If you play guitar, and spend any amount of time online, it seems like the 1986 movie Crossroads, will eventually find you. Whether it’s a gif of the epic showdown between Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio, or some joke about the movie comparing it to Karate Kid, it feels a bit inevitable.

Yet somehow, even though I’ve been a musician in some form or another since elementary school, I’d never seen it. But it was free to watch on Tubi so I decided to give it a shot.

Boy oh boy, I was not disappointed.

It might be pretty easy take one look at Ralph Macchio’s dated hairstyle, and the ridiculous swagger he seems to infuse into his every movement during the beginning of the film, and dismiss Crossroads as just a weird artifact from an even weirder time (aka the 80’s). Ry Cooder, who wrote the film’s award winning soundtrack, has said the film “went down the tubes” and Wikipedia says the film only grossed 5.8 million which probably did not cover the cost of making it.

But once the film actually gets going, it ends up being quite enjoyable.

Joe Seneca’s character, Willie Brown, toes a hard line between wise old blues master, and cunning con artist. Until the last third of the movie we’re never really sure if things are as he says they are.

The myth and legend surrounding ‘The Blues’ has always been an interest of mine, so it was impossible not to get swept away the story. Macchio’s Eugene ‘Lightning Boy’ Martone makes an easy audience stand in, also fascinated with the blues and somehow able to track down the infamous Willie Brown, who (in the movie) traveled with legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson.

In college I read a biography of Robert Johnson for a class (but now that I look for it on my shelf I can’t find it). I thought it was very interesting how this film imagined his life, and how they incorporated the crossroads legend into it.

In reality, Robert’s life as a traveling blues musician likely meant that long stretches of time might pass between when he had first arrived in a town, and when he might come back. Blues musician Son House remembered Johnson as a little boy who was a competent harmonica player, but embarrassingly bad at guitar. When House heard him next, likely about two years later, Johnson had acquired a more mature sound, likely from studying with Isaiah “Ike” Zimmerman.

And at the time, playing secular music in opposition to liturgical music, already meant that you had sold your soul to the devil. It is not hard to see how, after not seeing Johnson for so long and him returning with such skill, made the legend that he had gone to the crossroads to sell his soul for guitar mastery. Johnson’s song “Crossroad“, though never mentioning the devil in the lyrics, probably encouraged the myth, as did his song “Hellhound on My Trail“.

While Willie Brown is mentioned in Johnson’s lyrics, and played guitar on a few of Johnson’s recordings, I haven’t seen anything that points to them traveling together. It seems that Willie Brown’s character is probably more based on Johnny Shines, who traveled with Johnson from 1935 to 1937.

But these artistic licenses just bring the story together into a more cohesive whole.

Only one scene sort of took me out of the film and that was when Jami Gertz’s character, Frances, (slight spoiler) leaves to continue her own journey out to L.A. Machio standing in the pouring rain looking so depressed really just seemed a bit over the top to me, despite the whole vibe of the movie being a bit overdone. And that it’s this event that gives “lightning boy” the sorrow he needs to really become a bluesman just felt a bit bad. Like her whole character was just to move that one plot forward? Maybe it’s technically not a fridge, but it has that feeling.

Give Crossroads a Watch?

Ultimately, I’d say yes. Whether you’re a guitarist/musician or not, the film has a certain fun to it, and though I had a few critiques, it holds up pretty well (despite being almost 40 years old!).

If you ARE a guitarist or musician, then I’d say it’s absolutely homework. Even if just to help you better understand all the memes!

That’s all I have this week! Has anyone watched this movie before? What was your favorite part? Do you listen to much blues? Who’s your favorite blues musician? As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments. I look forward to talking about this one!

Until next time!