Okay... I Give In... Johnny Cash Was Okay... I Guess...
Okay... I Give In... Johnny Cash Was Okay... I Guess...
Yeah, I'm one of apparently, like, six people on earth that didn't think that Johnny Cash was all that important a figure in music... in fact, I always looked at him as pretty much what he was... a cranked-up speedfreak, maniacal drunk that sang gospel music to try to atone for his sins (well, at least from the '60s to the '80s, that was pretty much his thing)... but he did some good, I guess... if you think that telling Elvis to wear skintight pants and shake his weiner at girls "good" (obviously because he was too ugly to get away with it, himself)...
I also happen to think that producer Rick Rubin is a bit of a choad (considering what he tried to do with the Black Crowes)... so it was probably proper that he produce the "American" series of records for Cash (where he proceed to talk Johnny into doing some weird covers that were, well, whatever - that video for "Hurt" was just a bit sad more than anything... it always tended to kill my appetite), and proceed to fuck up what could have been a pretty decent "send-off album" by putting people like Glenn Frey and Fiona Apple (what the fuck? Somebody give that waif a burger) on it... I'm surprised he didn't try to get Johnny to rap at some point...
When little 18 year-old girls started running around my university campus in '96, talking about how cool Johnny Cash was (thanks to the Soundgarden cover, "Rusty Cage," it seems), well, besides wanting to smack the snot out of these little trendy things and their pillhead boyfriends, it just reminded me of how much people are tagalong sheep and will latch on to anything that Mtv, Rolling Stone or Spin says is "cool." If you asked them to name another Johnny Cash song, chances are they wouldn't have a clue, besides maybe the ones that you would see on one of those country music collection CD commercials that packaged him alongside other legends like Boxcar Willie and Slim Whitman...
Yeah it's sad that he's gone... His life with his wife June was probably the most interesting part of his life beyond the music, and when she passed away, it was only a matter of time (as is the case in many long relationships)... In that sense, I felt really sad for him, because it was obvious that he really cared for her (despite the things he did that put their marriage in a state of turmoil for many years)...
But in the end, Johnny Cash contributed stuff to the music world that I guess we can't do without... Songs like "Delia's Gone," that chronicles a woman that cheats on "him," so he kills her (sweet, huh?)... but, well, besides that... he made it cool to be bad, I guess... which is totally okay by me...
Shit, I almost forgot... I wear black clothing... not as much as I did when I was, like, 16, when neon pink was all the rage (just ask Paul Stanley)... but still... I guess Johnny Cash made it cool for me to wear black in the first place... So, here's to you, Johnny. My old wardrobe thanks you for what you gave me... ;)
Yeah, flame away... See if I give a flying fuck...
Listening to: The Cult - "The Cult" (1994)
Yeah, I'm one of apparently, like, six people on earth that didn't think that Johnny Cash was all that important a figure in music... in fact, I always looked at him as pretty much what he was... a cranked-up speedfreak, maniacal drunk that sang gospel music to try to atone for his sins (well, at least from the '60s to the '80s, that was pretty much his thing)... but he did some good, I guess... if you think that telling Elvis to wear skintight pants and shake his weiner at girls "good" (obviously because he was too ugly to get away with it, himself)...
I also happen to think that producer Rick Rubin is a bit of a choad (considering what he tried to do with the Black Crowes)... so it was probably proper that he produce the "American" series of records for Cash (where he proceed to talk Johnny into doing some weird covers that were, well, whatever - that video for "Hurt" was just a bit sad more than anything... it always tended to kill my appetite), and proceed to fuck up what could have been a pretty decent "send-off album" by putting people like Glenn Frey and Fiona Apple (what the fuck? Somebody give that waif a burger) on it... I'm surprised he didn't try to get Johnny to rap at some point...
When little 18 year-old girls started running around my university campus in '96, talking about how cool Johnny Cash was (thanks to the Soundgarden cover, "Rusty Cage," it seems), well, besides wanting to smack the snot out of these little trendy things and their pillhead boyfriends, it just reminded me of how much people are tagalong sheep and will latch on to anything that Mtv, Rolling Stone or Spin says is "cool." If you asked them to name another Johnny Cash song, chances are they wouldn't have a clue, besides maybe the ones that you would see on one of those country music collection CD commercials that packaged him alongside other legends like Boxcar Willie and Slim Whitman...
Yeah it's sad that he's gone... His life with his wife June was probably the most interesting part of his life beyond the music, and when she passed away, it was only a matter of time (as is the case in many long relationships)... In that sense, I felt really sad for him, because it was obvious that he really cared for her (despite the things he did that put their marriage in a state of turmoil for many years)...
But in the end, Johnny Cash contributed stuff to the music world that I guess we can't do without... Songs like "Delia's Gone," that chronicles a woman that cheats on "him," so he kills her (sweet, huh?)... but, well, besides that... he made it cool to be bad, I guess... which is totally okay by me...
Shit, I almost forgot... I wear black clothing... not as much as I did when I was, like, 16, when neon pink was all the rage (just ask Paul Stanley)... but still... I guess Johnny Cash made it cool for me to wear black in the first place... So, here's to you, Johnny. My old wardrobe thanks you for what you gave me... ;)
Yeah, flame away... See if I give a flying fuck...
Listening to: The Cult - "The Cult" (1994)
posted by TONY at 10/14/2003 02:57:00 PM
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