Today would have been Mr. Cash's 80th birthday. This Friday, I'll turn 28. Perhaps I'm a bit full-of-myself to compare Johnny Cash to myself. I'm certainly not a renowned musician nor do I offer respite to prisoners all over this country with whatever gift I may have. But I have long felt a connection to the man in black.
I was first exposed to him with the release of "Hurt" (video is below) a cover of the Nine Inch Nails original. With this song, Johnny awoke a whole new generation to his prophetic voice. Not since George Jones moaned "He Stopped Loving Her Today," had I FELT music like this. Cash famously refused make-up for the shooting of the video to expose his fragility and the result was both shocking and disarming. Here was the man, not the celebrity, not the recording artist, but simply a man hurt.
While I agree that we as a culture elevate celebrities to unfair heights, some deserve their place. Johnny was one of those deserving persons a man who was not famous solely for his talent but for his soul. His story, now immortalized in Walk the Line, portrays a gifted but troubled young man who finds a second chance with God in the love of June Carter. But his story, and all of ours, is far more complicated and diverse than hollywood's portrayal. At its heart, his story is yours and mine as well. Redemption wrapped in black. numerous second chances and undeserved love. Immense promise mingled with immense failure. Desperation meeting hope.
I will not attempt any biography here, only a salute: To the Man in Black, thank you for truly living.
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