# Would you rather spend an evening with Henry Darger or Robert Johnson? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 30, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234 "2018-09-30T22:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/1 "2018-09-30T22:40:28Z")
Myself, I’d go for [Johnson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson). Unless the crossroads demons thing was real, in which case I’d go for [Darger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Darger). ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/2 "2018-09-30T23:23:15Z")
Johnson. I have no particular reason to think that he would come across as anything more than just some dude that’s into music, but it would be “some dude” from a hundred years ago, under Jim Crow. I’m sure that talking to him would provide some interesting insights into what that means. Darger, I suspect, would just come across as weird and creepy. I feel like an evening with him would be mostly awkward. ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/3 "2018-09-30T23:30:24Z")
I want to play Johnson’s guitar, I herd the devil is one hell of a tech. Legend says the devil tuned his guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2018, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/4 "2018-09-30T23:52:32Z")
FWIW, of the two Robert Johnson is (so far) the only one to have [a manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_the_Devil_Blues_(manga)) based on him. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/5 "2018-10-01T00:27:01Z")
Henry Darger’s art gives me nightmares, especially the “strangling little girls” parts. So I’d pick Johnson, unless he was possessed by the Devil, in which case I would say “neither” and sit up all night with the covers pulled tight. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/6 "2018-10-01T01:34:02Z")
I am unfamiliar with Johnson aside from some of his music and the legend surrounding him. I have, however, read about Darger, and from what I know, he was weird but harmless. So, I’d go with Darger, since it’s less of a crapshoot - I know what to expect, so I’d at least be prepared for Darger’s oddities. Johnson I have no idea what I’d be letting myself in for. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/7 "2018-10-01T02:06:02Z")
Darger is a terrifying loony. I went to his first major show at the American Museum of Folk Art in NYC in 1991 (?) because the NYT had printed pictures of his pretty stuff, like little girls with big butterfly wings. His “men in uniforms and suits strangling little girls” images scarred me for years. Johnson would be a safer choice. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/8 "2018-10-01T02:16:09Z")
You do you, but I’d really rather deal with Darger’s saviour syndrome than take the chance with someone I know absolutely nothing about. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/9 "2018-10-01T04:04:10Z")
Johnson, no question. His music is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/10 "2018-10-01T04:53:10Z")
Johnson. And I want to hear him play guitar. Even better, I would give him an electric guitar to play for the first time ever and see how that works out! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/11 "2018-10-01T05:34:45Z")
I’m pretty sure I could learn something about art from either, and I’m also pretty sure an entire evening with either might well freak me right the fuck out if we got on the right subject. So, I’m going to with the one who’d be more of a party, and pick Johnson. Sorry, Henry! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/12 "2018-10-01T11:21:53Z")
I’d set up some chairs, a table, and a cooler down at the crossroads and spend some time with Mr Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/13 "2018-10-01T16:57:35Z")
My kids aren’t quite old enough to watch yet, but I’ve seen enough commercials on Nickelodeon to be confident that five minutes of Henry Danger would drive me insane. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-spend-an-evening-with-henry-darger-or-robert-johnson/822234/14 "2018-10-01T17:56:03Z")
As someone in the Ellison/Sinatra thread said, I’d pick Darger so I could ask him who he was.