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you.
His music sucks. I can't see how anyone can enjoy that bull .
you.
And why do people think he's such a badass for this picture?
He is as badass in that picture as she is in this one.
40 year time diff at least in those pics. cash was awesome.
So 40 years ago bad asses threw the finger?
50 years ago shaking your hips on tv was taboo. i shouldn't have to explain this sort of to you.
Imagine how much of a badass he would've been if he shook his hips and threw the finger at the same time. I guess he would be on Charles Manson levels to some people if he did that.
Philistine!
Cash was a people's poet.
yikes....
how old are you?
Johnny Cash was the origional bad ass, the origional man in black.
He puts todays thugs to shame.
Nevermind, you obviously dont get it, why bother?
he could have taken a bunch of psychadelic drugs and written some half sensical overrated books, too!
What made him a badass? Is it because he wore black and throws the finger. Yeah, he's a real badass for that.
Can you imagine if he threw the finger, wore black and shook his hips all at once?
Maybe he should've. That might have made his ty ass music tolerable.
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Johnny Cash Gives You the Finger
The greatest rock-n-roll photo ever taken
by Derek K. Miller
The day after Johnny Cash died, I wrote that the picture you see here was the greatest rock photo ever taken.
I didn't think much about it when I wrote that, because that's been my feeling since my surprise when I first saw it many years ago. But I did think about it later. What makes this photo so great, better than the thousands and thousands of others (some much better known) of musicians obscure and famous?
The picture's impact is obvious. Even though Cash was more of a country star, the at ude is all rock-n-roll. It's not a picture you'd show your mother, even if (maybe especially if) she's a Johnny Cash fan. Sure, there are thousands of photographs of celebrities giving the finger. Almost all of them are contrived, either stone-faced or with the tongue lolling out: "Look at me, ooh, I'm so dangerous," or "Oh, you paparazzi are so bothersome." They're dishonest, posed, and lack energy.
Not Johnny, even though the photo is contrived. The story (at least the most believable one) is that photographer Jim Marshall, snapping pictures of Cash before a concert at San Quentin Prison, asked Cash for a shot "for the warden," and got this result. So it was contrived, yet also spontaneous, which is the essence of rock music too.
You might think this is a picture of the young-punk Johnny Cash of the '50s, but it's from 15 years into his career, in 1969, when he was pushing 40. He'd already gone through addiction and recovery, divorce and remarriage, a string of #1 hits and a popular TV show. He was at the top of his career, when Americans bought more of his records than those of the Beatles or anyone else—5% of all records sold that year, apparently.
But it's more timeless than that. Even if you knew nothing about the photo's history, or even that it's Johnny Cash, it's still great. Other famous photos acquire mystique because their subjects are dead, or they represent a bygone era, or they're set up to make a statement. Very few rock photos transcend that, and this one of Johnny Cash does it best.
Here, there's no need for context. The guitar and swanky strap, the blur of motion, the casual collared shirt (both elegant and probably sweaty), the flip of dark hair, and that face. It could be 1955 or 2003; a makeshift prison stage, a giant concert arena, or a recording studio; an anonymous sidewalk busker or the biggest star in the world. Whoever that guy is, he rocks, and when he gives you the finger, he bloody well means it.
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Page BBEdited on 7-Mar-06 (originally posted 13-Sep-03)
© 2003 Derek K. Miller. Some rights reserved. You may use content from this site non-commercially if you give me credit, under the terms of my Creative Commons license.
thought you guys might be interested in a little history behind the photo.
"Look at me, ooh, I'm so dangerous,"
That's exactly what that photo screams out to me. Except it's not taken of an immature 20-something pop star. It's coming from a 40 year old man that is sadly acting at the maturity level of a 20-something pop star.
"Look at me, ooh, I'm so dangerous,"
That's exactly what that photo screams out to me. Except it's not taken of an immature 20-something pop star. It's coming from a 40 year old man that is sadly acting at the maturity level of a 20-something pop star.
okay.
You're dead to me.
I'm confused. Why does it matter? Is Midge...like, trying to get everyone to hate Johnny Cash, or....what? I don't see what the picture has to do with his music, but that may be because I haven't slept in literally 24 hours. Whatev.
Johnny Cash might be one of the 10 greatest musicians to ever live. I'm not a country fan at all, but At Folsom Prison is one of my five most listened to albums. He sings 25 Minutes to Go like he's on Death Row with the way his voice cracks and fluctuates as he gets closer to zero, and Folsom Prison Blues sounds like he'd been there 10 years. Amazing album.
Love his stuff towards the end.
Did you ever wonder if he was the setter of the trend? I'm fairly certain back in the 60's that entertainers didn't just flip off every camera guy for attention or press. The "finger" has lost its significance in light of how played out it's become, but back then, I'm quite certain it was a shock and its message rang loud and clear. Those who identified with it latched on and started the process of the two-finger salute and those who were offended got a built-in response to their offense-taking.And why do people think he's such a badass for this picture?
He is as badass in that picture as she is in this one.
He was an original, not a rank immitation.
Cocaine Blues is a great live song and that whole Folsom live album was great. Very good drinking music.
Mental Midget just likes to start , I doubt he believes what he says. What a fake
avril is a bad , you betta recognize!
I believe every word I'm saying. I think Johnny Cash sucks balls. His music is far from poetic and is just a bunch of redneck rambling. Anyone who doesn't agree with me just look at these lyrics.
And it annoys the piss out of me that people think he is a badass because he throws the finger. Big ing deal.
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