Hello. I'm Johnny Cash.
I went to see Walk the Line again this past Friday. Kevin went, too. A date! An actual date with my husband! Somehow, even after 6 1/2 years, we have so much fun together.
It's such a great movie--just as good the second time around--and Kevin's reaction to it was amazing. I've never seen him react so strongly to a movie or even a piece of music. When Joaquin Phoenix self-consciously shuffles down a German street in his ill-fitting Air Force uniform, I thought I heard a slight laugh from Kevin. It turns out that he had let out a little sob. When I looked over at him, he leaned in and said "I miss Johnny Cash."
Success! He was buying it! I was afraid that he would somehow (I'm not quite sure how) reject Joaquin as Johnny and hate the whole movie as a result. When you make movies about people, about books, about baseball, about any noun that has rabid Fans, you tread on thin ice, my friend. Imagine the worldwide explosion of nerd protest if Lord of the Rings had sucked! It might have been on par with what happened to George Lucas for grotesquely marring Star Wars.
But I digress. Some jackass producer could have insisted that Freddie Prinze Jr. play Johnny, but that didn't happen, and a long national nightmare was preempted. Joaquin played him and, when he found his voice in Sun Studios (ask Kevin for the exact address--he knows it) singing "Folsom Prison Blues", Kevin started crying, I started crying, and I was reminded once again of one of the many reasons why I love Kevin. You've got to love a guy who loves music THAT MUCH.
I think I've written before how I've only seen Kevin cry a few times--well, no more times than you'd need two hands to count. At our wedding, at Stevie's birth, once when he was particularly proud of his dad for taking a public stand, maybe a couple of miscellaneous times. . . . But you never know when something about a musician is going to open the floodgates. I read aloud a newspaper article about Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar--it was being auctioned or wasn't being auctioned or something, can't remember. I looked at Kevin and he was crying. And then I teared up, too, thinking of the loss.
My old boyfriend lived with a SERIOUS Deadhead in Colorado. When Jerry Garcia died, it was devastating to the Deadhead. I can understand that. Many of our favorite musicians are aging badly, thanks in part to habits that tend to cut lives a bit short. It's impossible to overlook the impact they've had on our lives--all the great songs and concerts--a lot of memories are tied to the work of musicians. And, if they're truly GREAT musicians, it's impossible to overlook their importance to music in general, and their impact--and the devastation at their death--grows.
In the spirit of Kevin's and my Top Ten lists, I'm going to compile of list of the Musician Deaths that Kevin is Most Dreading (Among Musicians of a Certain Age). This is not easy, and I might be wrong. I'll let y'all know how I did after I show this to Kevin tonight. Here's my attempt (in no particular order):
Willie Nelson--it will be a dark, DARK day
Neil Young--another bad one
Keith Richards--ew--really bad
B.B. King
Buddy Guy
Duane Allman
David Bowie
Pete Townshend
Mark Knopfler
Aretha Franklin
Dave Alvin
Oh, there are more, I know it! This is too hard.
Here are a few people that would be on my list but not necessarily Kevin's:
Van Morrison--and I'll cry, cry, cry
Pete Townshend--and cry some more
Lou Reed--and totally break down, devastated
George Clinton
Elton John
Do YOU have a list?
It's such a great movie--just as good the second time around--and Kevin's reaction to it was amazing. I've never seen him react so strongly to a movie or even a piece of music. When Joaquin Phoenix self-consciously shuffles down a German street in his ill-fitting Air Force uniform, I thought I heard a slight laugh from Kevin. It turns out that he had let out a little sob. When I looked over at him, he leaned in and said "I miss Johnny Cash."
Success! He was buying it! I was afraid that he would somehow (I'm not quite sure how) reject Joaquin as Johnny and hate the whole movie as a result. When you make movies about people, about books, about baseball, about any noun that has rabid Fans, you tread on thin ice, my friend. Imagine the worldwide explosion of nerd protest if Lord of the Rings had sucked! It might have been on par with what happened to George Lucas for grotesquely marring Star Wars.
But I digress. Some jackass producer could have insisted that Freddie Prinze Jr. play Johnny, but that didn't happen, and a long national nightmare was preempted. Joaquin played him and, when he found his voice in Sun Studios (ask Kevin for the exact address--he knows it) singing "Folsom Prison Blues", Kevin started crying, I started crying, and I was reminded once again of one of the many reasons why I love Kevin. You've got to love a guy who loves music THAT MUCH.
I think I've written before how I've only seen Kevin cry a few times--well, no more times than you'd need two hands to count. At our wedding, at Stevie's birth, once when he was particularly proud of his dad for taking a public stand, maybe a couple of miscellaneous times. . . . But you never know when something about a musician is going to open the floodgates. I read aloud a newspaper article about Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar--it was being auctioned or wasn't being auctioned or something, can't remember. I looked at Kevin and he was crying. And then I teared up, too, thinking of the loss.
My old boyfriend lived with a SERIOUS Deadhead in Colorado. When Jerry Garcia died, it was devastating to the Deadhead. I can understand that. Many of our favorite musicians are aging badly, thanks in part to habits that tend to cut lives a bit short. It's impossible to overlook the impact they've had on our lives--all the great songs and concerts--a lot of memories are tied to the work of musicians. And, if they're truly GREAT musicians, it's impossible to overlook their importance to music in general, and their impact--and the devastation at their death--grows.
In the spirit of Kevin's and my Top Ten lists, I'm going to compile of list of the Musician Deaths that Kevin is Most Dreading (Among Musicians of a Certain Age). This is not easy, and I might be wrong. I'll let y'all know how I did after I show this to Kevin tonight. Here's my attempt (in no particular order):
Willie Nelson--it will be a dark, DARK day
Neil Young--another bad one
Keith Richards--ew--really bad
B.B. King
Buddy Guy
Duane Allman
David Bowie
Pete Townshend
Mark Knopfler
Aretha Franklin
Dave Alvin
Oh, there are more, I know it! This is too hard.
Here are a few people that would be on my list but not necessarily Kevin's:
Van Morrison--and I'll cry, cry, cry
Pete Townshend--and cry some more
Lou Reed--and totally break down, devastated
George Clinton
Elton John
Do YOU have a list?
posted by lulu | 5:24 AM
5 Comments:
Thank you, Jason, whoever you are! Good luck to you and yours.
You reminded me of something. We settled on "Mark Twain" a long time ago for this baby. But that didn't stop Kevin from leaning over during Walk the Line and saying "You know, we could name him Johnny Cash."
DUH!!! I forgot the #1 guy on Kev's list!!!
Bob Dylan.
(Thanks to Mr. Golly for the oversightedness looking.)
Ms. McClary assigns the weirdest homework. But okay, if I have to pick, the ones I will (future) or did (past) have trouble with are:
John Lennon
Marvin Gaye
Keith Moon
Frank Zappa
Bonnie Raitt
Zimmerman
Joan Baez
Arlo Guthrie
Let's get Hank Hill's personal reaction to that fateful day 25 years ago in front of the Dakota Building.
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article331666.ece
Just a belated note to say that we miss you here in the land of books, miss you in the land of blog, but realize that you have more important business to attend to. Say hello to Mark for me. And thanks for the truly lovely Nepalese card. Namaste!
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