Cash

"Hey, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm certainly not the dumbest. I mean, I've read books like "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and "Love in the Time of Cholera", and I think I've understood them. They're about girls, right? Just kidding. But I have to say my all-time favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography "Cash" by Johnny Cash."
Rob Gordon - High Fidelity

There aren't too many books I have read twice. I like to read, but usually even my favorite books sit on the shelf after I finish them. For some reason, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to pick up one I had read before and start reading it again. It has been timely reading for me. Back in college, I picked up a copy of Cash when I going through my Johnny Cash phase. I call it a phase, but really it was just the time when I got American IV and the subsequently bought the rest of the American series and a greatest hits album or two.

I didn't know much about Johnny Cash other than that he was an old country singer that had seen a pretty big resurgence in popularity after recording a bunch of modern songs. I had heard the popular songs, and I knew he was a big character, but I pretty much lumped all old country together as my Dad's music. Other than an old Hank Williams tape I pilfered from him, I didn't really give it much of a chance. With the first chapter of Cash, I knew that I had been missing out. At the end of the first chapter, he lays out the things he is thankful for. Those few pages had me in tears not to mention convinced that I needed to know much more about the man.

I read through the rest of the book enjoying the anecdotes with the mix of bravado and humbleness that it was written with. There are stories that give you small peaks into the lives of so many other interesting characters. Roy Orbison, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis....the list goes on. Themes of love for family, pain, and redemption flow through the whole thing. I have always enjoyed autobiographies, but it would be hard for me to name one that has meant more to me. I'm just about through my second reading. Once I'm done, it will probably go back on my shelf for a couple of years, but I'm sure I'll make it back around to reading it again.

On another topic, for any friends in Dallas.....(an oddsmaker would probably put the over/under of people in Dallas that actually read this at 3 though I'd probably still pick the under if I had to bet.) On July 22nd, Bill Mallonee will be playing at the Bend Studio with Doug Burr opening. I'm certainly going to be there, and I'd love to have some other folks go with me. It should be well worth the cash. Let me know if you are interested in going.

Playlist:
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
Pas/Cal - Dear Sir
Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
The Twilight Sad - The Twilight Sad
Hem - Funnel Cloud
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too Rye Ay
Sleeping at Last - Keep No Score
Castanets - First Light's Freeze
A Northern Chorus - The Millions Too Many
16 Horsepower - Secret South