You saw it? I'm so jealous. That was March of '98. I was probably distracted by what was going on with bill clinton about that time. January '98 was when Matt Drudge broke the Monica story.
But I've READ about it!
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
March 9, 1998, Metro Edition
He was king of the country road
Noel Holston; Staff Writer
Very few country songwriters penned more hits than Roger Miller. Hank Williams and Willie Nelson come to mind, and that's about it. And for a match for Miller's sense of humor, you have to look farther afield, to lyricists such as Cole Porter and Randy Newman.
(snip - stuff about KOTR and Dang Me)
How in the world did a song so bleak and ironically remorseless ever get so high on the country charts, let alone cross over to the pop Top 40? Probably because it was sung with such rollicking mischief that the character's insincerity sailed right past most listeners.
(snip - blah, blah, blah)
Tuesday night he gets a sweet and deserved salute in "Roger Miller Remembered," a two-hour Nashville Network special. The guest lineup itself is a fair indication of what the country-music community thought of him: Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Kathy Mattea, Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Kenny Rogers, Dwight Yoakam, the Mavericks. So is the fact that they did the show for union scale.
Miller's son Dean, who made an acclaimed debut as a recording artist last year, said he would have been surprised only if the big names hadn't shown up. "I've always known my dad had a broad, far-reaching influence," he said by phone from Nashville. "I've never met anybody who didn't like him. He never acted like a big star. He was nice to people."
Dean's rendition of "Toy Trains," a charming Christmas song his dad wrote for him years ago, is one of 20 Miller originals performed in the TNN special. "I never do my dad's songs live," he said. "I think it's a mistake to try to imitate him. But for this special, I felt like it was a unique enough situation that I should sing a song of his, and I thought that would be the most appropriate one."
Other highlights include Nelson's performance of "When Two Worlds Collide" (a hit for Miller in 1961, Jim Reeves in 1969 and again for Jerry Lee Lewis in 1980); Lovett's game, grinning go at the tricky "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died," and the Mavericks' loping rendition of "Invitation to the Blues," featuring an encore verse by Ray Price, for whom it was a big hit in 1958.
Mask of humor
Between songs, there are clips of Miller performing on various TV shows, and reminiscences by family, friends and associates. Only one anecdote - the producer of "Big River" recalling how he had to lock Miller in his hotel room to get him to finish the delinquent libretto - hints of a darker side to Miller's personality.
"I'm not sure how many people knew that Roger," Kenny Rogers said by phone from his ranch in Georgia. "I think Roger's humor was his security blanket, and he used it so beautifully that whatever troubles he had, I don't think many of us were allowed in on."
What Rogers did see was a guy for whom amusing observations seemed as natural as breathing. "His mind worked in such strange ways," he said. "He told me once that he could tell he was gettin' older because he could still jump as high, he just couldn't stay up as long."
Mavericks bassist Robert Reynolds, who was 2 when "Dang Me" and "Chug-a-Lug" were huge crossover hits in 1964, represents another faction of Miller fans - those who literally grew up on his music.
"They seemed like funny little songs to me then," Reynolds said by phone from Nashville. "But now, as I've gotten older, I understand him a lot better and respect him wildly. There's this facade that's for children, but underneath there's all this adult content.
"It's deceiving stuff, because it comes off light and comedic, but his brilliance as a poet is still in there."
Reynolds said his delight in Miller's work "goes so far that, on the road when we're traveling, occasionally I'll bring out the Disney animated 'Robin Hood.' Roger's narration and the songs are real warming.
"No matter how glamorous the music business may seem, it's really not," he said. "Sometimes, you don't want to think about bills and taxes and things. It's almost like you want your mom there to fix you a grilled.
(snip)
His show was on every week. The Roger Miller Show. It was a very long time ago. Surely others remember it and can verify I didn't dream it.
I've looked and looked for something about his weekly tv show and can't find any mention of it. I hate to say I'm wrong about it as I can still see him walking on carrying his guitar and sitting on a stool to sing a song and start the show. This is going to bug me big-time until I figure it out. I must be wrong as the people writing about him would not have left out something that important in his career.
"His mind worked in such strange ways," he said. "He told me once that he could tell he was gettin' older because he could still jump as high, he just couldn't stay up as long."
- amazing quote by Kenny, that should have been in the book but he never expressed any interest in participating, so I didn't push it with him. I usually checked two, maybe three times max and then I just left them alone. I'll be seeing him in a few months so maybe I'll see if I can chat with him for the possible part two.