Johnny Cash would have been 77 years old come next week, and I thought I might just remind everyone of John and June Carter Cash.
Johnny is rightly honored for his contributions to country music and culture, but I wanted to highlight how he was able to be a hero to otherwise mutually exclusive groups. People my age recall how Cash inspired the grunge bands of the early 90s, and people a bit older will remember the crossover country music of the 80s. Less well known is that Johnny was a fervent and committed Christian, whose gospel music appeals to many Americans that we Kossacks consider alien, and vice versa.
For me, it goes back even further.
My dad taught himself to play guitar during Viet Nam, when he was stuck in Khe Sanh for about 6 months....among the songs he learned was "Walk the Line"....
Some years later, he gave me that Vietnamese guitar and "Walk the Line" was the first song I learned. And so it is that perhaps the most significant connection I have to my parents is precisely Johnny Cash: for me, a progressive hero and brilliant artist; for them, a conservative hero and brilliant artist (they're a little confused about old Johnny's political leanings!)
Anyway, the point of this "diary" is just to provide a couple of pointers to some great stuff that many of you may have missed. June and Johnny represent my fondest vision of American culture, and I hope that maybe someone new will come to appreciate their legacy. It's probably also a good time to recall how bad our lives were 35 years ago during Viet Nam and Nixon, etc., since we're all reeling from the current recession...
This American Life did a story on June and Johnny after they'd both passed on, which I think is one of the most beautiful stories ever told--despite Sarah Vowell's uhhh, um, voice.
Sarah Vowell: Greatest Love Story Ever
Johnny's last video:
http://www.youtube.com/...