"This music has been around since before the beard on Moses. I happed to do it very well and I happen to have a lot of groovy songs that I know people are going to dig. I know more about it than you do"
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Thorogood comes in with a beer-breath bravado that knows exactly how funny it sounds. “Before the beard on Moses” is a tall tale on purpose: he’s placing blues and boogie so far back in time it turns into mythology, then using that myth as his credibility. The line isn’t about historical accuracy; it’s about inheritance. This music predates trends, gatekeepers, and whatever new genre label a critic wants to slap on it. By exaggerating the timeline, he’s saying: you don’t get to declare this obsolete.
The swagger pivots into a kind of blue-collar meritocracy. “I happen to do it very well” is humble phrasing used as a blunt instrument. He’s not claiming to be a visionary; he’s claiming to be a killer craftsman, the guy who can take old forms and make them hit in a bar, in a car, on the radio. “Groovy songs” and “dig” signal that he’s selling pleasure, not theory. Thorogood’s whole persona is about making tradition feel immediate and slightly dangerous, like a familiar riff with a fresh bruise on it.
“I know more about it than you do” is the shot across the bow. It’s aimed at critics and tastemakers who treat blues-derived rock as cosplay or nostalgia. The subtext: don’t confuse simplicity with ignorance. He’s defending a lineage while insisting on his own authority within it, claiming expertise earned not in seminars but on stages where the only credential is whether the room moves.
The swagger pivots into a kind of blue-collar meritocracy. “I happen to do it very well” is humble phrasing used as a blunt instrument. He’s not claiming to be a visionary; he’s claiming to be a killer craftsman, the guy who can take old forms and make them hit in a bar, in a car, on the radio. “Groovy songs” and “dig” signal that he’s selling pleasure, not theory. Thorogood’s whole persona is about making tradition feel immediate and slightly dangerous, like a familiar riff with a fresh bruise on it.
“I know more about it than you do” is the shot across the bow. It’s aimed at critics and tastemakers who treat blues-derived rock as cosplay or nostalgia. The subtext: don’t confuse simplicity with ignorance. He’s defending a lineage while insisting on his own authority within it, claiming expertise earned not in seminars but on stages where the only credential is whether the room moves.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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