly from his perspective as a young, white, Princeton educated "bluesman". Although this book isn't an instructional course on technique or musicianship- for those who aren't aware- Adam Gussow is considered by many blues afficionados to be one of the best harmonica players alive today. So he's paid some dues and he knows what he's talking about. Adam Gussow had the good fortune, the talent, street smarts and the heartfelt focus to get out there and live it- become an apprentice to a bluesmaster- just like most traditional art is passed down from accomplished teacher to eager student. I admire him for it. Mister Satan's Apprentice is a must read for any struggling musician or blues fan- it just might get you thinking about your own life's journey.

If you love the blues, you'll love this book!

I could hardly put this book down to perform activities of daily living, let alone going to work. "Mr Adam" has created a masterpiece of American musical literature. Being a blues lover of many years, I was bored to death by the almost clinical approach of most writers on the subject. Not so, Mr. Gussow! He delivers a passionately honest and heart felt memoir filled with wonderfully alive and vibrant individuals, sharing with us the one true American music, the blues.

A book for lovers and players

Recently it was my privilege to see author and harmonica player Adam Gussow at my local huge independent bookstore here in the Eastern US. I rarely do commercials, but if you can't catch Adam, you can check out his new novel "Mr. Satan's Apprentice". Adam calls it "a blues memoir", and so it is. The guy is a no-shit, kick-butt, street-smart harp player! FYI, I have fairly high standards in this realm. If you've seen or heard the New York duo "Satan and Adam", you'll know what I mean. The guy is ALSO a juicy and creative, energetic, sexy writer - something I'm also picky about. Princeton Ph.D. candidate - English. Adam's book describes a journey that a few of us know, but most do not. The musician in you will relate to the tale of the emergence of deep and powerful music from the little instrument - and the romantic in you will throb with the ways the emerging harmonica player and boundary-crosser discovers the things he needs to grow musically and personally - and then sometimes fearlessly, sometimes not, sets out to acquire them. You'll meet his teachers and mentors, and like it or not, you'll see life through the eyes of this seeker of musical and personal connection. You'll go with Adam on the romantic roller coaster as loves come and go - and you'll travel with him to Paris to play in the Metro and on the street; to the American South, and to other places exotic and otherwise - including a hitch with the road company of Broadway show based on Mark Twain's Sawyer and Finn. Later we get into the recording studio with Mr. Gussow and Mr. Satan - the Harlem street mystic and one-man band who becomes Adam's main-man mentor and muse, the Mr. Satan of the book's title. Throughout the book you'll find Adam the street intellectual examining his position as a white man among black men (and black women) in this blues-filled world - an examination in which Mr. Satan plays a key role. A book for players and lovers - of the spirit of the music, of the street; of the endless forms of beauty and love, as they are found ALL over the place. The author is one who knows, and magically, describes, many of the gut experiences we players know; to my knowledge no one's ever written quite this way about these things before. Like the performing moments, the pulling out of all the everything you've got and then some, when the audience is on it's very EDGE, right there with you; when you are truly and purely the great IT! Blowing and drawing deep, and deeper, and then high and higher; and the room is all whoops and smiles, and all there in your hand. A good player knows these things, and believe me, in a blues band, nobody gets that kind of juice but the harp player. OK, so maybe you don't know the peak of performance grace and light - but you know your peaks, and Adam's telling can stir it back into view...Adam Gussow writes of music, romance, conflict, and awakening in an intimately physical and heart- connected way. As a player,

lyrical and uplifting

Mr. Satan's Apprentice is a heartfelt, soulful journey of self-discovery and self-expression. Gussow writes powerfully and lyrically about his complex friendship/partnership with the eccentric blues genius Mr. Satan. In the end, this is an uplifting example of a real-life "dialogue" between two very different -- and equally compelling -- central characters.

Great story of a young bluesman and his mentors

I started reading this figuring it would be a good book mostly for blues enthusiasts (I used to be a blues DJ at our college radio station, and have had the pleasure of seeing Satan and Adam perform live). While it certainly didn't disappoint my blues expectations, I honestly think it's a great read for anyone. More than anything, it's a touching tribute to Adam's two mentors, Nat Riddles and Mister Satan, both truly fascinating men. Adam creates a solid narrative structure and does a great job of knowing when to step aside and let the subjects speak for themselves (the transcript of Mister Satan's "God Tape" is alone worth the price of admission). By all means, read this book.