Kris Kristofferson was "an Oxford scholar, a defensive back, a bartender, a Golden Gloves Boxer, a gandy dancer, a forest-fighter, a road crew member, and an Army Ranger who flew helicopters. He was a peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a Casanova, and a family man. He was almost a teacher at West Point, but he gave that up to become a Nashville songwriting bum."
I stole that description from his official website because I didn't want to miss anything.
This is a tough one for me. I am a word guy. In my mind the highest evolution of writing is when you can match your words to music. Kris did that in a way that was so accessible. He expressed high thoughts and deep truths effortlessly. Real people understand the depths of what he is saying because he speaks directly to their hearts.
I hate lists, I hate to rank things, especially regarding music, because I love music with my heart and soul, and my tastes range across a wide spectrum.
But Kris Kristofferson occupies rare air in my life. Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson - that might be the four that I worship most. Kris is #1 - I loved that man so much.
Springsteen, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson - cream of the crop, man. Right up there. But Dylan, Cohen, Van Zandt, and Kristofferson have a way of expressing deep philosophies, of expressing raw truths about the heart and life and what it means to be human; they make you think and appreciate and feel and investigate and smile and cry. They talk about small things in life that connect us all as humans; they express big thoughts that make you want to improve your life and your mind.
Staggering talents.
I am struggling here because I do not want to say anything inconsequential. I cannot tell you how many times I listened to Kris's lyrics in awe - amazed at how he expressed himself and how it related to my own life and mind.
I am always looking for stimulation. I am often bored. I live for the moments when I can lose myself in pure emotion, pure thought; for the moments when my mind recoils in horror at being exposed to what it doesn't know, forced to put in the work to learn more. Or the moments when anxiety, worry, self-doubt and fear are quieted in my mind by music, poetry, philosophy.
Kris Kristofferson gave me all of that all the time. I was humbled to listen to him.
Carol and I saw him in concert at the Hampton Beach Casino. The band took a break - Kris walked out the big doors leading to the parking lot, I went to the men's room. Walking back, as I passed the doors, one swung open and in walked Kris - he passed within five feet of me. I said nothing - I was in awe. I should have shaken his hand, told him how much he meant to me. Still, I was purified by his aura.
We saw him in Keene - alone, on stage. Just Kris Kristofferson and his guitar - no band. It was so intimate it was mind blowing.
Bob Dylan - "Everything was very copacetic. Everything was all right until - Kris Kristofferson came to town. Oh, they ain't seen anybody like him. He came into town like a wildcat, flew his helicopter into Johnny Cash's backyard like a typical songwriter. And he went for the throat............................you can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris - because he changed everything." (Dylan - 2015).
I cannot choose my favorite Kris lyrics - but these always blow me away because it feels like they summarize an entire life, and the universal struggles and questions connected with just being human:
"Am I young enough to believe in revolution, am I strong enough to get down on my knees and pray, am I high enough on the chain of evolution to respect myself, and my brother and my sister, and perfect myself in my own peculiar way." From Pilgrim's Progress.
I loved you with my heart and soul, Kris Kristofferson. I always will. Your talent brought me such peace and joy, you added years to my life. You lived your life in fierce expression of your soul, no matter what.
It will take me a very long time to get over your death.
Requiescat in pace, Kris Kristofferson.
You have left a void in this world that will never be filled.
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