The Man in Black, a Man in Syndication

Strange morning for me. I woke up, called Nena and found out that both Johnny Cash and John Ritter had passed away over night. Just a bizarre way to start your day.

John Ritter. . .will he ever be anyone other than Jack Tripper off of Three's Company? I don't think so, but that's alright I think. I'm part of a generation that saw him daily in syndication. Early and mid 80s syndication was a strange world, one that Billy Pilgrim would have been right at home in. Every afternoon, UHF stations were truly unstuck in time. You could move backwards and forwards through the past 10 years of TV, never really sure where you were. If you were young enough to not understand syndication, you'd have no idea that these episodes weren't chronological, or even original. It was a strange time, to be sure. And in my mind, Ritter will always be associated with that time. Is that a tribute? Is that how he'd want to be remembered. I have no clue, but that's the way it is.

J.R. Cash has been with us since February 26, 1932. He started out in Kingsland, Arkansas and left us from Nashville, Tennessee. The story of that 416 mile journey is one that has profoundly shaped the sound of music in this nation today. Cash spent his 40+ years as a performer as a rebel, a Christian, and an everyman.

I came late to the Cash game. It wasn't until 1997 that I ever really bothered to listen to the Man in Black, and when I did, there was just something about his voice. It spoke to the scared 18 year old me. Over the years, I've listened to him more and more. His voice was one that was unafraid, aware of what was coming for him, and resigned to that fact. Even with that resignation, there was always the undercurrent of hope. It's what moves me when I hear "I Walk the Line" or "Hurt."

I don't think any of us thought this was an unexpected occurance, but all the same I think many of us were hoping for one more album, a few more years. But, after his wife passed on, I don't think he was long for this world. . .but what the hell do I know, I'm some punk in Kansas who's never met the man. Strangely, though I really feel like I have, thanks to his music. More than just about anyone else, I feel like I knew this man through his voice.