There was a time when I was spending too much of my paycheck on Kris Krsitofferson albums. Never the greatest vocalist, but a helluva a songwriter, and frankly, his voice worked for his songs.
This has always been one of my favorites:
And at the time I viewed this one with suspicion; country artists are, or were, expected to record a religious track from time to time, but that never seemed like Kris's style.
And then there I was Saturday, with an earworm of "Why Me Lord?" Coincidence, I'm sure.
Not gonna lie, I am happy that the young man survived, and it sounds like the choir boys he took down deserved it and will only be missed by those with twisted taste in friends or causes, but that doesn't mean I am celebrating.
Joe's got other links, too, including a statement by the lawyer representing the young shooter.
You know, if even the New York Times admits that the video of events shows that these were legit self-defense shootings, you gotta wonder why he was so heavily charged... well, no, actually, it doesn't.
Meanwhile, in comments to this post at Old NFO's blog...
...Not to mention some co-workers who should know better...
Not illegal for a 17 year old to "possess" an AR15 in either WI or IL.
And if his mom drove him to Kenosha, it was for his job as a lifeguard. He stuck around when he got off duty to help clean up graffiti. He only geared up later when things started to get sporty again -- and gave one or two interviews, in which he emphasized his trauma kit over the rifle.
LawDog also has a few thoughts, here, and shares another video here.
UPDATE: The original video was banned by YouTube for terms of service violation,
Heck of a song for a Sunday, but you don't choose the earworm, the earworm chooses you. Ditto for the day and time.
I was quite the Kristofferson fan 'way back when. Had all his albums. I liked his writing, and while his singing voice was never the best it was good enough if the tune and the lyrics were right.
EDIT TO ADD: I was going to add something about him having been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Glad I didn't, because apparently that was incorrect, what he really has is Lyme Disease, and related memory loss. (A Kris Kristofferson concert that felt like a goodbye | Astro Awani)
What did Kris Kristofferson know, and when did he know it?
The Year 2000 Minus 25:
I'd say he was about 40 years ahead of his time, but I was a Big Fan back in High School, which did nothing to dispel any rumors that that Drang kid is weird...
Left work today feeling drained. Too many early, early mornings, too many long, hot days, too little appreciation. Whatever.
Decided I didn't want to listen to Sibelius' 5th, or whatever it was (KING-FM is the only radio station I listen to routinely in the car, almost all music, no mindless chatter) so I fumbled through my short in-car CD collection, and selected the "Country and Cowboys" mix CD I put together.
Within three or four songs I felt better. I mean, who can listen to Marty Robbins singing "Kawliga" without singing along, not mention singing along without feeling better, well, they need to head to the range with a few boxes of therapy... Here's Hank (senior) singing his song:
(The video has nothing to do with the song, but what the heck?)
Then there's Hoyt Axton's Bony Fingers. (Link is to audio track on Rhapsody.) My father says this is/was the unofficial song of the police department before he retired. I've suggested it ought to be where I work, too, but few seem to have heard of it. Darn kids... (This blog was almost called Flash of Fire after another Hoyt Axton piece, but Mrs. Drang pointed out that the refrain, including the lyrics "I'm goin' to Heaven in a Flash of Fire with or without you" sounded like a threat of self-immolation.)
It started out as a disk of random, favorite C&W songs, but after it was burned there was a long section, bracketed by Toby Kieth's "Should Been A Cowboy" and Waylon Jenning's "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys", and including several Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads, so now I call it "Country and Cowboys."
