The Man In Black

Last night, just as we were about to watch Have I Got News For You, a trailer for the other side announced 'Johnny Cash Night' on BBC4. We've never watched anything on BBC4 (with the exception of Life on Mars). So, since we love Johnny Cash's music ("Rose of My Heart" was the music for our first dance at our wedding), we thought we'd give it a go. We had already seen "Walk the Line" with the marvellous Joaquin Phoenix as the big man, so we had some idea about his life. This documentary, however, went past the point where he married June Carter and covered his later years working with Rick Rubin. Truly a man so talented, he invented himself, and reinvented himself again and again. Astonishing also was the collaboration with Rubin - the man responsible for Def Jam Records and so influential in hip hop music - an odd combination. But just listen to the American Recordings albums. In my view, they are Johnny Cash's best work. It was touching to learn of his relationship with June Carter - rarely apart from when they first met, Cash died within four months of her death. The documentary featured Cash's version of "Hurt", and it was interesting to see his surviving family speak about the video. It really is a very sad thing to watch. Have a look for yourself on YouTube.