Geeze, the body is barely cold...

Unfortunately, I'll bet lots of "enterprising" folks have been planning for this day for a while now.

I'm surprised we haven't seen Warren Zevon memorial werewolf masks.

 

Well, they've had plenty of time to prepare for Cash's passing.....I doubt Zevon will garner much merchandising....

The real shocker, years ago--though I shouldn't have been surprised--was all the merchandise that came out in the wake of stock car driver Dale Ernhardt's death. I'm not sure there was anything anyone missed, there was so much junk out there. To this day, I still see some of it around, too. Now, I understand the guy was an icon in his sport, but jeez, there was so much, the excess so total, it really came across as crass, beyond the idea one might want a memento....amazing how many regular folks will make a hero out of a guy who speeds around in circles on a race track for a few hours. Yeah, there is an expertise to it, but at the end of the day, what does it mean? For me, nothing.

The nice thing about music and movies is that the real mementos are the old records, the music itself(even on CD), or a tape, laser or DVD of a cherished film you can view again and again.


ED

 

I'd rather see this than the big 3's that are on cars. I guess it's a Dale Ernhardt thing.

 

Never seen it up here.
must be southern thing........

 

Unfortunately it is. I'm a transplanted Yankee and this redneck stuff scares and confuses me.

 

Well, I see a lot of 'em here in suburban Detroit. Maybe it's more of a "Red America" thing.

 

n: n: (We really need that icon.)

I don't like to see people shamelessly making money off of Cash's passing, but it is much, much better than Calvin pissing on Jeff Gordon, Ford, Chevy, etc.

 

Oh, that Southern Redneck thing.

I read this thread, and my first impression was: Oh, what the hell—let it slide. But I do think it’s troubling to see these vast generalizations and stereotyping about an entire region of the country.

I’m not a fan of NASCAR—I’ve never been to a race, and never seen one on TV. But clearly, someone other than “southern rednecks” are attending and watching. Why else would major corporations like Proctor & Gamble and Home Depot choose to spend tens of millions advertising at these events and sponsoring entire race teams?

I don’t know much about Dale Ernhart, but as for his martyrdom and the #3 tribute, I believe it’s for much the same “screw conventions” and go-for-broke approach that has made Johnny Cash such a revered music figure. He just happened to race cars rather than write and sing songs.

It has a lot to do with the esteem we as a country have for rebels and the freedom of individuality.

(It’s also worth mentioning—the Cash sticker on Ebay that inspired this thread is being sold from the decidedly un-Southern locale of Montpielier, Vermont.)

I was born in the South, and my ancestors have been here for at least a few generations. I know all too well many of the horrible things that happened here during the last part of the 19th Century and much of the 20th Century. I also know that this region didn’t invent prejudice, bigotry and intolerance of people who are different in one way or another. And yes, while the South has changed dramatically in many ways over the past few decades, there are people here with certain attitudes that are less than noble.

But you can also find that on the south side of Chicago or any other major city in this country--most certainly NYC.

So, my point I guess is maybe give some thought to what you’re really saying: If you believe all or most Southern people are “rednecks” (and even that’s relative—some would hold that our president and defense secretary fit the bill), that’s your choice. But I would contend that the attitudes of those in most southern cities is much more diverse and tolerant than that characterization.

And now that I think about it, it’s probably safe to say that—before Johnny Cash’s music gained hip-quotient credibility via Rick Ruben and the sprinkling of A-list alt-rock songwriters, (especially through the 60’s and 70’s)--many non-country fans probably thought of Cash as just another southern redneck with knack for a song.

doug

 

WOW. That was fast.

 

Nice post, Doug.

 

I noticed this morning at Starbucks that they had moved their "as selected by" Johnny Cash compilation to the front of their CD racks.

 

As Randy Newman said in Rednecks:

Yes he's free to be put in a cage
In Harlem in New York City
And he's free to be put in a cage on the South-Side of Chicago
And the West-Side

 

Nice choice, Mike. I think Newman's shown an incredible ability to put himself in the shoes of unsavory characters, then bring it around full-circle to see that it's all really a part being a flawed human. Or to quote T-Bone, the criminal under my own hat.

That's not to gloss over or justify the real prejudices that sitll exist. I see it in people (and in myself) sometimes and can't beleive what I'm hearing or feeling.

The thing about people like Cash and Newman is they can give voice to people who otherwise wouldn't have one--and do it in a way that's provoking and entertaining at the same time.

Ironically, one was a virtually uneducated southern man of the soil; and the other (though New Orleans-born), is for all practical purposes a highly educated west coast liberal.

doug