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Diasporic Narratives and Music in the Documentary The Blues

  • Journal of Popular Narrative
  • 2025, 31(1), pp.319~346
  • Publisher : The Association of Popular Narrative
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research
  • Received : December 30, 2024
  • Accepted : February 14, 2025
  • Published : February 28, 2025

Sa-Bin Shin 1

1중부대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This article examines the diachronic and public discourses of diasporic narratives and music in the documentary The Blues. The motivation for this study stems from the profound role that television episodes, each embodying distinct themes and styles through the author's lens, play in constructing synesthetic intertextuality. These episodes serve as symbolic representations of the "roots" and "path" of the blues. Martin Scorsese's Feel Like Going Home does not juxtapose slavery with immigration (or the experiences of African Americans with Italian Americans); however, its exploration of roots and the connection between homeland and America resonates deeply with themes central to Scorsese's oeuvre and personal identity. Richard Pearce's The Road to Memphis shifts its focus to the vibrant 1940s music scene on Beale Street in Memphis, a cultural hub for African Americans, particularly for blues artists such as B.B. King, Rosco Gordon, and Bobby Rush. The film culminates in a musical reunion aboard their tour bus. Marc Levin's Godfathers and Sons portrays Marshall Chess and Chuck D revisiting the history of Chicago blues and bridging the gap between Chicago blues and modern hip-hop and rap. This endeavor is exemplified by their collaboration with the creators of Electric Mud (1968) to produce a contemporary rendition of Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy (1955). Through musical journeys and road movies, the documentary reflects the synchronicity and publicity of blues music, culminating in a subjective and impressionistic exploration of its culture. The diasporic consciousness articulated in The Blues transcends the confines of homeland and migration, forging a new cultural space. Here, the focus shifts from the migration process itself to the organic social networks migrants establish and the unique cultural expressions they develop in their adopted territories. This metaphor, captured in works such as Fathers and Sons or Godfathers and Sons, underscores the profound aesthetic and cultural significance of diasporic music. This genre is not merely a narrative of exploitation and loss but a genuine discourse of integration and liberation.

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