Ah crap. Genuinely one of the good guys (he stuck up for Sinead O’Connor ffs), a songwriter of near genius on a good day, a decent actor, an ex marine and a witness to the recording of Blonde On Blonde.
Some people just live well. RIP.
RIP Kris Kristofferson
Rugby player.
Rhodes scholar.
Boxing Blue for Oxford.
Army helicopter pilot and Ranger – not a Marine.
I saw him in (I think) 2017, and I’m glad I did.
This is rather lovely.
What a life. I like this story (paraphrasing Wikipedia):
KK got a job sweeping floors at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, where he gave June Carter a tape of his songs, asking her to pass it on to Johnny Cash. She did, but Cash just stuck it on a pile of many others.
After several weeks of silence from the Man in Black, KK, who was then a pilot for an oil company, landed a helicopter in Cash’s front yard to get his attention.
“Upon hearing ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’, Cash decided to record it, and in 1970 Kristofferson won Songwriter of the Year for the song at the Country Music Association Awards.”
Well played, Kris. RIP.
I believe Rodney Crowell has confirmed that story as true.
RIP KK
Thanks for all the wonderful songs and your unforgettable live show
With Merle Haggard’s former backing band in Casllebar in the summer
of 2018
Off to see Elvis C and Steve N at Dublin’s Vicar Street tonight.
Given EC’s love of fine songwriting and country music, he’s bound to do a tribute.
Given that Ireland’s love of KK went into overdrive after the way he stuck up
for Sinead O’Connor at Bob Dylans 30th anniversary show at Madison Sq Gardens
all those years, his tribute is guaranteed a rapturous reception
Much as I love this alliterative masterpiece , it has always bugged me.
You don’t have dessert after breakfast.
Well, I woke up Sunday mornin’
With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad
So I had one more for dessert
Breakfast lasts all day…?
Limited number of alternatives there, JW
Elevenses…
lunch/brunch
Midday meal
Dinner*
* Working class people families in the UK had dinner in the middle of the day when I was growing up and may well still do so
Very rarely do you have beer for breakfast, and having a second doesn’t rhyme with hurt.
Well, yes, it was all about the rhyme.
The “hurt/dessert” couplet perfectly captures a dissolute lifestyle.
It also tees up the “cleanest dirty shirt” line that follows
He could have thrown up all over his cleanest dirty shirt.
Yes, Jaygee there is that- good point
Some people are making love to their tonic and gin.
(Moral: alcohol first thing in the morning not only isn’t good for you, it’s hell on rhyming couplets)
If he’d used another word instead of dessert on the 4th line, he’d have had to change the line that it rhymed with and that would be a shame.
Sad to see him go but he had a hell of a life and leaves a great legacy. He looked very frail in the Joni Mitchell tribute movie prompting dust all around me in the cinema, which seemed to be troubling everyone. Back in the day when a guitar came out on Friday night “The Pilgrim” was a favourite.
https://youtu.be/R_DQ4DHxIXo?si=pJGYtGHi3Cs2DNQT
When I think of Kris Kristofferson I think of one of my favourite films (and Scorsese’s best IMUO); Alice doesn’t live here anymore, where he played the love interest of Ellen Burstyn’s Alice.
Never quite took to his music.
I watched it once again yesterday Lo. It’s a lovely film and I agree about his music, not for me.
Kristofferson was also superb as the bad old sheriff Charlie Wade in John Sayles’s wonderful neo-Western “Lone Star” (1996).
In 1970, BBC Radio 1’s ‘Folk on One’ producer Frances Line made a number of half-hour shows for the station featuring bands and solo artists and named after them. Most of these acts were British folk and folk-rock people, but three US artists got the spot – one of them being Kris Kristofferson. This is the (slightly tired or hungover) Kristofferson show in full, off-air, which went out at 7pm on a Saturday night, 24 October 1970, minus a bit of talk where the reel of tape was turned over – just Kris talking and playing like he’s in your living room sharing a whisky or two. Magic stuff. During the same trip to Britain, he performed at the Isle of Wight Festival and appeared on BBC TV’s ‘Disco 2’.
1. Bobby McGee
2. To Beat the Devil
3. Jody & the Kid
4. Help Me Make It
5. The Pilgrim
6. Darby’s Castle
7. Sunday Morning
8. Casey’s Last Ride
Brilliant thanks Colin.
On a reel I inherited – maybe the only copy there is. I’ll get it professionally transferred and mastered soon. That’s my one-channel home transfer – but there’s magic in there, isn’t there?
Not listened yet, on the list for tomorrow.
This is my introduction to him via my Dad’s Perry Como album when I was about ten. It’s a helluva song.
I listened a lot yesterday for the first time in a while and was struck by the same thought as before. A brilliant songwriter with a poor, uninteresting singing voice which makes him hard to take in large doses for me. Which is odd because his speaking voice was great. But clearly a very fine person and a life well lived.
File with Jimmy Webb; brilliant writer, hopeless vocalist. You want both to be better but they aren’t.
Yep. I’m usually pretty tolerant of vocal delivery but sometimes I just can’t however hard I try.
That’s a bit harsh. He gives hope to all of us hopeless vocalists.
I disagree a bit, I think. Not technically the best vocalist, but he inhabits his songs wonderfully.
A Star Is Dead
Too soon.
Or too late.
I only mention it because he was in A Star Is Born
I came across this comment in a biography. I reckon it would be a fitting tribute if something were now done about this proposal. “An aspiring writer, Kristofferson earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University (Merton College, Oxford) after previously attending Pomona College. Students of Merton College later voted that the college should erect a statue of Kristofferson, naked astride a motorcycle of his choice, in Front Quad but funds were never made available. “
KK, what a guy!
I only saw him live once, in 2010, in Glasgow. He was flying solo and, apparently, quite nervous about performing without his band. Great gig. His support that night was Roddy Hart who became a good friend and who supported KK on many gigs afterwards. Roddy Hart has a radio show on BBC Radio Scotland tonight and this week’s show, from 10pm, will be including lots of KK stuff. Also on Radio Scotland just now is Ricky Ross with his country show which includes a recording of his chat with KK for some years ago (8pm till 10pm). Get it on catchup