One of those weekends that felt both very long and very short. I actually started this post on Monday morning and suddenly it's already late Tuesday night ... how did that happen?
Spent much of the last few days listening to Johnny Cash records and catching bits and pieces of a CMT documentary. Damn if it just doesn't make me very very sad - even though it was not surprising.
Now, I'm not even going to try and be cool and say that I was into Johnny Cash before being into Johnny Cash was cool. Because I wasn't. My intro to the Man in Black came circa 1994 with the first American recordings album. And even then it took me awhile to be taken in by his low-down dirty charms.

Honestly, I think the real defining moment for my love for Johnny Cash came in 1998 when I saw that infamous Billboard ad (see below) and thought man, that is one bad-ass motherfucker.

And he was a bad-ass. But he was also, by all accounts, an incredibly kind-hearted man...that's something that came through whenever one saw him with his wife June Carter Cash or in the company of other friends and family.
Over the last few years as I've enjoyed each new American release, I've also been going back and discovering a lifetime's worth of great recordings. Just listen to some of Johnny's live albums and you'll discover his great wry wit and earthiness.


I was also a big John Ritter fan. I'm not ashamed to say that growing up in the '70s, I had a huge crush on Jack Tripper and even though my mother would have preferred that I didn't watch "Three's Company"--because she thought it was too racy--I never missed an episode.

Today, I found a good interview with Joyce Dewitt via CNN and earlier tonight I watched ABC's tribute to the late comedian. Even with the at-times heavy-handed sentimentality (mostly on the part of Diane Sawyer), it was still a nice way to remember to Ritter. And, I swear to God, as they showed clips from "Three's Company", I realized I have probably seen every episode of that show twice....

OK, just now as I was writing this I was also watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and they just name-checked Jack Tripper and the Regal Beagle on an episode that was obviously taped months ago. Somewhere, I'm sure, John Ritter's having a good laugh.