The most recent episode of the PBS animated series Blank on Blank features the late great Johnny Cash in a 1996 interview with author and music critic Barney Hoskyns . During the interview Johnny discusses his sideburns, the gospel, dealing with pain, dressing in black and going on tour.
Barney Hoskins: Do you really need to tour so much? Do you need to work so hard and drive yourself so hard?
Johnny Cash: For my soul I do. Yeah, for my soul. It’s a gift. My mother always told me that any talent is a gift of God and I always believed it. If I quit, I would just live in front of the television and get fat and die pretty soon. So I don’t want to do that. You know I just hope and pray I can die with my boots on. I’ve been in hospital beds and I don’t want to end it up there.
image by Robert Seebree
