Rosanne Cash: Don't speak for Johnny

UPI ^ | Published: Aug. 19, 2008 at 7:42 PM | no byline

[weegee]

NASHVILLE, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Singer-songwriter Roseanne Cash says she's "appalled" by others invoking the name of her father, music legend Johnny Cash, to "further their own agendas."

Writing on her Web site, Roseanne Cash, a Grammy winner with 11 No. 1 country music singles since 1979, took exception to unnamed people appropriating the memory of her father, who died five years ago. While not singling out anyone in the post, the message came only days after country music superstar John Rich said Johnny Cash would have supported likely Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain, The Nashville Tennessean said.

Rich, appearing at recent rally for McCain, reportedly said, "Somebody's got to walk the line in the country. They've got to walk it unapologetically. And I'm sure Johnny Cash would have been a John McCain supporter if he was still around."

Roseanne Cash wrote, "It is appalling to me that people still want to invoke my father's name, five years after his death, to ascribe beliefs, ideals, values and loyalties to him that cannot possibly be determined, and to try to further their own agendas by doing so.

"This is especially dangerous in the case of political affiliation. It is unfair and presumptuous to use him to bolster any platform."

[Maverick68]

I like Rich, but I agree. Don’t try to speak for the dead.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Roseanne is exactly right here.

[businessprofessor]

I like Rich, but I agree. Don’t try to speak for the dead.

If the rats can vote for them, why can't we speak for them?

[TexasNative2000]

J. R. Cash was not a man for whom you could speak.

Dumb move on someone's part.

[weegee]

Rock and Roll PING!

http://rosannecash.com/indexee.php/site/blog/C28/

Rolling Stoned’s toke, er take...
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/08/19/rosanne-cash-tells-john-rich-johnny-cash-would-not-necessarily-have-supported-john-mccain/

Interesting enough, Jann Wenner’s Rolling Stoned MAKES THE SAME FAUX PAS!!! They claim with NO DIRECT QUOTE that Johnny Cash would NOT have supported McCain (headline: “Would Johnny Cash Support John McCain? Rosanne Cash Says No”)

In HER OWN words: “even I would not presume to say publicly what I ‘know’ he thought or felt. This is especially dangerous in the case of political affiliation.”

Time-Lies-Warner is in the tank for Obama.

[OKIEDOC]

Johnny Cash claimed to be a Christian and as such would not approved of a Murderer In Chief in one Obama.

Roseanne needs to put down the bong of indignity that someone would think that a good man would vote Republican.

[Tax-chick]

I agree. That was not good manners.

[dmz]

Johnny Cash claimed to be a Christian and as such would not approved of a Murderer In Chief in one Obama. Roseanne needs to put down the bong of indignity that someone would think that a good man would vote Republican.

Yea, goodness knows that you know Roseanne's father a lot better than she did.

[Liberty Valance]

I agree with Roseanne Cash as well. Johnny Cash was an independent thinker.

[weegee]

There once was a musical troupe,
A pickin’, singin’, folk group.
They sang the mountain ballads,
And the folk songs of our land.
They were long on musical ability,
Folks thought they would go far
But political incompatibility,
Led to their downfall.

Well, the one on the right was on the Left.
And the one in the middle was on the Right.
And the one on the left was in the middle.
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist.

This musical aggregation,
Toured the entire nation.
Singing traditional ballads,
And the folk songs of our land.
They performed with great virtuosity,
And soon they were the rage.
But political animosity,
Prevailed upon the stage,

Well, the one on the right was on the Left.
And the one in the middle was on the Right.
And the one on the left was in the middle.
And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license.

Well, the curtain had ascended,
A hush fell on the crowd.
As thousands there were gathered,
To hear the folk songs of our land.
But they took their politics seriously,
And that night at the concert hall,
As the audience watched deliriously,
They had a free-for-all.

Well, the one on the right was on the bottom.
And the one in the middle was on the top.
And the one on the left got a broken arm.
And the guy on his rear said, “Oh, dear.”

Now this should be a lesson,
If you plan to start a folk group.
Don't go mixin’ politics,
With the folk songs of our land.
Just work on harmony and diction,
Play your banjo well.
And if you have political convictions,
KEEP 'EM TO YOURSELF!

Now, the one on the left works in a bank.
And the one in the middle drives a truck.
The one on the right’s an all-night deejay.
And the guy in the rear got drafted.

THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS ON THE LEFT
Written by: Jack Clement
Performed by: Johnny Cash
Appears on: Everybody Love a Nut-1966, 20 Foot-Tappin' Greats-1978, Hello, I'm Johnny Cash-1992, The Essential Johnny Cash-2002, Bigger Than Life Collection-2005

[Publius804]

Have you read Roseanne Cash’s blog..she is a big leftist.

Here is a sample:

“I cannot pretend to KNOW the mind of God, or even if there IS a God. There are ‘holy’ books in this world – the Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Torah– all written by people. No, let me be more specific: all written by MEN, who comprise only half of the total genders in the world. Doesn’t this all seem just a little…. provincial, if nothing else?” (http://rosannecash.com/indexee.php/site/blog/84/)

I’m not surprised she reacted the way she did. Whether Johnny Cash would have supported McCain or not, he is not here to tell us.

[stainlessbanner]

you see this one?

[weegee]

I don't know if I'd call Johnny Cash an "independent thinker". He was a religious man of faith even if he didn't always live up to the standard he sought.

Also he didn't seem to ascribe to the publicly held Communist views of Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger either.

[Liberty Valance]

LOL! I remember that well.
Thanks for posting weegee ;o)

[MarkL]

Unfortunately, the vast majority of dead people all vote democrat.

Mark

[weegee]

Johnny wouldn't hold to her view. He was singing Christian songs on tv going back to the Townhall Party days in 1958:

"It Was Jesus"

Live at Town Hall Party 1958

And again in 1959 with "I Was There When It Happened"

Live at Town Hall Party 1959

[pgkdan]

She has a point.

[jtal]

I love Johnny Cash, but who gives a flip whom he would / would not vote for?

I’ll never understand the tendency to “invest” wisdom (political or otherwise) into our entertainers.

[Publius804]

Yes but think about the lyrics to “Man in Black” - you can hardly classify those in once camp or another. I think it is difficult to say where Johnny Cash would stand.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Reminds me of the Democratic primary debate when Boston Congressman/Politcal Hack Joe Moakly died and they held a special election.

About 10 hacks were aspiring for promotion and during the debate scarce was the question whose answer did not begin, “If Joe Moakly were here he’d say....” Remarkably, Representative Moakly, deceased, late of Boston, invariably agreed with the pet notions of the speaker.

[weegee]

I wish she’d spoken out against the Hollywood music video that had every no talent pop celeb wandering through Johnny Cash’s “last” music video, God’s Gonna Cut You Down.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/11/09/johnny-cash-video-features-lots-of-famous-humans-is-just-okay/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God’s_Gonna_Cut_You_Down

A music video, directed by Tony Kaye (director), was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, including:

Iggy Pop
Kanye West
Chris Martin
Kris Kristofferson
Patti Smith
Terrence Howard
Flea
Q-Tip
Adam Levine
Chris Rock
Justin Timberlake
Kate Moss
Sir Peter Blake
Sheryl Crow
Dennis Hopper
Woody Harrelson
Amy Lee
Tommy Lee
the Dixie Chicks
Mick Jones
Sharon Stone
Bono
Shelby Lynne
Anthony Kiedis
Travis Barker
Lisa Marie Presley
Kid Rock
Jay-Z
Keith Richards
Billy Gibbons
Corinne Bailey Rae
Johnny Depp
Graham Nash
Brian Wilson
Rick Rubin
Whoopi Goldberg
Owen Wilson

It also briefly features archive footage of Cash himself. The video was shot entirely in black and white.

[Revolting cat!]

Well, since he shot a man in Reno, he couldn’t vote anyways!

[Revolting cat!]

How would Bobby Fuller vote?

[gitmogrunt]

Roseanne Cash stage divin’ for the dust bin with Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, and Toby Keith.

[weegee]

It was Sam Phillips of Sun Records who told Johnny to do some sinning and start living a life that was worth a damn to write about.

I think he made the comment on that documentary that was made about Sam Phillips and Sun Records a few years back.

[weegee]

Sounds like Johnny would cling to guns AND religion.

[Joe 6-pack]

I agree...it's wrong to invoke the name of a dead person on behalf of an ideological agenda.

Just ask Ira Hayes.

[Publius804]

The stanzas I am thinking about are:

” I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been, Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.”

“And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen’ that the Lord was on their side,”

My point is that who knows how Johnny would have voted, and to let the man rest in peace. Thankfully for him these are no longer his problems. He is with June in a much better place.

[Coldwater Creek]

If there was ever anyone that knew about sinning, it was Sam Phillips and his bunch!

[Liberty Valance]

Powerful post Publius.

[Ghengis]

Johnny Cash made a few comments that would lead me to believe that he believed to quite a few FDR New Deal philosophies. Like many in his generation.

What I care about is that, to the end, he searched for the truth and sought to do what was right. I think that he was successful in much of his search and efforts. I respect the man and hope that I do as much to be respected when I am gone.

Something to consider when we think about the class of Johnny Cash versus other entertainers' venom spewed daily:

When asked what he thought about President George W. Bush, early in the President's first term, Johnny Cash replied, "I didn't vote for the man. Let's leave it at that."

He expressed his reservations, but he did not attack the man or attempt to undermine his work. If only those that walk in his shadow were just as classy.

[Ghengis]

Oops! Bad edit!

I meant to type, Johnny Cash made a few comments that would lead me to believe that he believed in quite a few FDR New Deal philosophies. Like many in his generation.

[Tax-chick]

I’m glad I never heard of that. I’d rather think of him in the video to “Rusty Cage.”

[wardaddy]

wifey told me about this yesterday....

Rosanne runs with the looney left singer songwriter gang here

Rodney Crowell (neighbor) and Hal Ketchum are like the big dogs in that bunch

they call their circle jerk the Americana Music Awards....at the Ryman

[wardaddy]

the LEFT here in Nashville has adopted Johnny as their diety.

Sad.

I prefer a WAYLON bumpersticker. No ambiguity there hoss!

[Tax-chick]

Rodney Crowell’s a good performer and songwriter. Too bad if he’s also a bat. And of course, he’s Rosanne’s ex-husband. I thought Hal Ketchum was dead. Didn’t he have a massive drug problem around the time he had a couple of hit songs? Great voice in those days (early 80’s?) - lots of range.

[mountainbunny]

John McCain ran for president in 2000. Mr. Cash could have endorsed him then had he wanted to do so. If he didn't do it then, Mr. Cash's daughter is totally right.

Also, I wonder if Mr. McCain would agree with the sentiments in "The Man in Black:

Well you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well there's a reason for the things that I have on
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

&

I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

[wardaddy]

indeed...Crowell lives up the hill from me and yes he is a good songwriter and performer, but alas as usual..he’s a serious lefty.

A real crusader, not just your usual ignorant celebrity. Maybe part Woody Guthrie, part WPA socialist.....course he lives in a 750,000 dollar home....tuff being a man of the people

sounds like a lot of elitist Dems doesn’t he?

this Nashville Americana Awards gang includes:

Fogerty

Levon Helm

Steve Earle

Allison Krauss

Jim Lauderdale

Lucinda Williams

Marty Stuart

Joe Ely

Trent Summars

Wilco

Elizabeth Cook

John Prine

Emmy Lou

Mary Chapin Carpenter

and tons more...........some are great...really really good.

but...most are lefties...shame

[Tax-chick]

... course he lives in a 750,000 dollar home....tuff being a man of the people

LOL! Isn't it always like that? How many of the "populists" live like the national economic median, in a 3-br, 1-1/2 bath tract house in the medium-range suburbs? Even their "rural" places cost more than I'll ever have ... and I don't blame them, they earned it fair and square selling entertainment.

Some incredible talents on your list. My family is active in the Folk Society here (Charlotte, NC, area) and there are some barking moonbats, but they are nice people and are thrilled when we show up at events with eight children who love traditional music.

[wardaddy]

I know Marty is a series Christian ..his new gospel CD I own is remarkably composed and engineered

not sure if he’s a lefty or not

he’s a fellow Mississippian originally so that further reduces the chance but who knows?

[Tax-chick]

Marty Stuart? He’s a brilliant musician! He used to be pretty wild, but maybe he’s had a conversion ... and Mississippi does incline one to a gut-level conservatism :-).

My husband had a job offer from Peavey Electronics once, but he turned it down on (among other things) fears that he’d end up out of work in Meridian. It would have been interesting, though ... hometown of Jimmie Rodgers!

[Darren McCarty]

the LEFT here in Nashville has adopted Johnny as their diety. Sad. I prefer a WAYLON bumpersticker. No ambiguity there hoss!

Irony is that my favorite Country CD is the lesser known "Heroes" with both of them. I'm not a huge fan of country music, but I do like the outlaw stuff which goes next to my Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Motorhead, and AC/DC collections.

[wardaddy]

out of work in Meridian might have hurt.

sad to say but Meridian has seen better days

used to be the state’s largest city till after WWII

best parts of Mississippi to live in would be the northern burbs of Jackson though the city itself is like the bad part of Durham

southern Memphis burbs are ok

Hattiesburg is liked by folks I know who live there.

The coast was great but really really got whacked by Katrina....devastation ...for 20 miles of beach you have anywhere from 2-1000 yards of serious wipeout

what was once beautiful Spanish Oaks with moss and old stately Antebellum and Victorian home , motels, commerical districts...all gone.....just sand, dirt and maybe 35% of the trees...seriously pruned.

best parts of Mississippi today are rural....I would opt Madison county were I to move back...I have 100s of kin there.

Oxford is great but run by the Left.

But the biggest demographic in the state vote even more conservative than Mormons I think...

[wardaddy]

Davis Allen Coe is in my truck’s CD player now....with Wanda Jackson, Nickelback and Marty’s Gospel CD Soul’s Chapel which is incredible...the musical work sounds like Daniel Lanois meets T-Bone Burnett

been huge LS fan too since 1973 when “Pronounced” came out

one of my closest friends books their dates...Rossington, Powell, Medlock and little Van Zandt can really do it justice.

[stainlessbanner]

Wilco? What the in the world are they doing at the Ryman...must be that new country sound I can’t stand

[stainlessbanner]

I've got Marty's Party Pack around here somewhere - I'm hit or miss on his music, but I know he can play. I'll have to check out his Gospel CD.

Love that Skynyrd sound - I got to see Leon play a couple of times before he passed on. The boys did some great stuff with the Rossington-Collins band a while back too.

It's time for a Wardaddy All-Star Southern Jam: Blackfoot, LS, Outlaws, Hatchet, Widespread Panic, Marshall Tucker Band.

Can your people line that up - what a show that would be.

[dixiechick2000]

"My husband had a job offer from Peavey Electronics once, but he turned it down on (among other things) fears that he’d end up out of work in Meridian."

Why would he think that?

Does he know something I don't?

[dixiechick2000]

Lordy!

It’s good to see you! ;o)

[dixiechick2000]

Peavey is still there.

Sorry to read your thoughts on Meridian.

I’d say Jackson has seen much better days.

I have family in Madison.
They love it.

You’re right about most folks voting more conservative than Utah.