Ailing Johnny Cash may be at MTV awards - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AKA · 08-24-2003, 03:57 PM

Johnny Cash May Steal Show at MTV Awards

By David Bauder
The Associated Press

NEW YORK - This week's MTV Video Music Awards, celebrating a medium that usually oozes youth and invincibility, would seem like the last place to celebrate a somber video with a frail, 71-year-old Johnny Cash.

Yet the extraordinary clip for "Hurt" — one that its creator feared would never be seen on television — is up for six awards, making Cash third only to Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake in nominations.

The country legend, who suffers from the nervous system disease autonomic neuropathy, has been working with doctors in the hope of traveling to New York for the show.

"He's planning on it," said singer Rosanne Cash, his daughter.

The video depicts a white-haired Cash, his gnarled hands occasionally shaking, in his home singing a song popularized by the rock band Nine Inch Nails. The images are interspersed with clips of a younger, more vital Cash.

The wrenching song is about the damage done by a life of drug abuse. "What have I become?" he sings. "My sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away in the end."

A camera cuts to a picture of Cash's late mother on the wall of his Tennessee home after he sings the lyric.

The video is made even more heartbreaking in retrospect by the presence of Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, who looks at her husband with a mixture of pride and concern. She died on June 12, a few months after filming.

Warned by her sister that it may be tough to watch, Rosanne Cash avoided popping the video in her VCR. On a visit to Tennessee, her father asked if she had seen it.

"I watched it with him and June and I was weeping and weeping through the whole thing," she said. "My dad was completely clear-eyed and focused on the merits of the video, which is so much like him. He's able to focus on the most awful truths with an artist's eye."

It was only through director Mark Romanek's nagging that the video was even made.

A Cash fan, Romanek begged producer Rick Rubin for years to make a video of his hero. He and Rubin expected no airplay. They figured they would sell copies in stores.

Memorable music videos are much rarer now than when MTV started the Video Music Awards in 1984. MTV plays videos infrequently and outlets like MTV2 and Fuse don't have the same cultural impact.

"If you watch what's on MTV, you don't see anything like this," Rubin said. "You won't see anything from any artist in Johnny's age range and you won't see anything with this kind of serious content. It really sticks out like a sore thumb."

MTV won't say how many times the video actually aired on the network; Rubin said he's heard it was played six times — one for each video music award nomination.

It has, however, gotten much more exposure than Romanek expected on outlets like CMT and MTV2.

Romanek's original idea was to film Cash on a Los Angeles soundstage packed with memorabilia from the singer's career. The artifacts would gradually disappear until Cash appeared alone at the song's end.

Yet Cash wasn't healthy enough to make the trip, so the director brought his crew to Cash's home, not knowing what he'd find. One stroke of luck was finding the shuttered and decaying House of Cash Museum five minutes from the singer's home. It was used in the video, too.

He never expected to make such a powerful reflection on aging and mortality.

"You really get an inside feeling of the human experience of growing up in a family and all the trials and tribulations that come up for everyone," Rubin said. "It's such a common thing but it's so rarely touched upon."

The veteran producer, a pioneer in rap music who has helped Cash to a creative rebirth with a series of intimate recordings, said he's heard more people talking about the video than anything he'd ever worked on.

"If you were moved to that kind of emotion in the course of a two-hour movie, it would be a great accomplishment," he said. "To do it in a four-minute music video is shocking."

Romanek said that as a fan, he's always appreciated the candor in Cash's music and thought the video should reflect that.

"I certainly didn't want the piece to appear like a premature obituary," he said. "That wasn't the intention, and I hope the piece doesn't come across that way."

Cash may have been clear-eyed when watching with Rosanne, but was quite taken aback when he first saw it, Rubin said. It was only with his family's encouragement that he agreed to release it.

Now, he said, Cash is quite proud and excited that it has gotten recognition.

Tom Calderone, MTV's executive vice president of music and talent, is hoping to see Cash at Thursday's awards show. He'll provide some heft for an event that even Calderone admits usually has its share of here-today-gone-tomorrow artists.

"Back in the day, he had edge," Calderone said. "He was kind of a rebel."

Cash continues to work despite his health problems and the emotional blow of becoming a widower. He and Rubin are recording their fifth disc together, and are also preparing a box set of unreleased material from their sessions over the past decade.

Romanek said he doesn't want his video confused with real life. Cash's life isn't that bleak, he said.

"It's a very somber song, but when we yelled `cut,' there was a very different Johnny Cash that emerged, who was a lot more lively and a lot more sprightly and funny and frisky with June. (He was) having a good time."

AKA · 08-24-2003, 04:00 PM

You can watch the video at director Mark Romanek's website.

hurt
(reznor)

i hurt myself today
to see if i still feel
i focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but i remember everything
what have i become?
my sweetest friend
everyone i know
goes away in the end
you could have it all
my empire of dirt
i will let you down
i will make you hurt
i wear my crown of ****
on my liars chair
full of broken thoughts
i cannot repair
beneath the stain of time
the feeling disappears
you are someone else
i am still right here
what have i become?
my sweetest friend
everyone i know
goes away in the end
you could have it all
my empire of dirt
i will let you down
i will make you hurt
if i could start again
a million miles away
i would keep myself
i would find a way

omalleyfan · 08-24-2003, 05:49 PM

I hope he wins something, he is a class act, and I loved Hurt ever since NIN did it in 94. Plus it adds poignance to it that June was in the video and she died not long afterwards. This has been both the best and worst year Johnny's had in years

Josh9125 · 08-24-2003, 07:54 PM

I hope he makes it to the show! He better win best male video too!

Faith · 08-26-2003, 08:00 PM

I hope he makes it to the award show. He did an awesome job redoing a NIN song. It is by far one of my favorite songs.

08-24-2003, 03:57 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Ailing Johnny Cash may be at MTV awards Johnny Cash May Steal Show at MTV Awards By David Bauder The Associated Press NEW YORK - This week's MTV Video Music Awards, celebrating a medium that usually oozes youth and invincibility, would seem like the last place to celebrate a somber video with a frail, 71-year-old Johnny Cash. Yet the extraordinary clip for "Hurt" — one that its creator feared would never be seen on television — is up for six awards, making Cash third only to Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake in nominations. The country legend, who suffers from the nervous system disease autonomic neuropathy, has been working with doctors in the hope of traveling to New York for the show. "He's planning on it," said singer Rosanne Cash, his daughter. The video depicts a white-haired Cash, his gnarled hands occasionally shaking, in his home singing a song popularized by the rock band Nine Inch Nails. The images are interspersed with clips of a younger, more vital Cash. The wrenching song is about the damage done by a life of drug abuse. "What have I become?" he sings. "My sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away in the end." A camera cuts to a picture of Cash's late mother on the wall of his Tennessee home after he sings the lyric. The video is made even more heartbreaking in retrospect by the presence of Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, who looks at her husband with a mixture of pride and concern. She died on June 12, a few months after filming. Warned by her sister that it may be tough to watch, Rosanne Cash avoided popping the video in her VCR. On a visit to Tennessee, her father asked if she had seen it. "I watched it with him and June and I was weeping and weeping through the whole thing," she said. "My dad was completely clear-eyed and focused on the merits of the video, which is so much like him. He's able to focus on the most awful truths with an artist's eye." It was only through director Mark Romanek's nagging that the video was even made. A Cash fan, Romanek begged producer Rick Rubin for years to make a video of his hero. He and Rubin expected no airplay. They figured they would sell copies in stores. Memorable music videos are much rarer now than when MTV started the Video Music Awards in 1984. MTV plays videos infrequently and outlets like MTV2 and Fuse don't have the same cultural impact. "If you watch what's on MTV, you don't see anything like this," Rubin said. "You won't see anything from any artist in Johnny's age range and you won't see anything with this kind of serious content. It really sticks out like a sore thumb." MTV won't say how many times the video actually aired on the network; Rubin said he's heard it was played six times — one for each video music award nomination. It has, however, gotten much more exposure than Romanek expected on outlets like CMT and MTV2. Romanek's original idea was to film Cash on a Los Angeles soundstage packed with memorabilia from the singer's career. The artifacts would gradually disappear until Cash appeared alone at the song's end. Yet Cash wasn't healthy enough to make the trip, so the director brought his crew to Cash's home, not knowing what he'd find. One stroke of luck was finding the shuttered and decaying House of Cash Museum five minutes from the singer's home. It was used in the video, too. He never expected to make such a powerful reflection on aging and mortality. "You really get an inside feeling of the human experience of growing up in a family and all the trials and tribulations that come up for everyone," Rubin said. "It's such a common thing but it's so rarely touched upon." The veteran producer, a pioneer in rap music who has helped Cash to a creative rebirth with a series of intimate recordings, said he's heard more people talking about the video than anything he'd ever worked on. "If you were moved to that kind of emotion in the course of a two-hour movie, it would be a great accomplishment," he said. "To do it in a four-minute music video is shocking." Romanek said that as a fan, he's always appreciated the candor in Cash's music and thought the video should reflect that. "I certainly didn't want the piece to appear like a premature obituary," he said. "That wasn't the intention, and I hope the piece doesn't come across that way." Cash may have been clear-eyed when watching with Rosanne, but was quite taken aback when he first saw it, Rubin said. It was only with his family's encouragement that he agreed to release it. Now, he said, Cash is quite proud and excited that it has gotten recognition. Tom Calderone, MTV's executive vice president of music and talent, is hoping to see Cash at Thursday's awards show. He'll provide some heft for an event that even Calderone admits usually has its share of here-today-gone-tomorrow artists. "Back in the day, he had edge," Calderone said. "He was kind of a rebel." Cash continues to work despite his health problems and the emotional blow of becoming a widower. He and Rubin are recording their fifth disc together, and are also preparing a box set of unreleased material from their sessions over the past decade. Romanek said he doesn't want his video confused with real life. Cash's life isn't that bleak, he said. "It's a very somber song, but when we yelled `cut,' there was a very different Johnny Cash that emerged, who was a lot more lively and a lot more sprightly and funny and frisky with June. (He was) having a good time."

08-24-2003, 04:00 PM	#2
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	You can watch the video at director Mark Romanek's website. hurt (reznor) i hurt myself today to see if i still feel i focus on the pain the only thing that's real the needle tears a hole the old familiar sting try to kill it all away but i remember everything what have i become? my sweetest friend everyone i know goes away in the end you could have it all my empire of dirt i will let you down i will make you hurt i wear my crown of **** on my liars chair full of broken thoughts i cannot repair beneath the stain of time the feeling disappears you are someone else i am still right here what have i become? my sweetest friend everyone i know goes away in the end you could have it all my empire of dirt i will let you down i will make you hurt if i could start again a million miles away i would keep myself i would find a way

08-24-2003, 05:49 PM	#3
omalleyfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 12, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 199	I hope he wins something, he is a class act, and I loved Hurt ever since NIN did it in 94. Plus it adds poignance to it that June was in the video and she died not long afterwards. This has been both the best and worst year Johnny's had in years

08-24-2003, 07:54 PM	#4
Josh9125 Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 19, 2001 Location: Sunset Beach, NC Posts: 2,912	I hope he makes it to the show! He better win best male video too!

08-26-2003, 08:00 PM	#5
Faith Internet Junkie Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 07, 2002 Location: HELL Posts: 9,879	I hope he makes it to the award show. He did an awesome job redoing a NIN song. It is by far one of my favorite songs.