201. Bluesman Cartoon Story

March 5, 2010

Q: Year and years and years ago (30?) I believe I read an incredibly funny comic story in National Lampoon about a white guy trying to document a black bluesman’s life. The charactitures were in the style of R. Crumb. I believe the white guy basically finances a black bluesman’s final party and they travel the back woods of the true down and very dirty bluesman lifestyle. There was one very funny part about the two being hung over and heading to a BBQ place where an order of “Snoots” is brought out. The Snoots is a Pigs Nose smothered in BBQ sauce.

A: According to Michael: “This was not fiction from the Poon, but a true short story written by the late, great guitarist Mike Bloomfield about his youthful adventures with the much older bluesman Big Joe Williams. It originally ran in High Times when Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman was editor and was later published as a small book called Me & Big Joe. Ratso was later Executive Editor of the Lampoon. The illustrations were indeed by Robert Crumb.” Thanks for clearing that up, Michael.

Comments

This was not fiction from the Poon, but a true short story written by the late, great guitarist Mike Bloomfield about his youthful adventures with the much older bluesman Big Joe Williams. It originally ran in High Times when Larry "Ratso" Sloman was editor and was later published as a small book called Me & Big Joe. Ratso was later Executive Editor of the Lampoon. The illustrations were indeed by Robert Crumb.

—Michael Simmons

March 8, 2010 3:44 am

Excellent! No wonder I don't remember it. Thanks for the info, Michael.

—Mark

March 8, 2010 10:33 am

I once had a snoot sandwich. It was ...interesting. I just put this book on my eBay alert list. Thank you, Mr. Simmons.

—John F.

March 19, 2010 3:58 pm

I think there was a similar NL story where the fictitious blues musician's name was "Two-Lane Blacktop".

—Tessie

April 3, 2011 2:55 pm

Mike Bloomfield's career ended sadly in drug addiction which forced him to take work giving guitar lessons and scoring porn films. This is true and I am not making it up.

—Jack

May 7, 2013 11:16 am

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