[HARMONICA PLAYS]
You ever record before?
Well, you just set yourself
in front of that microphone
and play your heart out.
We'll take care of the rest.
We got all the machines
in the back.
You just get yourself ready
to play, okay, Robert?
Good.
Okay, let's get to it.
Robert Johnson. Stand by.
Rolling.
♪ I went to the crossroads ♪
♪ Fell down on my knee ♪
♪ I went to the crossroads ♪
♪ Fell down on my knee ♪
♪ Asked the Lord above
"Have mercy" ♪
♪ Save poor Bob if you please ♪
♪ Standin' at the crossroads ♪
♪ I tried to flag a ride ♪
♪ Standin' at the crossroads ♪
♪ I tried to flag a ride ♪
♪ Ain't nobody seem
to know me ♪
♪ Everybody pass me by ♪
♪ You can run
You can run ♪
♪ Tell my friend
Ol' Willie Brown ♪
♪ You can run ♪
♪ Tell my friend
Ol' Willie Brown ♪
♪ Well, I'm standin'
At the crossroads ♪
♪ Babe, I believe
I'm sinkin' down ♪
P.A.:
Attention, Officer McGuire.
Please report to the east wing
security gate.
Attention, Officer McGuire.
Please report
to the east wing...
[DOOR BUZZES]
Hi. I'm here to see
Willie Brown,
he's a patient here.
- What is your name, please?
- Eugene Martone.
GUARD: Excuse me.
While I'm here, I'd like to run
a routine security check...
P.A.:
Exercise classes with
the physical therapist
will begin at 9 a.m.,
Monday through Friday.
Those patients with doctors'
blue cards
are asked to participate.
Security Officer Larkin,
please pick up the staff
phone at the nurses' station.
Security Officer Larkin,
please pick up the staff
phone at the nurses' station.
I'm sorry, Willie says
he doesn't know anyone
named Martone.
Well, to be honest,
he doesn't know me,
but if I could just
talk to him...
Mr. Brown made it very clear
he won't be seeing anyone.
No, look, just a minute.
I have to ask him...
I said, Mr. Brown
made it very clear
he doesn't want
to see anyone.
I can't b...
Shit.
Just need a signature
right there.
P.A.:
Attention, Officer MacFarland.
Please report
to the security office.
Attention, Officer MacFarland
Please report
to the security office.
[MOP SLOSHES IN BUCKET]
NURSE: Uh, Martone, right?
When you finish the hall,
would you take care
of the coffee room.
And let's put a clean
trash bag in my office.
Thank you.
PATIENT: They said it was me,
but I didn't do it.
What's the story on Hoss?
Um, Twenty-five milligrams of
memprogromade and he's due now.
Okay, fine.
TV:
Gary's play all the way and
he made it, just nipping McGee.
Tim McCarver along with Steve
Zabriskie and Ralph Kiner,
and we've got
a dandy here at Shea.
[SNORING]
Well, regardless of whether
you're a Cardinals fan,
a Mets fan you've gotta
love this.
This is a baseball game.
[HARMONICA PLAYS IN DISTANCE]
A line drive, deep.
Can't get to it.
Gets by him and Danny....
[HARMONICA PLAYS BLUES TUNE]
Okay, what you want,
Mr. Janitor Man?
I ain't made no mess.
- EUGENE: Hey, you're Willie.
- That's my name.
I heard you playing harp,
so I dropped by to say hello.
You're new here, ain't you?
This is my first day.
Well, hello, Mr. Janitor Man.
Now let me be.
Well, look, I just wanted you
to know if there's anything
I can get for you,
anything you want or anything...
Yeah, you can get gone.
Sorry to bother you.
I'll just stop back later, okay?
Mr. Fulton.
Mr. Who?
You were Blind Dog Fulton
from 1939 to 1968, weren't you?
What you been drinking, Sterno?
Your name's Willie Brown.
I mean, Blind Dog Fulton
was born Willie Brown.
He used that name up until 1938.
After his friend Robert Johnson
was killed,
he headed up to Chicago,
changed it to Blind Dog Fulton.
It's all in the books.
I got six cousins named
Willie Brown.
Man working that grocery store
down the street,
his name Willie Brown.
If I had a nickel for every
Willie Brown in this world,
I wouldn't be here now,
listening to your bullshit.
You're not the Willie Brown,
Robert Johnson calls out for
help to in "Crossroad Blues"?
Shit, no. Robert Johnson.
I mean, you play harmonica.
That's the real
Willie Brown's main instrument.
It doesn't make sense.
Where I come from,
you don't blow no harp,
you don't get no pussy.
[SIGHS]
There's no way.
You gotta be. It's...
[BELL TOLLS]
[PLAYS CLASSICAL GUITAR]
[PLAYS BLUES HOOK]
All right,
Miss Narciso, please.
That was very good,
Eugene.
Very good up to
a point.
Most people approach
Mozart with respect.
Evidently that's an attitude
you're not familiar with.
I'm sorry,
I didn't mean any disrespect.
I was just making a joke.
[PLAYS CLASSICAL GUITAR]
Which one of these is a cigar
lighter? Have a little...
Blasted new-fangled gadgets.
Never work.
Gramshell's folly.
Pile of junk.
Oh, what a mess.
Magoo.
Hello, Magoo.
Magoo,
can you hear me?
Well, well, well.
Mr. Janitor Man.
Hey, why a white boy like you
so hot on some long-gone
harmonica player?
I'm looking
for a lost song.
Lost song?
What tune you looking for?
Robert Johnson was supposed
to record 30 songs
at his Texas sessions.
Only 29 exist.
He never recorded number 30.
- You read that in a book too?
- That's right.
I figure you might be the last
man alive
to know where
the missing song is.
That part's not in the book.
Why you wanna know
about all that kind of stuff?
I'm a bluesman.
[CHUCKLES]
A bluesman.
You? Where you from?
I was born on Long Island,
why?
Long Island.
Oh, shit, this is rich.
Long Island, the famous breeding
ground for bluesmen.
Oh, man.
Okay, Willie, time for your
weekly with the doctor.
Let's go have a checkup.
Hey. You gonna be a janitor,
act like one.
Mop my room, you hear?
Give her a good straightening.
Come on, Willie.
Stop being such a pain.
[LAUGHING]
Long Island bluesman.
DR. SANTIS: You came to us
as a classical student.
The word "prodigy" was actually
used on occasion.
And you have proven to be
one of the finest
guitarists in the school.
Mr. Martone, a word of advice:
Don't serve two masters.
The discipline of the classical
is very exacting.
And if you persist in the other,
you will squander your talent.
What if the other is my talent?
Excellence in primitive music
is cultural.
You have to be
born to it.
Now, you were allowed to leave
secondary school early
to pursue classical studies.
I suggest you re-examine
your priorities.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
[SIRENS BLARE IN DISTANCE]
[PLAYS BLUES TUNE]
Well, lookey here.
The famous Long Island bluesman
come back to pay another visit.
How's it going, Willie?
You ever been to Mississippi?
Nope.
You call yourself a bluesman?
You're not Blind Dog Fulton,
right?
Yeah, well, Willie,
I got something here that
you may be interested in.
[TURNS ENGINE OFF]
Hey, blind boy,
come over here.
What's your name,
four-eyes?
My name Willie Brown,
sir.
What you doing on these
crossroads alone, Willie Brown?
Robert Johnson told me
I could makes a deal here.
A deal. With who?
Robert say a man called Legba.
You him?
No, no.
I'm his assistant.
Now, let me see here.
You got to tell me what's
on your mind, Willie Brown.
I got 2 dollar.
Well, your green
don't buy nothing
down where
Legba come from, boy.
Now, you wanna play
like Robert Johnson?
You wanna play like
Petie Wheatstraw?
Well, say good night
to your soul, son.
Go on, blind boy.
Sign.
Be here before 12
every Saturday night,
and you learn
them blues.
Boy, about that 2 dollar,
I'm running
a little low on gas.
See you in hell, blind boy.
Oh, man. Look at this shit.
Here we go. A little soul
from the golden ghetto.
Hey, Long Island,
let's hear the one
about the plantation
you was born on.
Let's hear how you come
to doing time on the pea farm.
[PLAYS BLUES TUNE]
You ain't gonna let me rest
with this music talk, are you?
Nope.
Okay.
Meet Blind Dog Fulton.
The original, one and only,
Willie Brown.
You have found your man.
Oh, this is great.
This is great.
I knew it.
You thought...
Look, I'm not
Robert Johnson, but...
No, you ain't.
You ain't the beginning
of a pimple on the late,
great Robert Johnson's ass.
You might have
a little bit of lightning,
but you missing
everything else.
- What? Like what?
- Mileage.
You can't get that
living at home
with your mama wiping your butt.
No, I don't live at home.
Where you live?
It's like a school dormitory.
Oh, a school dormitory.
Oh, times is hard.
Times is hard.
Willie,
wait up. Wait up.
Hey, you know
what song it was
Robert Johnson
didn't record that day?
Of course I do, I was with
Robert when he made it up.
Memphis, summer, 1936.
- Could you let me in on it?
- Shit, no.
- Well, why not?
- Why should I?
Well, see,
I could record it.
You know, like Clapton
did with "Crossroads."
I mean, the Rolling Stones
did it with "Love in Vain."
I mean, it could be
my whole introduction
to the blues scene.
We could record it together.
You're just one more white boy
ripping off our music.
No, no. Willie,
we'd be giving it
to the whole world.
See, there's all kinds of people
who'd give anything for that.
I mean, me and you,
we could just...
No, you ain't deserving.
No mileage.
All right, Willie, look,
when I get out of Juilliard,
I'll put on some mileage,
but right now, I just...
When you get out
of Julie who?
Juilliard, it's just
a music school I go to.
Ain't but one school
straight on down to the Delta.
That's where it all started.
Willie, here's something
from the Delta.
Tell me this isn't
Son House.
Sounds like bird shit.
Come on, Willie.
We could record the song
right here in the hospital.
Imagine what we could do
with that track.
Just imagine what...
Eugene, get me out of here.
What?
Get me back down
to Fulton's Point:
my piece of land
outside Yazoo City.
Right, escape from here.
I'd wind up...
Get me out of here
and you got that number 30 song.
You serious?
You're serious. What, are you
trying to get me arrested?
Come on, Willie,
cut the shit, now.
I'm serious
about this song.
The only shit to cut
around here is you.
I've been of a mind that you
was another lightning boy,
but you just
a chicken-ass.
[SIRENS BLARE IN DISTANCE]
Chicken-ass chickenshit.
You can walk?
I can still do a few
other things too.
I may be about ready
for another woman.
You know, I've been married
four times.
I just wore them all out.
You're not a cripple.
I mean, you're always asking
people to get things for you.
And you're not even
a cripple?
Yeah, well, they find out
I can walk,
they take away my Pontiac.
Man ain't no man
he ain't got no car.
- You got a car?
- No.
Then you ain't no man yet.
Not even close, are you,
Mr. Chicken-Ass?
Come on, Willie.
I'm not chicken.
I'm not crazy either.
Even if I was, you want me
to get you to Mississippi
on what they pay me here?
I got some money
I been saving.
You're not gonna
teach me the song?
Sure I will.
In the great state
of Mississippi.
I got a train to catch,
Willie. I'll see you.
Go home to your dormitory.
Let them wipe and polish
your ass real good, you hear?
And be sure to call your mama
and kiss her...
Why don't you just leave
my mother out of it, Willie.
Look, that song Robert wrote
is a real good one.
You could be the first man
to record it.
All right. Look.
Tomorrow morning, 5:00.
You be ready.
We'll go to Mississippi,
all right?
You mean it?
I told you,
just be ready.
[HARMONICA PLAYS]
[TIRES SCREECH]
All right, I'll be out
in a few minutes, okay?
CAB DRIVER:
It's your meter, kid.
ORDERLY: Yeah, I just checked
up this hallway.
[CALL BUTTON BUZZES]
[SIGHS]
It's George again.
WILLIE: Looking for me?
What are you doing
dressed up like that for?
- Because I'm a bluesman.
- Shh!
You be quiet. Come on.
Okay, let's go.
Come on.
NURSE: Hey!
EUGENE: Shit.
Come on.
NURSE: Where the hell you think
you're going?
Shit.
[FIRE ALARM RINGS]
[MOUTHS]
Come on.
Willie.
NURSE:
Hey, get back here!
Come back here.
Open the door, open the door!
Okay, come on.
Get in.
Okay, come on.
All right, Willie,
I checked this out last night.
I only have enough cash to get
from here to Memphis.
That's where we need
to change buses.
I want you to kick in some money
to get us to Mississippi.
Got that money roll
on you?
Been on my hip right next
to my whip for 15 years.
- Of course I got it.
- Let's have it. Come on.
You don't be pulling out
a wad
of bacon like that
in New York City.
When we get to Memphis,
I'll pick up the tickets
and pay for the rest.
Okay?
All right.
I'm gonna go get the tickets.
- Well, half is mine.
- All right, here.
You take this.
[BLUES MUSIC PLAYS]
WILLIE: I traveled
with Robert off and on
between 1932 and 1938.
Last time I saw him was a couple
of months before he died.
I wanted to go on to Chicago,
but he wanted to go
on back to Mississippi.
He wanted to learn real good
blues and make a name.
So he went on down...
I know. I read all
about this, Willie.
He went to the crossroads.
That's where Robert Johnson
made his deal with the devil.
You read about it?
Yeah, they have tons
of books on blues folklore.
Oh, don't give me that
folklore shit. It happened.
Now, that's where Robert
made his deal,
and after he told me about it,
that's where I made mine.
They learn you in school
what happened to Robert?
Well, some books say
he was shot.
Some say he was poisoned.
One said he was poisoned,
then he was stabbed.
I don't think
anybody really knows.
Yeah, well, I know.
And it all means
just one thing: dead.
Right, Willie. And you made
your deal at the crossroads.
Yeah, I made a deal.
I had my piece
of fame and fortune.
What come of me?
The state pen, prison ward,
old folks' cage.
You really did
shoot somebody, didn't you?
I know that's why they put you
in jail and everything,
but you really did it?
Damn right.
Snooks Jordan.
Guitar man.
He was doing the business.
Come to find out
he was taking more
than his part of the money
telling me that's all
the man was paying.
I smacked him right in his
face while he was driving.
He pulled over
took this half-pint,
broke it on the road
and come back in on me.
Shot him in the neck.
And you didn't get out
on parole or nothing.
No, I didn't have nobody
to stand for me.
I didn't have
no place to go.
All I got was hellhounds
on my trail.
Well, it's not over yet,
Willie Brown.
Well, this is it.
We're down South, Willie.
How does it feel to be back
in the land of cotton?
Tennessee ain't bad,
but she ain't a pretty piece
like old home Mississippi.
It won't be long now.
This is where we change buses,
remember?
Of course I remember.
What do you think,
I done lost all my faculties?
Give me the money, Willie.
I'll go get the tickets.
I thought you
was paying the freight.
No. You know I paid
from New York to here.
You're taking care
of the rest, pal. Come on.
I'm taking care
of the rest?
Damn right you are. Give me the
money. We'll get the tickets.
- That's gonna be a problem.
- Why is that?
What do I look like to you,
Jon D. Rockefeller?
I ain't got
that kind of money.
Stop joking around.
We don't have much time.
Just give me the money,
we can get out of here.
The money, Willie. Come on.
Give me the money roll.
Otherwise we're not
getting anyplace.
Thank you.
Now, count it up,
because I don't know
exactly how much I got.
Willie, what the hell
is this newspaper shit?
There's only $40 here.
That's about right.
That's it.
What are you trying
to pull with this?
$40 ain't nothing
to sneeze at.
Well, it's certainly not gonna
get us to Mississippi,
you know that. You...
Just wait here. I'll find out
what shit you got me in now.
- Excuse me, sir.
- CLERK: Yes, sir.
Yeah, I need to get
to Yazoo City, Mississippi.
How far is that from here?
Yazoo City, about, uh,
200 miles.
Two hundred miles. I got $40.
I need to get two people there.
- How far will that get me?
- Two people?
That ain't even gonna get
you one-third the way.
That's what I thought.
Thank you.
Nice going, Willie. Yazoo City
is over 200 miles from here.
What are we gonna
do now with $40?
Simple, call your mama.
Tell her to put it
on one of her credit cards.
I told you
to leave her out of it.
I'm not calling
my father in Chicago.
- Why's your daddy in Chicago?
- They're divorced.
It's none of your
business anyway.
That's what they get
for getting married.
The hell with you.
I'm not calling them.
We got $40.
We're gonna handle this now.
Ain't you got pride.
Ain't but one thing we can do
in that circumstance.
- What? What's that?
- Hobo.
Hobo?
Yeah, I done it
for 70 years of my life.
Robert Johnson done it
all of his.
Ain't no sense
in stopping now.
Welcome to Bluesville, son.
P.A.: Now boarding
gate number seven...
Okay.
[PIGS OINKING, GEESE HONKING,
CHICKENS CLUCKING]
What's the matter
with you, Lightning?
Why are you looking
so down in the mouth?
Ain't no problem.
I like sharing the back
of a truck with chickens.
It's my idea
of a real good time.
Well, it should be.
You in Mississippi,
the home of the blues
and standing on Highway 61.
Wonderful.
Look,
you go down this road
and you run right smack-dab
into the heart
of where it all started.
I can understand
why you ain't happy.
This is the real thing.
This ain't no book.
What are you doing?
I'm changing my tie.
And I could use
a little help.
I ought
to choke you.
You do and you get
knocked on your ass.
This is a Mississippi
string tie.
This is what a bluesman
wear in this state.
Them other ties,
they for city folk.
Thanks, Lightning.
Get your thumb on back out
there and get us another ride.
We got a long way
to go to Fulton's Point.
[SIGHS] About 40 more miles
and we make it into Greenville.
Great.
Greenville, Mississippi,
is where I've always
wanted to be.
You don't know nothing.
A lot of good bluesmen
from around Greenville.
A lot of fine,
foxy mamas too, yes, sir.
Greenville is famous
for pussy.
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]
Hey, look at that
train over there.
[IMITATES TRAIN WHISTLE
WITH HARMONICA]
You ain't gonna never
get that lost song
if you can't make
the train talk.
Yeah, the way you playing,
it's gonna take you 10 years.
Well, maybe I'll just have
to do what you did, Willie.
I'll go down to the crossroads
I'll strike up a deal
with the devil.
That'll take care
of the whole th...
Don't you ever
say that again.
GIRL:
What you waiting for, huh?
What you waiting for,
four-eyes?
EUGENE:
Willie, what's the matter?
Hey, come on, Willie.
You okay?
Of course I'm okay.
You ain't drinking
your beer.
Now, come on,
we gotta get moving.
Maybe I just wanna hang
for a minute, all right?
Look, there's a pay phone
outside. Go call your mama.
She be checking up
on you by now.
She's in Europe,
Willie.
Nobody's gonna notice
I'm gone for a week,
not that it's any
of your business anyway.
Kind of testy,
ain't you?
Oh. Well, I got
no reason to be, right?
Willie, I came down here to
learn Robert Johnson's lost song
not get slapped in the face
by an old man.
Or find out I gotta become
king of the hobos and go broke...
I'm sorry your life
turned out so hard, Eugene.
But I got my own business
to tend to down here.
And I don't mean for you
to slow me down.
- Business? What business?
- Personal business.
And given your attitude,
you got no reason to know what.
My attitude? What the hell's
the matter with my attitude?
I have a great attitude.
You got your mind made up
about how everything works,
don't you?
How you ever gonna learn
anything new
when you know
everything already?
Look at this old guitar
you been squeaking on.
I bet you saw this thing in
a music store and bought it
just because you thought
it was beat-up.
Well, you got it all wrong.
Muddy Waters
invented electricity.
Yes, sir.
Now, I can tell
you're a real musical-type
young fellow.
Good-looking boy too.
Know what you're
talking about.
Now, I got something
right here...
Something right here
for you.
They call this here
a Pignose.
Now, you just hook it
on your belt,
plug it right in there
and you're amplified.
I can walk around
with this amp on?
Oh, sure thing.
I mean, you'll be
a walking concert.
Let me check this out.
- You got that on?
- Yeah, go ahead.
All right.
This is a great rig. It's great.
I can go electric and portable.
So you're right. It's like
I'll be a walking concert.
You ain't lacking in confidence,
I'll give you that.
Now, we'll cut off a couple of
inches off this tubing here
and make you a slide.
You wanna play some Delta blues
you gotta use a slide.
All right, now, if you
can come up with $400,
you can take the whole rig.
Mighty fine watch.
Let's move on down here
and let's talk some business.
Look here.
Let's see what we got here, now.
Look, this watch
is worth over $1100.
His mama bought it for him,
you understand what I mean?
- CLERK: How long...?
- Willie, take a look
at this hat.
All I need is a Mississippi
string tie, I'm ready to roll.
Yeah, you need
a lot more than that.
Come on, Willie.
Move your ass right back
out that door, sucker.
Come on, get the hell
out of here.
So that's the way it's gonna be?
All right.
Come on, missy. You won't be
the first woman to ever cut me.
Let me tell you, you won't be
the first woman
I ever whoop her ass either.
That's the way you want it?
It's your funeral.
Come on, keep coming.
Come on. Come on.
Go ahead. Are you
gonna stand there
or are you gonna
carve me up?
- Jump!
- Shit.
You ought to be
ashamed of yourself.
Pulling a knife on an old man,
half blind
then wanna chase him
back out in the rain.
Back in my day,
hobos respected each other.
What name you go by?
Frances.
They call me
Blind Dog Fulton.
Also known as
Willie Brown.
- Also...
- What about him?
Lightning Boy Martone.
Also known as Eugene.
Lightning Boy
and Blind Dog.
What the hell are you guys
supposed to be, huh?
We're both bluesmen.
Well, I'm the bluesman.
He's from Long Island.
We're hoboing.
What about you?
I'm hitching from Philadelphia,
going out to L.A.
I got a dancing gig out there.
Yeah, well, this road
ain't no place
for a sweet-pants like you.
Now, you take that from the
greatest hobo that ever lived.
How old are you, anyway?
You under 16?
Yeah, you're right, Willie.
I'd say
she's definitely jailbait.
Oh, yeah? I don't see too many
signs of puberty on you, honey.
Anyway, I'm 17.
How old are you?
- I'm 17.
- Oh.
- What are you, a runaway?
- Yeah.
Four-time vet.
I think I threw them a curve,
heading south.
WILLIE: Yeah, well,
they threw us a few curves too
since Lightning broke me out.
You broke him out of jail?
No.
Well, no, it was like
a nursing home.
A nursing home?
Oh, give me a break.
Excuse me while I go
put my pants on.
- Pack up.
- What?
- Pack up.
- Why?
Get your bags packed.
Get your stuff together.
- Which way you guys headed?
- EUGENE: Uh, uh, south,
towards, um, Yazoo City
and Vicksburg.
FRANCES: Staying on 61?
Damn right,
that's the road home. Come on.
What are you doing?
Just wait a minute.
I'll tell you about it later.
It's raining.
Well, I got a longer hike.
I'm going down to Jackson.
I'll see you around.
Yeah, sure. I hope you
make it to L.A. fast.
Come on now, we can't
let that get away.
What are you talking about?
She's bad news.
That thing's got
a leg on it.
Now, it'll get lots more rides
than your thumb. Come on.
Yeah, could you take me
as far south as you can?
- Sure enough.
- Oh, great.
Shit.
This dude's taking us
to the next town.
From there we're
going our separate ways.
Hey, no problem. We don't want
you slowing us down anyway.
[BLUES MUSIC PLAYS]
What the hell is going on here?
What, are y'all trying
to run off my business?
Hey, hey, boy,
I'm talking to you.
Hey, relax, we're going.
You're damn right you're going.
And you can tell
that old mud duck
to get his ass off my property.
Lay off. You got no right
talking to people like that.
Where you from, boy?
New York.
[SARCASTICALLY]
Woo-hoo.
Well, Mr. New York,
I tell you what.
See now, I'll go in my office
and I'll get my .357 Magnum
and I'll bring it out here
and then you and I can discuss
just who's got the right.
Come on, let's go.
Don't come back.
All right, all right, folks.
Come on, it's Lloyd's
turn to buy. Darling?
Louise, where the hell
have you been, baby?
I've been looking all over
for you all week.
I didn't know that
kind of thing still went on.
Well, now you starting
to learn some deep blues.
[PLAYING BLUES TUNE]
She's not doing what
I think she's doing, is she?
Mm-hm.
Shit.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER
AND LAUGHING]
She's only 17. What if that bum
does something to her?
I can't believe
she's doing this.
It's a dangerous road,
Lightning.
And 17 ain't no minor
in this state.
Why don't we
just call this, oh,
an introductory offer?
You know, on the house.
And in return,
to show you what a nice fellow
I really am,
why, I'm gonna let you push ass
out of this room all night long.
Didn't look to me like she
was going against her will.
Looked to me like she thought
she knew what she was doing.
Hell, I got girls
coming up from Jackson
work out of here
on weekends.
Now, I keep a real
orderly shop.
Nobody gets in trouble.
Matter of fact,
a girl as young
and pretty as you are
well, I bet she'd be real
popular around here.
We probably got
a deal, huh?
I mean, I always liked showering
with a healthy, young girl.
Why don't you go
start the shower, okay.
I like it nice and hot.
- You want it hot?
- Yeah.
You're gonna get it.
You're gonna get it
steaming, baby.
Now, you get those clothes off,
you hear?
- What are you doing here?
- What are you crazy?
Come on, let's get you
out of here. Come on.
LLOYD: Frances,
get your ass in here
or I'm gonna get nasty, now.
Okay, I'll be right in.
I'm coming right in, okay?
Well, hurry up, darling.
Henry's waiting.
- Shit.
- What?
- LLOYD: Frances.
When he comes out of the shower,
I want you put his lights out.
We'll grab his wallet
and get out of here.
Are you crazy?
You wanted to rescue me,
didn't you?
So when he comes out,
knock him on his ass.
Dear God, she is more problem
than she is worth.
Here he comes.
Goddamn it.
How come you still
got your clothes on?
What the hell's
going on here, bitch?
Get him, Eugene!
Get that son of a bitch, Eugene.
Come on, get him!
Goddamn it! Get off of him!
Back off, mister.
Or these walls will be getting
a free paint job.
All right, now.
Just hold on. Don't shoot.
Little underdressed,
Lloyd.
She's right. Maybe you better
put your coat on.
Listen, why don't we all
just quit here
because, uh,
things are getting just...
Just a bit out of hand.
You just have a seat
on the bed there, mister.
Where'd you get
the gun?
Same place you got your guitar,
at the pawn shop.
A bluesman never travels
the road without a pistol.
No, sir.
His wallet and his keys
are probably in his pants
in the bathroom.
You heard what the lady said,
Lightning Boy.
Wait. What are we gonna
steal his car too?
That's right.
Go get the wallet and the keys.
Willie, come on.
Let's just get out of here.
What'd you expect out here,
a picnic?
Now, you gonna stand up
and be somebody
or you gonna call
your mama on the telephone?
Move.
Shit.
Listen, Lloyd,
we're gonna borrow
that car of yours
for about 24 hours, okay?
If we get any heat
before then,
well, then, I'm just gonna
have to tell a statutory story,
since I'm only 15.
Yeah, we're gonna
blow the whistle
on your whole
family meat market.
It wouldn't be too good
for your business,
would it, Mr. Motel Man?
Huh-uh.
Now, like the lady said,
24 hours.
You'll find your car
safe and sound
in the parking lot
of the bus station
in Jacksonville, Florida.
Willie teach you how
to play this thing?
No, I've been on it
since I was 6.
Six?
Late bloomer, huh?
It took my parents
a few years
to decide what instrument
they wanted me to play.
I think my father
wanted me on accordion.
I was just kidding,
Eugene.
I mean, who the hell
plays guitar
when they're 6 years old?
You're supposed to be playing
with crayons or something.
Oh, yeah? Hey, Willie,
tell Frances how old you were
when you started
blowing harp.
Started on harmonica at 3.
Made my first music dollar
with Mr. Son House
at the big fish fry in...
Hey, I think that was
a state trooper back there.
Are you kidding?
That's a guy in an old Chrysler.
Oh, yeah? You ever hear
of unmarked cars?
One thing I learned
and that's when you running,
you stay running till you get
where you're trying to go.
Bullshit, Willie, we're driving
a stolen Cadillac here, man.
We ripped off money from the guy
who owns the Cadillac.
We got an 80-year-old
fugitive in the back
a runaway from Philadelphia
in the front, man.
I think we're pushing our luck.
Come on.
- Pull up over there.
- Shit. What?
You heard me,
right over there.
EUGENE: It's funny, I thought
I'd be missing New York by now.
But I don't.
FRANCES: I miss my mom.
And I miss my little brother,
he's great.
But I don't miss Hank.
He's my stepdad.
He gives you a hard time?
Yells at you and shit?
Hank?
He hardly ever talks to me.
I don't want no bullshit
about papers and licenses
and that kind of stuff.
You understand what I mean?
Well, sir, that Cadillac
you got there
is a mighty fine-looking car.
Now you talking business.
Well, what about your mother?
Why doesn't she throw him out?
She doesn't believe it.
She knows I don't like him,
so she thinks I'm making
this whole thing up
just to get him
out of the house.
So Hank keeps hitting on me
and I just keep running away.
You really got
a dancing job out there?
Oh, yeah.
It's 100 bucks a night.
- A hundred bucks a night?
- Yeah.
Sounds like some dancing.
EUGENE: Guys like Son House,
Charlie Patton,
Robert Johnson, they were the
best slide players in the world.
Total influence
on rock 'n' roll.
Come on, Willie, we're gonna
get you to old this barn
and get some rest,
all right?
Don't worry,
Lightning,
I ain't gonna drop down dead
on you tonight.
See, Willie was one
of the last guys to play
with Robert Johnson
before he died.
FRANCES: Wait a minute.
You think Willie'll teach you
this lost song you
keep talking about
and that's gonna
make you famous?
Right. I'm gonna learn
the tune, you know.
Get it down to the note,
add a little of my own stuff.
I'll make it special, but it's
my ticket to the blues scene.
Yeah, well, I hate to tell
you this, Lightning Boy,
but it all sounds like
a crock of shit to me.
Me too.
Hey, you feeling okay, Willie?
Let me be now.
I'm tired.
All right. Look, if you need
anything, just holler. Okay?
I said, let me be now.
I'm tired.
What's with Willie?
I don't know.
He looks really tired.
I mean,
he's almost 80 years old.
This trip's gotta be
wearing him down.
Jesus, if something happens
to him out here, man...
Do you think we should
get him to a doctor?
Well, I can't. I can't.
They'll find out who he is.
They'll ship him back
to Harlem to die.
I'm not gonna let that happen.
I promised I'd get him home.
Do you really think
there is a home, Eugene?
Well, what the hell's
that supposed to mean?
Look, how are we
supposed to know
he's this famous blues dude?
- You got any proof?
- Well, yeah, he told me.
- I trust him, that's all.
- Look, Eugene,
I'm falling in love
with the old guy too.
He's a son of a bitch,
but he's okay.
But I know a con man
when I see one
and I think Willie has
made up this whole story
to get at a gullible kid
so he can stay out of
rest homes and hospitals
for the rest of his life.
- You're full of shit.
- Oh, yeah?
What are you gonna do
if he kicks off here?
- It could happen.
- He is Willie Brown.
He's the first
acknowledged master
of the country blues
harmonica.
The guy is a legend.
You understand?
You're just a runaway shit
with a quick mouth.
Why don't you just get off
my case, all right?
Go migrate someplace else.
Do me a favor.
Leave us alone.
[SIGHS]
Don't worry, I'll be
out of here in the morning.
Look, I really
didn't mean anything.
I'm just...
I'm just a little rattled
about everything.
Okay? I'm sorry.
I'd really like you
to hang with us.
I mean, I don't want you
to take off.
It's not like I don't like you.
I really like you.
That was nice.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Ah, here's one of the vagrants
right here.
Keep the 12 on him.
Bring him on back.
What you doing? What's going on?
Hey, Willie,
you all right? What's...?
Look like we got a couple
of lovebirds up top.
Oh, shit.
Hey, we wasn't
doing nothing, officer.
I'm a sick man. These children
just tending to me.
Keep him quiet, Chester.
OFFICER: Looky here, looky here.
Well...
I hate to inform
you good folks,
but I got to be leaving you
in the hands of Sheriff Tilford.
POLICE RADIO:
Mobile weather...
What do you think
this Sheriff's Tilford's
gonna do with us, Willie?
I don't know.
Back in my day they'd put us
in a police car like this
and drive us way off
in the field and...
Great.
[CAR APPROACHES]
Look.
How come they didn't
find the gun?
You just keep your mouth shut
about that gun, you hear?
- They can't hear me.
- Keep your mouth shut anyway.
Well, well...
sleeping up
in Nate Edward's barn, huh?
Fooling about indecent
up in the loft.
Now, no identification.
Electric, uh, guitar.
Well, vagrants aren't
real popular in this county.
Come on. Get out.
O.Z., uncuff them.
You don't come into my county
and break and enter
an honest man's barn.
But you three caught me
on a morning
when I'm in a good mood.
Now, once you cross that bridge,
you in Sheriff Larry Fowler's
county,
and you his problem,
not mine.
Now, you pick up your personal
belongings and start walking.
I don't like vagrants
and I don't like trespassers.
What about our money?
What money?
Your deputy took all my money
out of my bag.
O.Z. didn't say nothing
about it to me.
- Now, get going.
- That's not right, not fair.
- Come on.
- No! You stole our money.
That's not fucking fair.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Well, I tell you what I can do.
I can put you in the county farm
for criminal women
and you can stay there
while you pressing your charges.
Oh, they treat you real nice
out at the county farm.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Come on, let's go.
Things seem to have changed
in this county.
Then again, they kind of seem
the same, don't they?
We just be on our way,
captain.
Ain't no point in making a fuss.
CLERK: Two rooms,
$25 for the night.
Just about what we got here
in the emergency fund.
- You're all traveling together?
- That's right.
We'll be on our way
come morning.
You recognize this place?
This old crossroads
around here?
Nope.
Never seen it.
Now, you look hard. It's gotta
be around here someplace.
Ain't nothing around here
but the town of Weevil.
And that's two miles
down the road.
Weevil.
I know that old town.
And I don't know nothing
about no crossroads either.
Do you know where
Fulton's Point is?
I know where Fulton's Point is.
Come on.
Let's be getting up
to our rooms.
[COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYS
IN DISTANCE]
MAN: I'm telling you,
man, it's easy.
WILLIE: Yes, sir.
Sonny Crupp's place.
Looks almost the same
as it did 40 years ago.
They used to charge a good
50 cents for a glass of whiskey.
That was robbery.
You know that place?
Like yesterday.
Looks like a good place
to pick up some bucks.
How we gonna do that?
That's my boy,
green as always.
I hope you wasn't too green
up in that hay loft.
If you wanna be
a bluesman,
you gotta be able
to use your whip.
He was an animal, Willie.
You don't have
to worry about him.
All his parts
are in working order.
Well, well, big man, ain't you?
Now, you take this piece
and go in there
and bring home the big eagle.
You go in there and have a drink
and play a few songs.
Now, they probably
some rough boys,
so you keep
that iron handy.
What you got to say
for yourself, Long Island?
I should be committed,
that's what I have
to say, Willie.
I should be committed
for ever listening to you.
- My, my, my.
- What happened to Willie Brown?
Greatest hobo that ever lived,
all-time great harp player.
Wouldn't he just be able to
walk in there and clean up?
Sure thing.
I done it lots of times.
Yeah, well, problem is,
I'm starting to think
Robert Johnson's friend
Willie Brown
isn't within 1000 miles
of here.
And if he is, he's probably
just out there
buried in some
unmarked grave.
Somebody saying you ain't
believing what I been speaking?
That's right, Willie.
I'm saying, you're full of shit.
You know something?
Every time you mention
Fulton's Point,
nobody's heard
of the goddamn place.
I'm starting to think you're
just a con man who used me
just to get your ass
out of a nursing home.
Where are you going?
Look, you smart-ass kids,
you don't need me.
I do my business
on this side of the road
and you white folks
do your business on that side.
That's the way they get things
done in Mississippi.
["IF I LOSE" PERFORMED BY
AMY MADIGAN PLAYS]
♪ Come on back, sweet daddy
Back where you belong ♪
♪ I gambled over town
And I found that I can't win ♪
♪ Come on back,
And pick me up again ♪
♪ Now if I lose,
Let me lose ♪
♪ I don't care
How much I lose ♪
♪ If I lose a hundred dollars ♪
♪ While I'm tryin'
To win a dime ♪
♪ My baby's got money
All the time...♪
Well, well, well.
What can we do you tonight?
I don't...I don't know.
Whiskey, I guess.
You look kind of young.
Got any ID?
No, sir.
Not with me, I don't.
Well, I reckon one snort
ain't gonna hurt you.
♪ All the other boys I know,
None can take your place ♪
♪ 'Cause when I get into a jam,
They just ain't in the race ♪
♪ Come on back, sweet daddy,
Let's make another round ♪
Hey, cutie,
where you going?
Oh, you are one
pretty lady.
You're not from
around here, are you?
Uh, no, I just got
into town.
Not that we got anything
against late arrivals.
- Wanna dance?
- Yeah, I do.
- Well, let's do it.
- All right.
BARTENDER:
That'll be a dollar, friend.
How about I play some songs
on my guitar for the drink?
I'll stand you that drink,
then you haul ass out of here.
Thank you.
♪ Cotton needs pickin'
So bad ♪
♪ We gonna pick
All over this field ♪
♪ You know I went down on that
Down my head last night ♪
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
He jumped up and started going
out the window, shouting:
"Oh, shit!
Here come Blind Dog!"
I say, "Hey," I call out
my .38 special, see.
I say, "Ain't so blind
I can't see
your naked ass
going out my window."
WILLIE:
Shot him in the left side.
That's how I come
to making up that song.
I'm supposed to believe
you Willie Brown
and Blind Dog Fulton?
You ain't supposed
to believe nothing.
Now, if you wanna do
something, here I am.
Maybe later, honey.
Let me through.
Give me another beer and a vodka
on the rocks for a pretty lady.
Yeah, I think I might have
to dance here.
Okay, where is it?
- What?
- My wallet.
What are you
trying to say?
Come on, come on,
you little thief, cough it up.
What, you think
I took your wallet.
- Is that what you're saying?
- That's right.
Go ahead and search me.
I don't give a fuck.
Well,
I just believe I will.
Come on, why don't you get
your hands off her, all right?
- This your lady?
- Yeah, she's with me.
Well, she snagged my wallet
and she don't
wanna give it back.
Look, she said she didn't
take it. Did you take it?
No, I didn't take
his wallet.
And I'll tell you
he'd better shut his mouth
before my friend
takes out his gun, huh?
- A gun?
- Yeah.
You got a gun?
Yeah.
- Let me see it.
- Go ahead, show it to him.
Go on. Come on.
Fella comes in here,
packing a gun.
I don't want any trouble,
all right? It's not...
- Hey!
- [SHOTGUN COCKS]
Holy shit, mister.
I don't want any trouble.
Hand that piece over.
- Don't you dare.
- Hey, will you just come on?
- Great, fine.
- I don't want the gun.
I just wanna get out of here.
Let's get out.
Now, now, hold it,
hold it.
Now, you can get out
of here.
I just wanna
give you something...
Duck!
You son of a bitch.
You son of a bitch, Harley!
Now, hold it just
a goddamn minute.
There ain't gonna be
no more fighting.
Harley, Alvin,
you settle down.
Did you take his wallet, miss?
Because if you did,
give it back to him.
Harley's dumb,
but that don't mean
he deserves to have
his wallet stolen.
He's got a family
and they need the money.
BARTENDER: You both got a lot
of growing up to do.
Now, get on out of here.
All right, now, let's everybody
get back to drinking!
♪ I'm a maintenance man, baby ♪
♪ Baby, I'll fix anything
For you ♪
♪ I'm a maintenance man, baby ♪
WOMAN:
What you doing in here, honey?
You on the wrong side
of the tracks, ain't you?
You looking for Crupp's.
Crupp's across the road.
Uh, no, we were there already.
We're just...
We're just looking for
a friend of ours, that's it.
You see this boy,
Ledell?
You come in the juke with your
guitar, dressed to play?
In a black man's juke?
I'm surprised
you can walk, boy.
You got balls this big.
MAN:
Let's take his guitar from him.
[HARMONICA PLAYS LONG
HIGH-PITCHED NOTE]
Yes, sir, people!
The Lightning Boy has arrived
and if you'd be so kind
to let him and his girl
toward the stage
we gonna blow
the roof off this joint.
Let him to the stage, I say!
I said, let him
toward the stage.
Now, this boy's come a long way
to show you
how good
he can play that thing.
You wanna hear some music,
people?!
Come on up here.
How's the Lightning Boy?
Yeah.
What's wrong with you?
I told you not to come in here.
I got some heat from the other
side. I lost the gun too.
You dumb shit, we gonna
get heat from this side
if we don't take them
back home.
♪ Hey, call me Willie ♪
♪ Blind Dog Fulton ♪
♪ Smokehouse Brown ♪
♪ Call me Willie
The one and only Willie Brown ♪
♪ I'm built for comfort
Not built for speed ♪
♪ Got everything
You good girls need ♪
♪ See me comin'
Throw your man outdoors ♪
♪ May not get this way
No more ♪
♪ Call me Willie
The one and only Willie Brown ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
That's Willie Brown!
That's Willie Brown
up there singing.
It is?
Sure, I used to see him
all the time when I was tiny.
Used to play for all
the big ones. Yeah, that's him.
- He's a friend of mine.
- A friend of yours?
Yeah.
♪ Yeah, call me Willie ♪
♪ Call me Willie ♪
♪ Blind Dog Fulton ♪
♪ Smokehouse Brown ♪
♪ Call me Willie
The one and only Willie Brown ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
EUGENE: Willie Brown,
prince of the Delta blues
blows into some old juke house
that's been dead for 40 years
and turns the place
inside out, man.
And who was up there filling
Robert Johnson's shoes, huh?
Looked like a dipshit
from Long Island.
Come on. I was great
and you know it.
You know, the owner
walked up to Willie,
gave him three one hundred
dollar bills and says:
"Your boy can play."
They know what they're
talking about down here.
- You guys were terrific.
- You guys? Us guys.
Don't count yourself out.
Looks like Weevil's
right outside Vicksburg
which is about 30 miles shy
of Yazoo County.
You're almost there.
Willie says that's the most
beautiful land in the state.
I think when we get there
we should hang with Willie.
We should settle
into Fulton's Point
until he teaches me
the lost song, right?
Then we'll get a van.
We'll tour the country.
Blind Dog, Lightning Boy,
peddling the lost blues.
- This stuff is happening...
- Yeah, it sounds great.
It really does. What do I
get to do, drive the van?
Oh, we could get a Blazer.
We could go...
Ladies and gentlemen.
Here he is, prince of the
Delta blues, Willie Brown!
Bright lights
fry your brain?
I guess that's why
you forgot your hat.
Willie, I just played
my first barrelhouse.
I'm a bluesman now.
Bluesman, shit. Only one
bluesman in town tonight,
that was me.
Where you learn to play them
pussy chords, in music school?
Only one school, Willie.
I played the chords I learned
on the road and I kicked ass.
People felt it,
so don't give me that garbage.
People felt whiskey.
Same as I'm feeling right now.
And just about
to feel some more.
Hey, Willie, lay off him, okay?
He was great.
Got a problem
with that, huh?
Look, he's on the road
to learn something.
Now, he can't be learning
nothing if he's thinking
he's the boss...
You won't give an inch,
will you, Willie?
You can't even come in here
after what happened tonight
and say, "Nice job, kid."
You can't even give me
a simple "congratulations."
You know what you want,
Lightning?
You want me to stand here
and say:
"Boy, you as good as Robert
Johnson." But you ain't.
Now, if you'd spend
as much time
with your hands
on them strings
as you do on this girl's ass,
you might get somewhere.
Excuse me, I think
I'll go to my room
and leave you two
lovebirds be.
He's a mean,
shitty old man.
[THUNDER CLAPS]
[MOANS]
Shame on you, Willie Brown
traveling all the way back down
home as if you had a chance.
Ain't got no chance,
Blind Dog.
You sold your soul.
You going down.
All the way down.
Hellhounds on your trail, boy.
Hellhounds on your trail.
[THUNDER CLAPS]
All right.
Why you sneaking around?
- I'm going.
- Going where?
Gotta get to L.A.
I'm just like you
and Eugene, you know.
I got places to go.
What about the boy?
Now, you know...
There's no goodbyes on the road.
It doesn't work that way.
You give Lightning Boy
a hug for me, okay?
Tell him I'll miss him.
You're right.
Ain't no goodbyes on the road.
See you around, huh?
What's this?
$100 take care of you
for a while.
Keep you out of trouble.
Get you to L.A. safe.
I don't want you
having to deal
with no more of them
motel men, you understand?
Jesus, I can't believe you.
Go ahead.
Take care of yourself.
I'll miss you, Willie.
Willie, where's Frances?
What, is she getting breakfast?
Willie, where's Frances?
Where'd she go?
Look, Willie, I know
I'm not supposed
to feel sorry
for myself.
And I know that you've
been through things
that are a million times
tougher than my life's been
but I'm gonna miss her.
I'm really gonna miss her.
A man with a whole
lot of sense said:
"Blues ain't nothing
but a good man feeling bad,
thinking about the woman
he once was with."
You're gonna teach me
the song.
Ain't no song.
I'm sorry, Eugene.
I lied to you.
I just wanted to get
out of that place so bad.
Robert give us 29 songs.
It was enough.
Never was a number 30,
not that I know of.
You gotta do it
for yourself.
That's what Robert
would have told you.
Lots of towns,
lots of songs,
lots of women.
Good times. Bad times.
The only thing
I want anybody to say is:
"He could really play.
He was good."
What are we
stopping here for?
Why don't we head on
to Fulton's Point?
It can't be
too far from here.
I gotta deal with something,
Lightning.
Or there ain't no
going home.
What are you
talking about?
What do you have
to deal with?
Yeah,
this is the one.
The hottest cathouse in
the great state of Mississippi.
Is this another lesson,
Willie?
You listen and you'll
find out.
These are some
old friends of mine.
A woman named Lily La Fontaine
still live here?
Lily dead, long time.
You related?
She was my grandma.
You a friend of her?
Yes, ma'am.
I used to make music here
when Lily run the place.
Where are all the girls?
Boarding house now.
Got a room open.
That one over there keep wet
his mattress, so he going.
Lily always say you play
all the time
and flirt with the girls
and always in some mess
with the law.
Glad to be remembered.
It was such a long time ago.
My grandma talk
about you a lot.
She was a real good woman,
your grandma.
I remember me
and Slim Waterman
got into a fight over
her one time.
A real knockdown,
gouge-your-eyes-out
kind of fight.
Oh, yeah?
Who won?
I don't know, I guess
we both took our lumps.
But she was
a real good woman.
Somewhere around here
there's a real special place.
A crossroads.
WILLIE: You know
the language I'm talking?
I need to get back
to the crossroads.
You tell me how
to get there?
Holice?
Holice.
You drive these fellas out
on Grange Road, past Dockery's.
This is it.
This is the place
where it all happened.
I tell you
what you gotta do.
See, you go on over there
and start playing a piece.
Why?
Because there's a fella
I've got to see.
And if you're playing it right,
he's gonna come around.
Yeah, right, Willie.
Who is this guy?
Don't ask me who.
You know
damn well who.
[PLAYS BLUES TUNE]
Keep it going. You standing
at the crossroad now.
This is where it count.
Thought I wasn't supposed
to go to the crossroads, Willie.
We ain't here for you,
we here for me.
MAN: Y'all need a ride?
What you waiting for,
huh?
Come on, Willie. Let's get
to Fulton's Point, huh?
What time he coming around?
What time who
coming around?
You don't be fooling with me.
I'm talking about Legba.
Legba?
Where you been at, slick?
He done changed
his name to Scratch.
I don't want none of your sass.
I got business with the man.
Mean old bastard, ain't you?
Forget it, honey.
He's crazy.
Now, y'all sure
you don't need a ride?
Ain't riding with
the likes of you, smart-ass.
Or your bitch neither.
Tsk-tsk-tsk.
Suit yourself, old man.
SCRATCH: You looking for me,
Willie Brown?
Been a long time,
hasn't it, Willie?
Yes, yes, it has.
Willie,
what's going on here?
Yes, sir,
been a long time.
You about 17 last time
we saw each other.
One night on this old
crossroads, wasn't it?
What can I do for you,
Willie Brown?
I come to see you,
tell you the deal's off.
Oh, no.
According to this here
piece of paper,
the deal's still on.
You can tear that up
and give me some peace.
Why on Earth would
I wanna do that?
Now, you sloughed up
on your end of things.
I didn't end up
where I wanted.
I didn't end up with nothing.
Didn't get nothing!
You got what you were
supposed to get, bluesman.
Ain't nothing ever as good
as we want it to be.
But that ain't no reason
to break a deal.
Of course...
if you had something
to offer me.
I got a couple
of hundred dollars.
I ain't interested
in your money, you know that.
How about cutting heads?
Oh, I get it.
You want some kind
of contest, huh?
You're a real smart boy,
ain't you?
Well, smart boy...
I got a big white fella
from Memphis
made a deal with me
a few years back.
Real good guitar player,
name of Jack Butler.
Cuts heads every Saturday night.
Yes, sir.
He discourages a lot
of up-and-coming boys.
But Willie doesn't
even play guitar.
Oh, yeah.
I forgot that.
Ain't that too bad.
Guess there ain't much hope
at all for Willie Brown.
Unless you might wanna
sit in for him.
- Don't do it.
- Sure, he's my friend.
I don't believe in any
of this shit anyway.
I said, don't do it,
Lightning.
You win...
I tear up Willie's contract.
But what happens
if my man Jack Butler win?
You get me.
I already got you.
Well, then, you got me too.
Shut up, you hear?
I don't want you
making no deals.
Take it easy, Willie. I'm just
calling his bluff for you.
We'll get to Fulton's Point
after this.
Where and when for this thing?
Oh, I can get us there
real quick.
Jack Butler's gonna like you.
[ELECTRIC GUITAR SQUEALS]
♪ Oh, brother, hush ♪
♪ Hush, hush, hush ♪
♪ Somebody's calling my name ♪
♪ You better hu-sh ♪
♪ Somebody...♪
You know what I got here?
This is the mojo man.
The Louisiana voodoo charm.
The winning boy's magic.
You see, there's only one
last true mojo
left in the world.
Take it, Lightning.
Take it and go up there
and do your stuff.
I'm giving you
all the magic I got.
♪ ...what shall I do? ♪
♪ Then you can call...♪
Who's next up there?
Hm?
Who's coming on up?
Who's gonna get their head cut?
How about you, chicken boy?
♪ Oh, my Lord,
What shall I do? ♪
♪ What shall I do? ♪
Well, well, well.
Who sent you here?
Can't talk, little man?
Bet can't play none either.
[CORD BUZZES]
Uh-huh...
[PLAYS SQUEALING GUITAR NOTES]
[APPLAUSE]
[FEEDBACK]
[CHEERING]
WILLIE:
Now, don't be standing there
with that dumb look
on your face. Let's go.
I'm sick of this
down-home Mississippi.
Living up north made
a city boy out of me.
I hear Chicago calling.
B.B. King and
Johnny Shines saying:
"Where's the new kid in town?"
You ready for the Windy City?
Sure, I was born ready.
Let's go get them.
All right. Now, after I show you
Chicago, you're on your own.
- You understand?
- Wait. Why can't
I hang with you?
I mean, after Chicago,
we can move on to L.A.
That ain't the way
the song go.
You gotta move on
without me.
Take the music
someplace else.
Take it past
where you found it.
Because that's
what we did.
We got a deal?
All right.
- You know something, Lightning?
- What?
I'm tired of all this
walking and hitchhiking.
I wanna go to Chicago
in style.
I wanna fly
in an airplane.