RIP to a Great American

Over the weekend, a great American died.

His name was Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024).

Today’s newsletter is a celebration of his life and spirit.

Kris Kristofferson was one of the greatest songwriters America has ever produced.

At a 2008 award ceremony, Willie Nelson said:

Kristofferson was more than just a musician. He was also:

• A Rhodes Scholar who played rugby & boxed at Oxford

• An Army captain who completed Ranger School and piloted helicopters

• A Grammy-winning musician whose songs were covered by Johnny Cash & hundreds of others

• A Golden Globe-winning actor who appeared in dozens of films

• A political activist who used his fame to help the downtrodden in the U.S. and around the world

In other words, Kristofferson was a renaissance man.

In a 1999 interview, he said:

Kristofferson grew up in Texas & California before attending Pomona College.

During his time at college, he was a nationally-renowned athlete & writer.

Two essays he wrote during his college years were published by The Atlantic Magazine. (you can read them and other stories written by Kris here)

Check out this newspaper article written about him when he was just 21 years old:

During his time at Oxford he studied the work of mystical poet & artist William Blake.

Kristofferson explained his fascination with the poet:

After his time at Oxford and in the Army, Kristofferson was even offered the chance to teach English literature at West Point — an opportunity he turned down to pursue a career in music.

His initial goal was to become a novelist, and he saw music as a good way to make enough money to write.

But before long, he would become one of the best-known and most-respected songwriters in the country.

Shortly after Kris moved to Nashville, the capital city of country music, he became a part of the city’s thriving musical culture.

He famously landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s lawn in an effort to get Cash’s attention.

His plan worked. Johnny Cash took Kristofferson under his wing, recording Kristofferson’s song “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

The rest, they say, is history.

Bill Trott described Kristofferson’s contributions to country music in the excellent obituary he wrote for Kristofferson in Reuters:

Kristofferson also took politics seriously, aligning himself with numerous left-wing & progressive political causes throughout his life.

In 1992, he shared the stage on Saturday Night Live with Irish singer Sinead O’Connor after she tore apart a picture of the Pope.

She was protesting cover-ups of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and was booed by the studio audience.

Kris walked on the stage and embraced her. He would later write a song about her called Sister Sinead.

Plus: Check out this video of him talking about American politics in 1991:

Towards the end of his life, Kristofferson began to suffer from Alzheimer’s.

He wrote the following lyrics describing the experience of losing his memory:

Despite his memory loss, Kristofferson could still quote William Blake from memory.

Here’s a particularly poignant Blake quote that Kris said reflected his attitude about life:

I love this message. If you have a God-given talent, you must use it.

RIP Kris. Take some time to listen to his music this week.

ART OF THE DAY

Ancient of Days by William Blake