Do Go On - 121 - The Man In Black: Johnny Cash

Episode Date: February 14, 2018

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash..." is what Johnny Cash would say if he was here to introduce this episode, which is about the legenedary country musician JOHNNY CASH! Imagine if he was here to introduce it, IMAGINE! Ride the rollercoaster of Johnny's life with us, with many ups including being one of the great selling musicians of all time, and many lows including drug addiction and run ins with the law. Enjoy!Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes:www.patreon.com/DoGoOnPodSubmit a topic idea directly to the hat: http://bit.ly/DoGoOnHat Twitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: [e-mail] AND FURTHER READINGhttps://www.biography.com/people/johnny-cash-9240610http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3642503/He-walked-the-line.htmlhttps://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/johnny-cash/biographyhttps://www.biography.com/news/johnny-cash-10-interesting-factshttp://flavorwire.com/73527/78-things-you-didnt-know-about-johnny-cash-2http://www.vcstar.com/story/entertainment/2016/10/26/johnny-cashs-first-wife-tells-of-romance-heartbreak-june-carter-vivian-cash-/92772320/https://dangerousminds.net/comments/johnny_cash_does_his_elvis_impressionhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4623300/Johnny-Cash-s-drug-fueled-1960s-despair-comeback.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cashhttp://www.laweekly.com/music/the-time-johnny-cash-set-fire-to-a-national-forest-4777925https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/johnny-cashhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/4240177/Johnny-Cash-At-Folsom-Prison-making-of-a-masterpiece.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melbourne and Canada, we got exciting news for you. And we should also say this is 2026. Jess, what year is it? 2026. Thank God you're here. Right now, I'm in Melbourne doing my show with Serenji Amarna, 630 each night at the Cooper's Inn Hotel, having so much fun. We'd love to see you there.

Canada, we are visiting you in September this year. If you've somehow missed the news, we are heading up Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto for shows. That's going to be so much fun. Tickets for all this stuff, I believe, are online. And I'm here too. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On. My name is David Warnikey. I'm here with Matt Stewart and Jess Perkins. Oh. Forgot your last name there. I was going to say, we've been doing this for a long time now. And friends for even longer, forgot my name. I was thinking of going middle name, but then I realized I hadn't given one to Matt, so bailed on it.

It's pretty late. Fair enough. And if you go Jess, then you can't say middle name. That just seems weird. You've got to go Jessica. And I don't like that. Oh, yeah, okay. I can see where you went wrong.

I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. We can go. We can start again. We really can. Start fresh. It's good to be back in the pod studio. I'm back from overseas. I went to Mexico and Cuba.

That was a good time. Yeah, I wonder if the listeners could tell. They could hear any of those trumpets in the background. From the last few weeks? From last few weeks. And I was recording on location. I demanded to be on a beach every time. You were phoning it in.

Which was weird because we were like, Dave, there's actually a better connection from the hotel. No, no. From the beach. The beach is calling. Matt's been in Perth as well and I've been holding. On the beach. Holding down the Ford in Melbourne. On the beach.

I reckon I'd be surprised if you had more burritos in Mexico than I did in Perth. I had zero burritos in Mexico. Lots of tacos. It was all about the tarcos. There was one day I had two burritos in the one day. You said it like it's a bad thing. No. I certainly didn't intend it that way.

They were different burritos. I have, when I was in Italy, I ate pizza at least twice a day. And gelato also at least twice. Well, yeah, I mean, you getting pizza in Italy is very similar to me, getting burritos in Perth. Exactly. It's like when in. It's the culture. Yeah.

It'd be offensive to say no. Yeah. You simply must. I wasn't going in the shops and asking people were offering, walking down the street, as is Perth culture. They go, burrito, sir, and what do you say? I've already had one. I've already had one. Can you say that?

No. Not in Perth culture. That's a slap in the face. So offensive. You simply mustn't. You simply must. And that is why Perth is the greatest Australian city. Yep.

Yeah. Yep. Burritos with every meal. Guilt free burritos. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you did the right thing. Thank you. Glad someone gets it.

But it is good to be back. It is good to be back in the pod studio. Jess has already commented on my tan. Thank you. Yeah, you're looking great. From all those beach recordings. You're glowing. We're both being on the beach and we both look, yeah. Much the same. Much to be us.

Somehow I look paler. Yeah, I don't know how you did it. Well done. Thank you. Sunsmart. SPF 100. And 50. Oh.

What I did was basically not going out until the sun went down. Yeah, okay. All right. That's clever. Yeah. But have a lot of savings over there? No, so it's three hours different. I'm genuinely the thing that makes you feel tired when you travel.

Jet lagged. Yes. Oh, wow. Where I came from was 17 hours behind. And? I feel fucking great. That's almost far enough around that you're back to where you started, though. Okay.

Okay. Yeah, no. That's can't fault that logic. Yeah, that's how time works. That is definitely how time works. If you stay awake for 24 hours, you just reset. Yeah. That's what I find when I do those late night radio gigs, I'm awake for 24 hours.

Yeah, you're tired, tired, it hits 24 and you go, I'm good. I'm good, baby. Let's keep going. It's Matt's turn to report on a topic that's been suggested by one of the listeners. And I wrote a question. I wrote it at the very beginning. This is the question. It might be a little bit content.

Let's see. Let's find out. Okay, it's exciting. What singer is defined by a colour more than any other? Pink. Yeah, pink. See, the pink, I thought there was trouble with pink. Why? Well, I'm like, that is probably, is a good answer. But it's not the correct answer.

Prince. Prince is the other good one, yeah, purple, right? Fuck. I also thought Prince and I... Now I understand why this is contentious. The colour. Give you one more guess each, and then we'll... Hack on

Eiffel 65 I'm blue D D D Dabber die I seconded That answer No You did I wrote down a few

That I thought Of as well I put Green Day I put Prince Pink Eiffel 65 I can't believe

If you thought We spent too much time together Yeah Cold play yellow But it is Michael Jackson Johnny Cash Johnny Cash

The Man in Black Okay Oh Awesome. I like Johnny Cash. You won't by the end of this. I like, oh. It's another one where we ruin people's heroes. No, I mean, yeah.

Well, I mean, as in, when I say I like Johnny Cash. Jess is already backpedaling because she knows what's going to come now. Well, because I've seen Walk the Line. Yeah, I mean, it's, yeah, you'll, is it called Walk the Line? Yep. Yeah. Yes. I think, and that, I mean, that.

And I've seen Dewey Cock. Dewey Cox. Yeah. Walk hard. Walk hard. Thank you. That's funny. Fuck, that's a funny movie.

It's so stupid. So the man in black, I didn't know he was called The Man in Black. Yeah. Oh, right. We had a song called The Man in Black, and he's just famously nearly always wore Black through his career. And I think he said he did that because it was easy to clean. Yeah. But it was also, like, it all came into his bad boy image.

Doesn't show up sweat marks either. Real smart. So smart. Really, if you're slimming. If you want a bad boy image, you wear all white and he keep the blood stains. Yeah. It's like Andrew W. Dave, who's blood?

Anyone's. He's just a bad, bad boy. Wow. Okay. Any blood that people didn't want to give. He's not at the blood bank taking people's blood because that'd make him a good boy. He is not into that. That would make him a good boy. Good boy, Johnny. I don't know what that sound was.

It came out of my mouth, but anyway. Is there anything you guys know that you want to? I just remember, we've mentioned Johnny. before on the Elvis Presley episode, the Million Dollar Quartet. Yes, I didn't go on that because we've covered it before, but do you... Which I wasn't there for, because Mato was reporting. That's right. Yeah.

No, he wasn't reporting. He was guesting. It was just a famous moment that was where, yeah. And I think it's been made to be a bigger thing than it was now. It was in the 50s at Sun Records Studio, I think, and it was Johnny Cash, Elvis. Was it Carl Perkins and... I looked at it before the end of the episode. Anyway, I remember we talked about it before,

so I thought it would be boring to go through again. Let's start at the beginning. Oh, great place to start. Johnny Cash was... Do you know what his real name is? John. Ethan. Cash.

Ethan. Cash is right, but his actual... Wait. Really, Cash is... You think that out of those, Cash is the made-up here. Where did you get John from? Was John a middle name?

No. He was born. His parents couldn't agree on his name. So his name on his birth certificate is the initials J.R. Not standing for anything in particular. I think I saw some different. It also said different things like they were arguing about different names. His dad's name was Ray.

So I think the R was right. I think the dad maybe wanted Ray. And maybe the mom wanted John. His parents were Ray and Carrie Rivers Cash. Rivers of cash. Rivers of cash. He was born on the 26th of Feb, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, Arkansas. And he lived his early years in a small house on a...

Whose? Hoose? Whose? Oh, sorry. Like his parents, I was going to say, but you were saying house house house. Who's that? And they were on a 20-acre cotton farm. Life was tough.

The whole family worked the fields. You know, they were very working class quite poor. And, you know, things were rough. The small house, I think I read it had, it was a five-room house. And he was one of seven kids. Wow, there. Cash is a real ironic name. Too many kids.

Do they know what was causing it? Jess is doing the international symbol for sex. Which is, of course, the finger dick into the hand mort. I was like, I won't say it. I hope that will. I think the first one of that was on the Elvis episode. In 1944, when Cash was 12, his older brother Jack, which you'd probably remember this from the,

think this is in the movie. His older brother, Jack, who he really looked up to, was involved in a tragic accident. While Jack was cutting wood one weekend, he was pulled into a table saw, and he was cut badly, and a week later passed away from the injuries. Oh, God, you're pointing to your chest. Did he get cut in half? I don't think fully in half, but yeah. The thing I was reading was like he dragged himself along the floor, and apparently that made

it worse. He had a big wound, and he was dragging himself over. a dirty floor, which obviously. Oh, my God. Yeah. It's awful. According to Biography.com, which is one of my main resources in this report, he became more introspective.

This is Johnny or JR at this stage. He became more introspective afterwards and began to spend more time alone, writing stories and sketches. He's writing sketches. Yeah, I know I read that and a couple of different things saying how he wrote sketches. I'm like, I don't know what that means in America, but it seems it's... I would assume he's just sketching. Yeah, drawing sketches.

But when you say writing a sketch, it's like a comedy sketch. I mean, I didn't see him as much of a comedic performance. And it's funny, I mean, everyone after his brother died, he became more introspective and started writing comedy sketches. That doesn't really They don't line up, do they? Jack's deathbed words About seeing angels affected him deeply

On a spiritual level According to biography. I saw angels And they told me To ask you to write more Comedy Sketches Yeah He's like

Maybe What can we do What can we do? I say there's a fish Right Back then comedy sketches Were about anything It was a wild time

Unlike now Now, they're very specifically all about shopkeepers, as we know the rules. We all know the rules. We know what we signed up for. Around this time, he began writing his first songs and his mom, also a devout Christian, are a very Christian family. I think his brother Jack was likely to become a preacher. He was going down that path, very spiritual guy.

And I think, yeah, Johnny really took it on board. when his brother was seeing angels, he's like, well, this confirms it. So, yeah, his mom sends some talent and got scraped together some money and sent him to singing lessons. But according to Biography.com, after just three lessons, his teacher enthralled with Cash's already unique singing style, told him to stop taking lessons and to never deviate from his natural voice. Wow. Which is cool. You idiot.

Not good business. Nereble business. Nereble business. Absolutely nerable. That's a portmanteau of terrible and... Not good business. Not good. Which is good because you can't fully get all of that meaning in just terrible.

You simply can't. When you throw in not good, then it becomes clear as to what you're saying. Nairable business. It's a nuance of nereble. What a moron. Take the money. What a noron. What a moron.

Which is a not good moron. Which is a moron whose name is Nora. Cash graduated high school in 1950 with his diploma displaying his birth name, J.R. Cash. He worked briefly in Pontiac, Michigan, which I guess is where Pontiac's are named after, at an auto body plant before enlisting in the US Air Force. Because Michigan's like, that's the home of the automotive industry in America, I think. like Detroit, Motown and all that, isn't it? Yeah, I think, sort of classically, couldn't tell you if it's still is.

I'm not sure if it still is, but I think, yeah, back in the day. It was here in the Air Force that he was first gave himself the name John, as they would not take on a recruit with initials for a name, which I think is a bit rich coming from an organisation known as the US Air Force. That's the joke I wrote in this report. That's good. And when you wrote that, when you wrote that, When you wrote it.

I was with Evan just down the hallway and I said, Evan, I've written the joke of the report. You want to hear it? And he said, and it was so hot in the office, but we were delirium. He thought it was good. He thought it was good. And he was wrong. He was wrong. And I'm willing to admit that.

I love it. Anyway, so JR became John R Cash, which is funny because later he became known as John E. Cash. That was, yeah. I decided against someone. Didn't write it down. I thought you said it anyway. Evan, I don't want to call you over twice in one minute. I've done it again.

We were rolling it. No, I mean, we were... It was ironic laughter, Jess. You couldn't even give me that, you dog. Sorry, you nog. Not good dog. Not good dog. Now a recruit,

Cash was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for training. This is where he met Vivian Leberto Not on the base But at a local San Antonio roller skating rink Apparently he asked if he could skate near her Near behind her And she said Or no, maybe that's not what he said

He's like, can I go for a skate with you? And she said he wasn't a good skater But he hummed along to the tune real good And it really pricked her ears up Aw, what a cute way to meet They dated Not like the kids these days on their interwebs Probably meeting on like some sort of a digital roller skating rink

You know what I mean Some sort of skating forum Can I type my words near yours? Okay Stranger Danger Stranger Danger Back away Roll away

They dated for a few weeks before Cash was sent to West Germany Where he remained for three years working in communications intercepting and deciphering Soviet radio messages. Apparently it was a natural at this. Intercepting their Morse codes and stuff. Through his time in Germany, Cash and Liberto sent frequent love letters to each other, which have since been published, a lot of them. Okay, I was thinking about this this morning.

You know how often when a famous artist or a writer or a musician in this case dies, afterwards their letters are published. Do you think that when people die, say in 50 years that are famous now, people will hack their email and their family will give permission to publish that? Yeah, maybe. Like, I don't know. With letters, it doesn't.

Betrayal of privacy. Yeah, but see, I feel that way. It is a betrayal of privacy with email. But with letters, I'm like, yeah, that's cool. Published that. But they probably never wanted us to read them. No, well, yeah, no, I feel a bit uncomfortable about them. I think when time goes on and if they're like,

I guess there's probably a difference. People go, they're such an historically important person that it's like a public interest thing. And they're dead. So it doesn't really matter. But yeah, someone to a bit about it's a little uncomfortable. I'll give you guys permission to hack my email. But at the same time, I don't want to.

I think, you know, like... Subscriptions for porn. Yeah. Because that's how you subscribe to porn through email. Is it really? it. Yes, I just told you. More porn, please. Signed day.

Thank you for that latest batch of porn. I especially enjoyed the second part. More of that. Love do. More porn. One more porn, please. I've had my fill. Always room for one more porn.

While in Germany, Cash also kept himself busy working on his guitar skills. He formed a band called the Landsberg. Barbarians, named after the Bavarian town where he was stationed, which is Lansberg, obviously. Landsberg Bavaria, which, like, maybe that's Lansberg Barbarians as Lansberg Bavarians. It's a little plain word, I suppose. That's possibly not true. They played shows for the fellow servicemen and also local Germans. Biography.com quoted cash as later saying, we were terrible, but the Lowenbrow, or Lervenbury,

beer will make you feel like you're great. We'd take our instruments to these honky tonks and play until they threw us out or a fight started. I mean, that's actually not bad. I was going to tease you and be like, okay, we're doing impressions now, but that was pretty good. Yeah, keep doing that. That's good.

I like, yeah, you know, like a real... To us, it's like, that sort of sounds American. To Americans, they'll be like, what is that? What are you doing? Like, when you hear the Australian accent, I'm like, oh yeah, good dolly, mate. Here's art gal. You're like, what the fuck of that.

I will say, it's great when you're overseas and you do hear the Australian accent. Like I was on a bus going back to the airport on the trip I just got back from and then you just hear this guy get on and go, excuse me, this bus got Wi-Fi? I was just like, cringe. Don't let him hear me talk.

My people. I don't want to sound like that. Wi-Fi. Oy, you got W-fi? Oh, awful. It was bad. It depends on the mood, but, yeah, sometimes you're like, I'm overseas to not be hearing Australians talk,

but Australia's such broad travellers. But I remember one time loving the accent when I was in Germany, I've probably mentioned this before. So this metal festival called Wacken or Varkin, I think. Wacken. Roast had an Angry Anderson's band. Yeah. Was playing.

And they're Australian. And they're, yeah, they're an Aussie band. They came out. I hadn't heard the Australian accent for a few months. And they came out and the bass players wearing overalls with like maybe like a blue singlet. And he comes out and goes, check one fucking two.

And I just like blew my hair back. I was like, whoa. And a little tear in your eye. God bless Australia. Started singing the national anthem. Australia. Check one, fucking two.

There's no fucking Wi-Fi backstage. That's brilliant. Check one. Fucking two. Fucking two. Yeah. It's like one of those, you know, those little moments just fully, like, imprinted in your mind. I can picture everything about it.

I love it. It's a good memory. Motorhead headline that festival. No. Yeah, it was sick. Anyway, so Cash left the Air Force in 1954 and was reunited with Liberto and they soon married. Oh, she waited for him. Well, I think they were both sleeping around.

He would often, apparently in a lot of these letters, he'd be like, going, I got really drunk, I'm really sorry, won't happen again. And I think she said since that she was also, you know, they weren't exclusive. I mean, they dated for three weeks. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It's pretty wild that they got, you know, he came back and they got married soon after. And kind of didn't, you know, some of that stuff probably didn't bode super well for the future. settling down in Memphis, Tennessee.

Cash worked as a salesman. I think he went door-to-door selling kitchen goods or something like that, playing music on the side with Marshall Grant, Red Canoodle, which is a fucking great name. Connoodle. And Luther Perkins. Yay!

Who were workmates of Cash's mechanic brother Roy. Johnny was the frontman with a guitar he paid 20 Deutschmarks for, which is around five bucks, US. Oh shit. Conodal on steel guitar, Grant on upright bass, and Perkins on electric guitar. Yeah. Apparently Perkins... The coolest.

Yeah, well, apparently, according to one source at least, Perkins was responsible for that chuk-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-choo, like that iconic cash sound. And it's been passed down in my family ever since. Yeah. You're well-known to do that. Ch-c-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch. I do it all the time. The guitar sounding like a steam train.

Do you guys ever listen to me? I'm always doing that. Yeah, you are. Always underneath us. Always chugging along. Yeah, I just keep chugging. Boom, chik, boom, chik, boom, chik. And we just keep talking.

No one ever addressed it until now. It's a family thing. I get it now. Yeah. I was listening to, I was listening to, I was listening to a heaps of his albums over the last little while. And, uh, in, in, in, in, a live album he just played Walk the Line and then he said about that boom chika sound which

sort of makes it sound like it was more his thing but i think he was a joke he goes people ask why i want to do the people ask me why i did the boom chika boom chicker on that record he didn't say boom chika he made the sound uh it's because we couldn't afford a drummer on that session and the people chuckled and he chuckled so maybe it's just no banter but anyway good stuff Good stuff. I can see that was one of his early sketches. He is funny. He's funny.

He also goes, and people ask where I had the start of each chorus, I went, you know, that bit of him walk like. He goes, that was just because I was trying to find the key. I mean, don't give away all your secrets. Wow. Did he ever find the key or do you locked out? And that one was inspired by my good friend, J.R. K. So in 1954, Elvis released his first record in the Sun Records label.

And I guess this was around the time of that million-dollar quartet that we've been talking so much about. And it kicked off Elvis Mania and increased interest in the Sun Records label. That year or the next, I've read it in two different. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Cash and his band went into Sun Records to audition. read somewhere that they went in unannounced and just sort of went, let it, give us an audition. Started playing in reception.

Yeah. The manager came out. And Sam Phillips, the guy came out and he goes, all right, I'll hear you guys. Conodle, which is a real shame. Caudill. He yodled. Conodle, the yodler. Yeah, he bailed on the audition due to nerves and fears that he would hold the group back.

And also, obviously, he had his yodeling career to think about it. You would have heard of him, the yodeling mechanic. I know. Talking to you like you don't know. I've got his poster up in my workshop. Yeah. So that left just the three men. They called themselves the Tennessee three.

But we're convinced by Phillips to call themselves. Is that's why Conradol left? I'm not even included in the band name. How do you know? I mean, could it be any of us three? Yeah. Yeah, we all know. I mean, they did have three guitarists in a group of four.

Was he that, which one? What did it canado play? Steel guitar. No one needs that. No. Yeah, there's the electric and acoustic. As long as you've got electric, Perkins. As long as you got a boom chicker player.

Yeah, you need the boom chicker. Sorry, man, I cut you up there. There was a Tennessee three. Tennessee three. But I were convinced by Phillips to call themselves Johnny Cash and the Tennessee two. Oh. Again, Connoiter was like, what the fuck?

You could have just kept three and I could have come back. It's like, now one's definitely Johnny. We've narrowed around. There's only two spots left. Are we getting rid of the boom chika boom chooka guy? I don't think so. It's me and the fucking bass player. All right.

All right, yeah. Do we need a bass player in a band? Or another guitar. I think we all know the answer. Get out, Mr. Bass. Oh, I see. Oh, I misjudge that. Oh, I'm outside now.

Oh, no. Oh, okay. All right. Right, fine. Oh, we're. is everyone. How am I going to tell my wife? I'm locked out and I can't find the key.

I just can't get it. Johnny makes it look so easy. I don't think we've heard the last of Red Knotel. Am I right, Matt? He's coming back, surely? We've heard the last. Obviously, there's too much and we will do his own report. Oh, of course.

about the mechanic king, Yodler, as he was called. The mechanic king. It was that an K-I-N-G, the mechanic king? Yeah, the mechanic king. Yodler. That's the best, Jess, obviously, has. The mechanic king, yoddler. Stop it.

This sort of goes along with what you were saying before, go on, Cash feels like, obviously, the made-up part. Because according to biography.com, Upon first meeting Johnny Cash, Phillips thought that Johnny had made up his last name. It sounded to him like Johnny Dollar or Johnny Guitar, like quite a ridiculous made-up name. But obviously, the Cash part was real and can be traced back a thousand years to Scotland to the ancient kingdom of Fife. It was Johnny that was the invention, which I've already discussed.

Phillips liked them, but apparently wasn't happy with their gospel-style songs, telling them to come back with an original tune, which they did, presenting the Cash-penned Hay Porter, which Phillips liked and consequently released as their first single. Apparently, Cash came home to his pregnant wife, who was pregnant with their first kid, Vivian, excitedly telling her, baby we're cutting a record.

Next came Cry, Cry, Cry, Cry, which became their first charting song, peaking at number 14 on the US country charts, which was followed by, I found one list that looked like a dozen in a row, top 10 singles on the country charts. And that didn't include the B-sides, which a lot of them also charted. Wow. So just really taking up here.

Real hot streak. And quite a few of those crossed over into the mainstream charts as well, including one of the early singles was I Walk the Line, which was number one on the country charts. And, yeah, I think a top 20 hit on the mainstream charts. I think I read that it was inspired by Cash hearing a Bavarian song played backwards accidentally, maybe. And he heard the devil. I walk the line.

Oh, wow. Yeah, German backwards. Sounds like. Very English. English. Boom chika, boomchika. The success led to endless touring and time away from his young family, according to an article on VCstar.com, covering the marriage.

from Vivian's point of view, which is a real heartbreaking read. The tours also drew women, and when Vivian asked Johnny if he was ever tempted, he told her not to worry, I walk the line for you, is what he said to her. Which obviously led to that song being written. Apparently Johnny asked Vivian to write down the lyrics while they were driving along. In the late 1950s, cash was lured away from Sun Records by Columbia Records with Big Cash, He relocated his young family, which by the early 1960s included four daughters, Roseanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. Roseanne herself went on to be a multi-Grammy award-winning country singer.

Rosanne Cash. Yep. Wow. But he was on the road for the majority of the year by this stage. I think he saw some saying 300 nights a year. He'd be playing gigs, which is wild. Yeah, 10 months a year, wow His band became the Tennessee 3 in 59 or 60

When drummer W.S. Holland joined. Oh, I thought Red had gotten a call up. Red sees it advertise he turns up to the gig, huh? Huh? A drummer? Oh, fuck! But you need another guitarist, right guys? The one thing you sound's lacking, another guitar?

Another guitar. Oh, fuck! I learned six new instruments And not one of them is a drum Oh, fuck Don't you want the clarinet? No, fucking hell Do you need a flautist?

No I learned the viola Huh? I thought that was very rock and roll Although the Halpsichord No one's played this in 200 years I got a lute On these tours

That Johnny Cash is going on His band would often be accompanied by June Carter now. You'd be familiar with her. Cash first saw a years earlier performing with her family band, who was like an iconic country band, which I didn't realize. Generations of Carter's played in this band. From what I read, though, Carter didn't hear of Cash until Elvis Presley mentioned him to her. So this is according to, this feels, it says this, I found a couple of websites saying they were quoting the liner notes of a CD, which were written by Jun Carter.

But I, so whether or not, this was off dangerous minds.net. So possibly a myth, but, you know, it was typed up so nicely that I like to believe it. So in these notes, Carter was talking about how she was on tour with Elvis before meeting Cass. or even her hearing of cash when she found Elvis trying to tune his guitar while humming like cash and according to Carter she asked him what the weird humming sound was all about and Elvis replied that's what drives the girls crazy at cash don't have cash don't have to move a muscle he just sings and stands there I don't know I don't know this Johnny Cash Carter replied and Elvis said, oh, you'll know cash. The whole world will know Johnny Cash.

He's a friend of mine. It sounds like an evil guy. Yeah. It's just been spread. Oh, you'll know cash. The whole world will know cash. You'll pay. You'll pay cash.

So the whole tour, Carter's first with cash. They went in a small cafes throughout the South, and Elvis played Johnny Cash on the jukebox. So when Carter met him soon after and they started eventually tour together, she felt like she already knew him. But they were both already married at the time. But there was already feelings between the two. Chemistry.

Yeah. There was a connection. You normally hear about this is like the great love story. And it does definitely seem to be. But I can't help it feel for Vivian, who is home 10 months of the year, bringing up the four kids by herself, while her husband's gone around fucking about. And June Carter has a husband and kids as well.

She had kids. Yeah, great. Sorry, this isn't the bloody Carter Cash report, mate. I'm pretty sure. In 1963, June Carter co-wrote a song about her falling for Cash. This is while Cash was still married. Though he was still married to Vivian. I should have just waited until the very next.

Sentence. June's sister Anita released the song without much success. The story goes that Cash heard the song titled Love's Ring of Fire and later had a dream about the song. Only in his dream, it was accompanied by mariachi style horns or trumpets. When the song failed to become a hit for Anita, Cash recorded the song as he dreamt it. And it went on to become one of his biggest hits, the iconic ring of fire. Did it feature Red on trumpet? I'm so sorry.

He learned it. He learned it. He still didn't get the song. Fuck! Fuck! Red's dead, baby. I play the fucking trumpet. Huh?

Oh, fuck off. Now this is feeling personal. You're going to get a mariachi player instead. For fuck sake. The 60s were a tough time, a rough time for Johnny and Vivian. Cash was abusing drugs and alcohol. He was like, fuck you drugs. You're nothing.

Alcohol, you can fuck off too. I don't need you in my life. Is that what happened? Is that what he said? Did he throw a bottle of whiskey in the bin? That's where you belong, whiskey. I wouldn't like to be treated that way. That is abuse.

You don't want to be thrown in the bin. I don't want to be thrown in the bin. That is true. Nobody puts baby in the corner and nobody puts Jesse in the bin. Nobody puts bottle in the bin. Bopper in the bin. He was. he was sleeping around and increasingly in trouble with the law,

all while his wife Vivian was home with their four kids. So this, yeah, kind of bummed me out a bit, but during these times, his relationship with June Carter began as well. So there was a gross overlap, I think. So multiple affairs. Yeah, that's right. So, I mean, it's at least one of them went on to be a long-lasting marriage.

According to the VC Star article, Initially, Vivian denied it. She was the one Johnny walked a line for. But then she started noticing warning signs. Like Johnny would spend less and less time at their family home. And then she found receipts for thousands of dollars of gifts for June. It's just such a gross. He spent less time at home.

He's away 10 months of year already. I mean, she found receipts. He just happened to write present for June on them. Because he is very... careful with his taxes. He's a real good, yeah, he was very, he kept a very balanced book. Yeah, and that is admirable.

And that's what I'm looking for in a man. Someone who can balance my books. Wait, like an account? Oh, God. What's happened? What have I done? No, no, fuck it. Leave the books unbalanced.

No, but I like being organized. Oh, God, I'm so conflicted. She wrote that the whole experience was degrading and horrible. obviously and the idea that Johnny could love someone else was hard for her to accept. In the end Vivian regretted not revisiting all those love letters

and trying to fight harder for the marriage which is like oh Vivian you're not the problem here Vivian she this is a quote I should have been relentless at saving it as relentless as June was at destroying it

Oh brutal she later wrote in brackets it said though she ultimately forgives her. Oh, interesting. This is all in her, she wrote an autobiography later in life. And it was titled, I think it was titled. Fuck you, June Carter.

It was a sub-title. No, you're all right. It was titled something like, I walk the line. And apparently her friends, apparently she was just so loved in her community after they split, just one of those community members that was just loved by everyone. and her friends were the ones are saying he didn't walk the line you walked the line you were the one

who stayed home and raised the kids he didn't you know the idea of walking the straight line I guess as being straight and true or whatever is I guess how I interpret it so yeah I kind of like that as a title for the book apparently he left without saying goodbye Vivian wrote that he eventually apologised to his daughters but never to her

I'd have given anything to hear Johnny say he was sorry. Oh, that's awful. Anyway, fuck him, right? This is the point of the story. It's like, fuck you, Johnny Cash. And I don't know what his relationships like with his kids was like with his kids. But I can't imagine being like, Dad! Like, what?

What do you want? Yeah. Yeah, that sucks. So, I mean, that's all real sad. This is no excuse, but he was fuck-eyed on. with different addictions at the time. But, you know, obviously not no excuse to be a real asshole. Well, it sounds like you wouldn't want to be around him anyway.

He sounds awful. Yeah, no, there were, well, I tell a few of the stories. Obviously, it was in a bad place in general. And in these years, he was arrested several times. It was about seven times in seven years, I think. But perhaps his most famous run in with the law occurred in 1965 in El Paso, Texas. he crossed the Mexican border to buy amphetamines, which he was addicted to at the time.

And he purchased a heap of them, stuffing him in a socks and then into his guitar case, crossed back over the border. But then I think he was busted on the plane in Texas the next day. He's like, oh, he didn't get busted crossing the border. It was already once he was and then got it, I think is how I read it. Apparently he had 668 dexedrine and 475 equineal tabernetabye.

He avoided jail time because they were over-the-counter drugs. Still illegal for him to have that many. Have that many. And bring him, smuggle him in. But it meant he avoided jail time. I think the cops went after him thinking it was heroin or something like that. But, yeah, so he copped a fine and a suspended sentence. And though this sort of all wraps up into the bad boy image that I think we associate with him now.

Apparently at the time was received poorly with his conservative. audience, of course, I only do fucked up things privately. Yeah, right. And so I would say, in my mind, like, the most, the people who do the most fucked things are people who present very conservative publicly. Right. And that's how it goes in my head. I'm sure some people who present conservatively are actually conservative.

So do you see a very conservative-looking person walking down the street and, like, they definitely have a sex swing at their house? Yeah. What do they get up to? I know what you are Okay Just wearing a tie You got a weird fetish or something

Don't you You got a sock of dexterine Or some shit in you Fair is it Where is it gives us the sock How do you know it was in a sock I can tell I know you're all the same

You conservative The drug use was wrecking his voice as well And he was building up a bit of a reputation I keep a close watch on this had a boy That's not how I picture it being wrecked. Oh, keep her clothes. That's very good. Oh, keep my eyes, what a fan.

He was angelic. It was like a boy's choir, so it was beautiful. Oh, this is no good. This is not what the people want to see. I like how you think that's angelic. Oh, I keep that close. Oh, the angels are here. What is this, the rapture?

Gabriel, is that you? Because you're mine. I walk the line. Silent night. It's beautiful. So he was building up a reputation as an unreliable performer, often not rocking up to shows at all. He would never pay his way. He's unreliable.

I don't know. I panicked. He'd never pay. I don't know. He's hydrolyte. Is he said? He'll never pay his way. I don't know.

Fuck you. He also would wreck backstage areas and hotel rooms, like classic sort of bad boy rock-style behavior. Sick. He once had a short affair with country singer Billy Jean Horton. Horton apparently ended it when she found out about Cassie's wife and kids. But he found out she was in town staying at this hotel. So he, like, stormed through the hotel.

trying to find her banging on her door and she locked it. She's like, no good, mate. And he cracked the shits, right? He turned around and just smashed antique chandeliers all the way down the hall in this hotel. Not funny. A little bit funny. Just like scary behavior, really. Terrifying.

On another occasion, he drove to California's Los Padres. That's from a national forest in Ventura County with his nephew. He was binging on pills and booze there, and he apparently went off alone to fish for a bit. When his nephew, Damon, smelt smoke, he found cash losing control of the fire. And according to LA Weekly.com, I'm in control. I'm in control. I'm not in control anymore. I mean, to be fair, he was trying to control the fire with his mind. He just seeing him, just robbing his temples.

And panic on his face. And going, hmm. trying to find the key of the fire so according to LA Weekly.com his overheated party truck became an igniting torch scorching hundreds of acres

Is that what he called himself The party truck? These guys go to the party truck and another thing I read it was like he borrowed his sister's camping van Party truck So hundreds of acres were burnt So it's a big wild bushfire.

Across three mountains. Holy shit. And it roasted and killed 49 of the area's 53 endangered Californian condors. Big. Oh shit. I shouldn't laugh. That's great. That's basically almost to extinction.

He nearly made a species go extinct because of his party truck. My party truck made an animal go extinct. I'm a bad boy. Do you reckon he was apologetic? No. About killing all those birds? You'd have to. I doubt so very much.

This is, he's quoted as saying, and this was across a few different sources, he was quoted as saying, I don't care about your damn yellow buzzards. That's amazing. It's terrible. But it's so crazy. It's funny. Yeah, I'd never heard of that. I did not know that.

That is not in the film. enough. I also love roasted. Yeah, roasted is brutal language from the LA weekies. It smelled amazing.

They tasted real good. Very tender. Kentucky fried condor buzzed. Oh, wow. Apparently, yeah, so he settled with the government

out of court for about 80 grand. So of these wild years, he would later say, I had become habituated to amphetamines and barbiturias. and alcohol, all three at the same time. That combination is deadly poisonous.

I got up to a habit of as many as 100 pills a day and a case of beer. That's fucked. 100 pills. And a case of beer. I mean, that just, I mean, for you, you would struggle to even stomach, even if that were sugar pills, right? Oh, I can't even swallow one pill. I two pills because of my weird esophagus. Yeah, right.

So 100. Oh. Yeah, that sounds like healthy. Yeah, that's a form of torture for you. A hundred. I mean, but I'm grateful it's a hundred. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I would have his murders of 98 pills and do.

Oh, for fuck sake. He's like gasping for air gun. Go to have those awesome. Oh, fuck. My mouth so dry. How do you not die? Yeah, I guess you're slowly built up. Like a tolerance, I suppose?

Oh, you'd have diarrhea for sure. You'd have to. Okay. I would have to. other way around. I'm not sure that's what the first thing, why that's the first thing you think of. 24 beers and 100 pills. I'm imagining no other food. Yeah, good call. I reckon he'd be blocked right up. I don't know how the body works. Well, I mean, 50 of those were laxative pills. Right. There was a time where apparently to fit into some, I read this so early this morning,

it's only vague memory, but to fit in some sort of classic old suit of an old country, performer, he just binned it on diet pills for a while and just wasted away. Oh, wow. He was very gaunt through some of this period. He also said, arrested seven times and seven years. No, I'm not going to that. I lost it there. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and I knew it.

I was usually on 100 pills a day, but I got no pleasure from them. No peace. I couldn't stand my life, but I couldn't find a way out of it. I guess that's what addiction is. fucking brutal That's awful Despite all the trouble of his personal life And with his life performance

He didn't go a year in the 60s Without a top 10 single on the country charts Every year Throughout all this time He was still banging out hits In 1966 He won his first of 13 Grammy Awards For Best Country and Western Performance

For a duet trio or group For Jackson We're going, Jackson June Carter 13 Grammys is a fair effort. There was a, there was one, I don't remember where we were, somewhere maybe Northern Territory,

and I was on a road show a couple years ago with Reese Nicholson, and the microphone at the, it was one of those old school ones, like entirely still a big microphone, they used to sort of share, and we were doing a mic check, and I started singing Jackson, and Reese just runs straight in and sings the other side,

so we're both just standing there seeing Jackson. It's very fun. That's a fun, it's a fun duet. I associate that song to Reese now, which is kind of nice. He probably doesn't even remember it. So the first few or 13 Grammys? Yes. With Reese?

Yes. It is a great duet. Yeah. Really, really bloody. It's a banger. It's really fun. I'm going to Jackson. Yeah, it's so fun to sing the Johnny Cash songs.

It's because it's slow enough that I can, it almost sounds like I'm singing. His marriage didn't survive the decade. We sort of talked about this before, with Vivian filing for divorce in 1966. And within a couple of years, Cash proposed to Carter on stage while performing in Ontario, Canada, and a week later, they married.

Oh. Carter hyphenated her name became June Carter Cash. I mean, that's pretty cool. Yeah, that's a great. Some hyphenated names don't work, but that's, that's it. And often, when it's like, like the same letter, but Carter Cash is great. I think because cash is very short and Carter's only two syllables.

Perkins, there's no way that will hyphenate with anything. Perkins-Warnocky. Yeah, it's just a... It's stupid. Cash Perkins? Cash Perkins is great. Fuck. Yeah, that's really good.

Perkins cash? That's two of the Millionaire Quartet, a million-dollar quartet. A million-dollar quartet. Carter was a devout Christian. Some discovered it was a Bible basher. which I always when I was a kid I'm like oh that's people who do not like the Bible but it means quite the opposite and it seems that she helped him refocus on his faith and he became very religious I mean he already sort of was but he really refocused on that and there were a few

big moments he there was one time around these years where he he went down into a cave apparently to just to try to lose himself and die um But he felt like he had some sort of an epiphany or it felt like he had a moment with God and he saw a little light and it felt a little breeze on his back and that got him back out. And he saw that as being like his rebirth. Holy shit.

If that's a true story, that feels like something you'd write, almost like a cliched scene for a guy. Big time. Like quite literally, he's like coming out of a cave to start again. Is that how you see vaginas as? is a cave. Is that what you mean by that?

Man cave. No, I was No, I was I was thinking more like like Jesus is being reborn coming out of the tomb. Yeah. But yeah, I give like that would even more literally. Oh my God. Yeah. No. No, I get it.

So Carter sort of started refocusing him. It doesn't sound like it was instant, but things were starting to turn around from him at this point. A lot of people say. Others probably argue, you know, she's not universally loved. Some people, I think, certainly those siding with his first wife, say that it wasn't all

that happy, but it seems to be. Cash soon after this released his massive triple platinum selling albums recorded live at prisons, 1968's live at Folsom Prison, and 1969's live at San Quentin. I think Sam Quendam may have been recorded earlier. And probably the most famous one is Falson Prison, right? He also had a early hit song with Falson Prison Blues. And I think that probably stands his most iconic album, maybe even inarguably.

Due to their success and his troubles with the law, people often assume that Cash himself spent a bunch of time behind bars, but he didn't really ever spend any stretches, only solo nights at a time, you know, for being drunk or whatever. Yeah. But never, he was never put away for a stretch. I suppose it's a good way to put the prisoners on site if you ever do go to jail. Yeah.

It's a bit of networking. That's right. Assuming you're going to go to jail one. Yeah, yeah. You got to network. You got to. I mean, it's, you know, it feels dirty, but. You simply must.

That's how the business works. Yeah. The business of being a criminal. Yeah. business of jail. Cash had long been keen to record an album at Folsom Prison. It's actually, it's the prison that makes the number plates for California, apparently, or used to be.

Columbia, his record label, though, was not keen, in part due to the expense, and also as bluesy outlaw, country music was not seen to be particularly fashionable at the time, to give you an idea in the year previous to the recording. some of the big albums were the Beatles, Sergeant Peppers, Jimmy Hendrix experiences, are you experienced, and creams disraeli gears. So like, you know, it was sort of psychedelic rock and it was a big change in music

and Johnny Cash's music was seen as being pretty old school. Like your dad's album. Yeah. Which is funny. Yeah. I mean, but obviously in America it's such a big population. There's all these different ways of going on. And it turned out to be a huge crossover here.

Um, Cash did have an ally in Bob Dylan's producer Bob Johnston. So whilst his label wasn't keen, Bob Johnston proved to be, um, a big supporter and he helped get the idea over the line. Uh, so in Folsom Prison's Dining Hall 2 at 9.40am on the 13th of January, uh, he played that kicked off the first of two back-to-back concerts, which formed the recordings. Um, the closing song on the album, and this is someone I didn't know. about was a cover. Do you know anything about this?

No. The track, Greystone Chapel, which is written about the chapel at Folsom Prison. Cash first heard this song when night before, the day before, as it was written by a Folsom prison inmate, Glenn Shirley. Shirley was in for bank robbery, and he was unaware that the prison chaplain had passed a tape of his song on to Cash the day before. Cash and his Cash loved it

and they learnt the night before and surprised Shirley by playing it So he was in the crowd He was in the crowd He was up towards the front apparently

And you can hear Cash saying on the recording I hope I do your song Justice Clan It was real nice And that's how The album closes out

Wow That's cool A cool moment Yeah And it's a cool song This proved to be Quite a big break For Shirley

though he was still in prison another of Shirley's songs was recorded a couple years later Portrait of My Woman by Eddie Arnold and that led to more attention and the opportunity to record his own live album while still incarcerated Whoa!

And then when released from prison apparently Shirley was met at the gates by Cash who took him on the road and brought him into his show but it became clear to summon the band that Shirley, in the words of base player Marshall Grant, was a pathological criminal. Threats he made to others in the touring party

led to him being dismissed by cash. Oh, that's disappointing. Oh, that is. So it was such a, everything was such a nice story, but it ends up being quite a sad tale. He struggled with the limelight and ended up working on a cattle farm before shooting a man and hiding out,

I think it was his brother's property or something, eventually killing him. himself shooting himself in the head so yeah super sad story cash paid for his funeral and apparently i think that that hit cash pretty hard he was really he kind of he liked to think of himself as trying to fight for the you know the fight for the down trod and the the prisoners and that sort of stuff but this sort of made him like oh fucking hell some people are just bad yeah and i think what his daughter later said that you know his heart was in the right place but he was never a guy who was going to fix anything for anyone.

You know, he had enough of his own demons. Wow. But it was like he definitely seemed to have a bloody crack at it. And he fought for a few different causes. In 1969, Cash also debuted his TV variety show. What? The Johnny Cash show. Oh, no.

It was like a talk show and he had musicians. Apparently it was quite successful. Really? And it came about due to the success of the Folsom Prison album, probably. I just don't really feel like him is the talk show host. Yeah, no, it's funny. Let's not forget Sketch Rider. No, you're not wrong.

Sorry, of course. I forget his true passion. Yeah, comedy. And he got big gas, and I think, yeah, I think I went relatively well. It felt like he said big gas, and then that made me think of gas bags from the Hindenburg. People enjoyed gas bags. There's a few tweets about it. Gas bag, it's funny.

People love the gas bag. People love gas bags. Never know. You just never know. You never know. Dave came armed with what he thought was a great report. Well, what he thought. Really, the takeaway moment was just laughing at the word gas bag.

For the phrase gas bags. If you miss that episode. A few people have said best since Shackleton. Whoa. Which is high praise. D-dubs. And obviously Shackleton is our Folsom Prison Blues. No, Folsom Prison, live at Folsom, anyway.

So far, come on, we can top. Yeah, I think we're doing a run now. Come on, Matt. Dave can top it. Oh, sorry. Misunderstood what he was saying there. He's being generous. We.

We cannot top it. You and I, Dave can. Obviously, those shows are made good because of the Sass twins. Yeah, you're right. Obviously, definitely. So the Folsom Prison album, also scored him a couple of Grammys which isn't super surprising

I also read the stat that blew me away a little apparently in 1969 he was the biggest selling artist in the world in 1969 like the summer of love Johnny Cash was the biggest that year the Beatles released Abby Road went on the moon went on the moon

I don't know what that has to do with the music charts I'm just letting you know I know a fact I can't believe Buzz Alderman wasn't the world the biggest selling music artist that year. That is actually very surprising. The world's biggest selling us. Crazy.

In 1970, Cash and Carter Cash had their only child, John Carter Cash, who himself went on to win a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2004. He was also, I think, the executive producer, had a key role on the film after his parents died. So he...

But apparently, I read one of... I think maybe Rosie. one of his daughters was like it was traumatic watching the movie she's like it was she didn't really reckon like she didn't she recognized the scenes but the the characters did not seem familiar to her it was like they weren't accurate but it was just traumatic for her to watch and she's like what and fair enough yeah it definitely comes from a um a very sympathetic place yes the film it's kind of like poor johnny to him and uh yeah well i guess that yeah and yeah

And it was... And you do feel bad for the only son of... You do feel... June and Johnny. So, yeah, imagine if it was one of Vivian's kids making the movie, it would have been a bit of a different slant on it all. Yeah. The 70s also began with six top five charting albums on the country charts.

So he wasn't just back. He was smashing it. Six albums? Six top five charts. And that's just in the early... Yeah, in the early... Wow. He's, like, two a year.

He did so many, yeah, he did a lot of albums. I think he recorded a lot of songs multiple times and stuff. And he did a lot of covers, although he wrote a lot of his own songs as well, but he was super prolific. The hot streak didn't last long, though, as he began abusing amphetamines again in the late 70s. And in 1983, he entered rehab at the famous Betty Ford Clinic. Is that the one that on The Simpsons they do, I'm checking in? Is that Betty Ford?

I think it might be. I'm checking in, he's checking in Checking, checking in Hey, that's just my aspirin. No more drugs or alcohol He got clean but he followed this loop of getting clean and relapsing receiving treatment again in 89 and 92 But it's not like he wasn't making things happen through these years as well

He continued to release albums to varying degrees of success and he also dabbled in acting with roles on the big and small screens. And in 1980, he was inducted to the country music Hall of Fame at 48 years of age, making him at the time the youngest living inductee. At the time, when I read that, I'm like, youngest living. But then I thought there were probably people who died younger than that who were inducted. Right, sure, yeah. I think is what that means.

As time went on, Cash looked to collaborate with other artists more and more. I mean, he was always very collaborative, but, Maybe the most famous of these was with the Highway Men, have you heard of them? Sort of a country supergroup with Chris Christopherson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Wow. And they released three albums from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. In 1992, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was one of the few who's been inducted into both country and rock and roll.

I think Elvis is another one who has. Yeah, I thought I googled a few different versions of people who were inducted into both, and I couldn't find out lists or anything. But I can't have assumed that Hank Williams probably was. But anyway, I imagine. Should never assume. And also probably, yeah, I don't think there'll be heaps anyway. Because, I mean, a lot of the people, I looked through the country hall of fame.

It's like, who the fuck? Who is this? Lee Kernighan was not in there And I'm like, W-T-F What about Slim? I don't know, Slim should be in there, surely. Slim Dusty, though, is not shady. I think, was he, was Slim Dusty?

Was he the one? Did he write, I've been everywhere, man? That was someone else. But I think Johnny Cash did a version of that. Oh, probably. Probably. But he also covered a Nicky, I mean, he also covered a Nick Cave song, The Mercy Seat and duetted with Nick Cave in Laddie's as well.

Wow. That's really cool. And that's, yeah, just a couple of deep, great brooding men. Yeah, two deep voices together. His last long-term project was when he teamed up with legendary music producer Rick Rubin to release the American recordings. You familiar with Rick Rubin? Yes.

This would lead to yet another revival. of Cash's career after relatively lean period of critical success and relevance, really. Rubin had already made his name producing a diverse range of huge albums. Have you heard of Rick Rubin? No. He did the Beastie Boys' first album. Lances Hill. Yeah.

It's done every. He did Rund A MC's Raising Hell, like one of their huge, that was their huge one. Slay's Rain and Blood, which is like their classic, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic. So he'd already done all these albums for them. He's gone on to... Turned like Metallica. Yes. He sort of made Metallica.

He's still done Madonna? He's done all kinds of... Yeah. Oh, incredible. Just across all sorts of genres. And he also, yeah, he really brought a big upswing to Cash's career right at the end with this series of albums. The first one, the American Recordings album, was released in 1994.

It was the first Cash album to chart in the US country top 30 in over 10 years. And it opened up a new audience to him. and it also scored a Grammy for Best, contemporary folk album. Cash followed up with further albums in this series of Rubin, the fourth of which released in 2002, subtitled The Man Comes Around, was the 87th studio album and also the final. No! Yeah, 87th and final in his lifetime.

That is insane. I think the title track on that, you know, that song The Man Comes Around, I think that's probably my favorite cash song, and it was like released a year before he died. He's just releasing bangers right till then. That album also has his cover of Hurt, which you're probably familiar with that 9-inch Nile song. Yeah, it's really good.

That's often like Sada is one of the best songs ever. Yeah, it's often in the list of best covers and even, yeah, just great, great songs. He passed away the following year on the 12th of September 2003 from complications with diabetes. He lived only a couple of, months longer than his wife June who passed away on the 15th of May. And his final months, Cash and Rubin continued on the project was recordings that would make

up American 5, which was subtitled, 100 Highways. And there was even another one released beyond that American 6th. He finished up the recordings just a week before his death. And according to Ruben, this is quoting Ruben, once June passed, the person at the month, He had the will to live long enough to record, but that was pretty much all. A day after June past, he said, I need to have something to do every day,

otherwise there's no reason for me to be here. The album was a critical and commercial success, hitting number one not only on the US country chart, but also on the just, it was number one on the mainstream US chart. In 2005, a biopic. I say biopic, but I hear... Biopic. Some people say biopic.

I say biopic. Diopic sounds to me like someone with your eyes. I think I say biopic but I... Of course you fucking do. They're both right. They're both fine. Biop. But it's biographic or bio.

You don't say it. Oh, I suppose you say. Biopic. Oh yeah, no, yeah, right? Yeah, look, I'd just talk myself out of it. In 2005, a biopic starring Whacking Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash

as we talked about before was released to much acclaim. Witherspoon won the Academy of, award for best actress and Phoenix was nominated for best actor. Did their own singing? Did their own singing, yeah. Which is like, it's actually really great. Like they're singing, I mean. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it's, yeah, I think it's, um,

yeah, that's impressive, I didn't know that. Spot on. And I think, yeah, I think, pretty sure I read they did, they did a live performance, um, with the actors and the living, um, members of the band all together somewhere around that time, which is cool. in 2010 Rolling Stone magazine named Cash the 31st greatest artist of all time and I've put this down as a fun fact

but we all know fun facts but I kind of wanted just to finish the report with Vivian Cash who lived outlived Johnny and June by a couple years whatever but in between June dying and Johnny dying Vivian went and visited Cash and told him she was writing this book.

And apparently Cashed her all about time or something like that, which is weird. And apparently he agreed to write the forward for it, but he died before he got the chance. But I quite like this because she, you know, sometimes, I feel like sometimes in a breakup, people will focus on one or the other. And it's often not the person who really was committed to them. it's the other person who's come in. It's like, to me, it's like, you'd be, logically, you should be pissed off at Johnny. He's the one who fucked you over.

June, you know, she had no commitment to you. Yeah. But, you know, whatever. But anyway, Vivian definitely was more brutal against June in her afterwards, which is like, obviously, more in a relationship, however you like. Tell me if this is a fun fact. I don't think it is. Vivian Cash's autobiography, she denied that Carter had anything to do with the writing of Ring of Fire, which is obviously credited to her.

This is a quote from the book. She didn't write that song any more than I did. The truth is Johnny wrote that song while Pilled Up and Drunk about a certain private female body part. Oh. Oh. A ring of fire. It shouldn't feel like fire. And if it feels like it's on fire, you should get an ointment for that.

Call a doctor. See a doctor. But isn't that amazing? Like she believes that and I assume she believed that to write it. Yeah. That's a good assumption. Yeah. I think it's so funny because I totally understand why,

and I think it's probably quite common that she hates June. Yeah. But you're so right that it's not June who said she'd marry you and live with you and have a life with you. Yeah, and had four kids with you. Yeah, it's Johnny. and no, you shouldn't have fought harder for him. Yeah. Because he wouldn't do that for you.

Yeah, he didn't. He apparently never apologised and didn't say goodbye. No, never apologize. Fuck that guy. Yeah. Anyway, I mean, I'm sure there are different versions of all of that. So those things were coming from her autobiography, and she also said that Chunkharto didn't write this song that she famously wrote.

So, you know, grain assault. Yeah. I mean, I got all of this information. from the internet. And I mean, that is notoriously and notoriously credible. That's, oh, sorry, that's a report.

Great report. Stuff, Matthew. Matthew, our little golden boy. I enjoyed that. So you got the listeners to vote on the, sorry, to the Patreon supporters. Yes. Upper Patreon tier level people to vote on that topic.

And you let me know that it was, you let me know that it was Valentine's Day around this episode time, or is it as this episode comes out? Yeah, I think maybe the day before our time. Right, so I put up... Our Valentine's Day is a Wednesday. No, sorry, it comes out on our Valentine's Day.

So I said to Matt, oh, maybe we can have a love story. So thank you for providing a beautiful tale. Because, I mean, I didn't know a lot about that and I didn't think about it. I went through the hat and I'm trying to find love-specific things. In the end, I decided to put up three beloved entertainers. Oh, nice one. Yeah, our listeners wouldn't really suggest romantic topics. They tend to go for mystery.

or serial killers. Yeah, I mean, most stories end up having love in them. Like, that's just a very... It's just part of life. It's a bit of a trope, really. It's a part of life. Yeah, it's a part of life. You live, you laugh, you love.

Your lumber. You lament, you know. I think... Five elves. Can add Johnny Cash to a list of people that you're disappointed to hear about their life. Roll Dahl, Charlie Chaplin. Though with Johnny Cash,

I find him less surprising to be an asshole than Roll Dahl or Charlie Chaplin. Yeah. Yes. Yes. I could be like, yeah, I can see that. He seemed like a bit of a crazy rocker. And it does feel like he did like find a lot of redemption beyond, you know, those real fucked up years.

But. And he, I mean, he wrote a lot of good songs. 87 albums. Well, I mean, that was, yeah. And then like a couple of come out since he died as well. Oh, shit. There was a lost album that his son found that was released and went to number one. the charts, the mainstream charts.

That's insane. Really cool. Obviously a pretty cool story regardless of how we feel about him. Do we credit who suggested this topic? We didn't mention that, but a couple of people suggested him, including, this guy with a great name, Jordan Quasi. Almost definitely not how you pronounce it. Q-U-A-Z-I.

Quasi. Quasi-Jordan. He's from Hertfordshire in England. Hertfordshire. Thank you, Jordan. Hurtfordshire. And also. Andrew Cox.

No comment. From Knoxville. Andrew Cox from Knoxville. Knoxville, Noxville, home of the Wigsphere. One of my favorite things. Comes up a bit, the Wixby. It certainly does.

Thanks very much to those guys that suggested that. If you want to suggest a topic, you can do that at any time. There is a link in the description of this episode. It says, submit topic idea. You click on that. fill out a little form. Tell us why we should do the topic and what kind of topic it is.

And we may well do that as our next episode. We may well. May well. We may badly. Yeah, we may do it. We may do it badly. We may do it badly. And of course, if you want to support the show of you,

listen every week. You have a good time with us. You want to keep the show going. Have a good time? Hey? Hey, hey. Let us know by giving us Johnny Cash at patreon. com slash do go on pod.

Except condoms or cash as donations. Johnny condoms. Yeah. Is that a button on Patreon? How haven't you seen that big jar of condoms in your office? What do you think that was? An art piece? Yeah.

It is. Pretty artistic. You're right. Have you pledged to our Patreon monthly, you get stuff in exchange, like a bonus episode once a month. We do video chat and Matt does like a little newslettery thing. You get access to tickets to live shows before anyone else. And you get a shout out on the show. I would like to shout out and say thanks to a couple of our Patreon people right here right now, Matt.

Who would you like to thank for giving us Johnny Cash? From Acton, Massachusetts. So convincing and then you lost it. I don't know that it was convincing in the first. Massachusetts. Boston, Massachusetts. That's what I said. Boston Massachusetts.

You're adding some teas in that. Right. Yeah, I'm not doing that right. Jake Bartlett. Jake Bartlett. We normally do a thing. Are we doing a thing with this? Yeah, we definitely should.

So maybe they're a man in a color? No, we've done too many colors. What about if we do? Johnny Cash did an album live from prison. Where would Jake do his album? Oh, great. I think Jake Bartlett would do his album live from the swimming center. Oh, yes.

In the water. Underwater or just on time? Underwater. I'm going to say terrible acoustics above ground in the swimming center. You know how it's always echoing there. Even worse below. But good on you, Jake. No, he's got the technology.

Yeah. We have the technology. That's a great custard album. We have the technology. Is that what you're referencing there? I think I was referencing the $6 million man. Great. Maybe that's all they were referencing.

Yeah, I think so. I did not realize that. And I'd also love to thank if I can. It's okay with you guys. Cameron Hidalgo from La Mesa, California. Wow. I don't think I was at Cameron right there. The rest I sort of fell away, but Cameron Hidalgo from La Mesa, California.

Okay, and Cameron would do his album live from Starbucks. Oh, wow. Coffee lover. Yeah. Jane Coffee lover. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, corporate sellout. I've had a Starbucks in America Which is where they're from, I believe

We have them here too I think they're from Seattle Are they really? I believe so So it's Fraser Crane A baby I hear the blues are calling To a salad and scramble eggs Oh my

What is the boy to do Maybe I'll be a bit confused Well maybe If you order I got you peck But I don't know what That are salad and scrambled eggs They're calling again

Goodnight Seattle We love you Is that the song that Mr Hidalgo is performing at Starbucks Yeah that's when he's doing Yes On repeat Yeah and people did seem a bit confused But baby he had them pegged

May I thank some people Please Jess I would like to say It's sending more death rather than I wanted to do Please Jess I would like to thank a local lad from New South Wales, NSW, Jake Went. Ah, Jake went.

Thank you, Jake. And where would Jake do his live album from? Where would he go? Jake went. Live from a pet shop. I actually thought I was about to say on horseback. In the pet shop? Yeah.

He's just riding, it's a big warehouse. I'm picturing him, though, somehow he's mucked out. He's backwards, right? So he's singing off the back of the horses as the crowd follows him around in a circle. Wow, what an experience. Maybe strumming on a steel guitar that he bought from Red Canoodle. He's canoodling on his guitar. And does he look stressed?

Like is he sort of panicking the horses out of control? No. No, he's in control. He's cool. Chill A.F. Wow. Got on your Jake went. Keep riding the good ride.

And I'd also like to thank from Michigan. Eric Flynn. Very cool name. My high school sports team was Flynn. We were yellow. Named after Eric. Errol. Eric and Errol Flynn, very similar names.

Yes. I'm iconic Australian actor. So he will do his... From the Spirit of Tasmania. Life of the Spirit of Tasmania. Because Errol Flynn's famously from Tasmania. And he was a swashbuckling actor, so obviously always on a ship. Yeah, I think we should definitely explain to our Michigan listener that the spirit of Tasmania is a ship.

Yeah. It's like a small... cruise ship you can catch overnight from mainland Australia to Tasmania. I love the idea that you would think that's just conceptually he would do it live from the spirit of Tasmanians. Yeah, that's beautiful. Maybe that is what he's where he's going to be. Eric Flynn.

Very cool. Thanks, Eric. Thank you, Eric. I would like to thank all the way from Dallas, Texas, an airport that a couple of weeks ago I visited. So we were in the same vicinity for a couple of hours. Though my stopover was not enough and I had to embarrassingly run through the terminal.

Never done that before. Oh, I hate that. And someone actively laughed at us. They went, I wanted to tell them to fuck off. But then I remember I was in Texas, but they all have guns. How strange. Big multi-galloned hats.

Honestly, there were people in the airport with big hats on and I was really loving it. I love to come back to Texas and experience it properly. But from Dallas, Texas, I would like to thank Monica Lopez Monica Lopez is a beautiful name Where would Monica do her

Her concert live from Monica Lopez live from Ohio Live from Ohio Yeah she's not from there But she's where she's doing a show from Just in the centre In the centre

She looks up the longitude and latitude She figures out the exact coordinates Of the centre of Ohio That's our dream gig What a lucky duck Yeah And then she performs there and it goes off.

I bet. I bet that would bring, I mean, even more tourism to Ohio. Yeah, than already. Like, the tourism industry will explode. Fuck, what a place. Do you remember when I realized that Ohio is not that far from Gary? We can go easily road trip between the two and also get to Pittsburgh. You still, like, you say that like you're convincing us.

We're on board. Oh, my God. We're doing it. We're doing it. Because I'm doing it either way, but it'll be more fun with you guys. I need to get a photo of you in front of a sign that says welcome to Gary. I need that in my life. We all need that.

Matt, we need this. I need it too. One of my breweries that I frequent a lot up in Bright in the country has released a limited edition beer called Gary. No. That is the sick beer idea alarm. Does it have anything to do with... It goes off every time Matt mentions beer. You have a problem.

Stop abusing beer. Get out of your beer. Dave, do you have someone else to think? I got one last person. This person is listening. Oh, I imagine they're listening from their house in Bavaria, Germany. That is exactly where Johnny Cash was stationed. Station listening into the Soviet.

communicate. I can only imagine that this person is listening into the Soviet communique still. Maritz Ramuta. Oh my God. Meritz. M-O-R-R-Tz. And I think that Maritz is live from a beer house

because Maritz is the name of a great beer from Barcelona. And the Pereira is a beer mecca as well. So put those together. Maritz live from Zibir house. Zibirhaus. Maybe the Lowenbrough beer house. At October 1st, the Lowenbrough, I'm sure it's pronounced totally like Lurvenbrough or something, but the tent there has, or at least it did years ago when I was there,

had a big mechanical roaring line, which I think every hour would roar. So good. Awesome. That's so cool. I know. I know. Yeah, I don't know. It's very cool that we can thank people from Dallas

and then go to Bavaria, Germany, and these people are supporting the show. Thank you so much. It's really mind-blying. Amazing. I don't say this lately. You are fucking legends. You!

And make me being up till 4.30 a.m. today feel worth it. Slightly worth it. No, I really did get deep. And I was listening to back catalogue, Johnny Cash, as I went as well. well. I almost gave it away to you guys as I walked in and I kept accidentally singing Johnny Cash. You know, I'm so paranoid about giving away topics. I said, we, um, what have you been up to, Jess? How are you? Nice to see you. You're buying stuff. Will that be cash or card?

Shut up. Shut the fuck up. They'll know. They'll know. Even though Matt's... Because Johnny Cash, he was a real card. It's a real card about town. All, we're going to wrap it up there. Thank you so much for everyone for listening. Get in contact at any time through email, do go on pod at g-go-one.com and the social medias at dogo on pod. Thanks so much for listening.

As we always say here on the show, bloody suck a fuck, you fucking ducks. No, I don't say that. All right, I'm going to save it and say. So tired. Goodbye. Bye. Suck a fuck.

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