Two-Headed Doctor - Listening For Ghosts in Dr. John's Gris-Gris - David Toop

 

Since we were taking a trip to New Orleans, I picked up this book to take with me, although I didn't have much chance to read it while I was there. Regardless, I have been a fan of Dr. John ever since his hit "Right Place, Wrong Time" and I thoroughly enjoyed his autobiography so I took a chance to see what this tome was about.

Turns out that Toop is a British writer who became enthralled by the good doctor's debut album when it first came out (bought as an expensive import) and it never left him so he finally decided to write about it, its origins and its mythos. So while he does give some history of Mac Rebennack, he also delves into the history of music'n'culture in New Orleans, along with the hoodoo/voodoo influences of the album's lyrics and even a bit on the original - possibly mythological but most likely based on a real person - Dr. John from the 1800's, who Mac claimed to have some ancestral relationship to.

At times, Toop goes a little too far down a certain rabbit hole, as in a lengthy dissertation on the Tamborine, but most of the time he keeps it interesting and ties everything into the record. Some bits get a little dry, and, as I said, he gets a bit off-subject by detailing a bit more than needed on particular subjects, but there's a lot of cool information, as well.

More analytical than rock'n'roll, but interesting, nonetheless. Not for the casual fan, though!