Merle Ronald Haggard was born on April 6 in 1937 in Oildale, California. In honor of his birthday, check out this Austin City Limits performance of “Working Man Can’t Get Nowhere Today.” Happy birthday Hag.
Haggard appeared on a number of TV shows during the 1970s. We have previously mentioned his appearance on the Centennial mini-series in 1978. You may check out another 1970s TV appearance on a 1976 episode of The Waltons, where Haggard sings “Nobody’s Darlin’.”
What is your favorite Merle Haggard song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
If you have ever wondered what the movie Pulp Fiction (1994) might look like if it had been a video game in the 1980s, CineFix has answered your question. In the following video, CineFix shows the classic Quentin Tarantino film presented in 8-bit video game glory (with a touch of 16-bit). Check it out.
The video is part of CineFix’s 8 Bit Cinemaseries.
I like the old school option to change characters. What is your favorite part of the video? Leave your two cents in the comments.
This video captures Saturday Night Live alum star Fred Armisen trying out to be the new lead singer of The Flaming Lips. As Armisen takes over the band from Wayne Coyne, he does his best to make the group sound like something besides The Flaming Lips. Do not worry Lips fans, the video comes from Funny or Die. Besides, Armisen is too busy with IFC’s Portlandia and leading the band for NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. So, relax and check out the funny video.
One of my favorite parts of the video is when Coyne sings a part of the wonderful song “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1,” which is from the 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. If you want to hear more of that song, check out this live 2011 performance at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
What is your favorite Flaming Lips song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
“Now the people held their breath, When they heard of Jesse’s death; They wondered how he’d ever come to fall; Robert Ford it was a fact, He shot Jesse in the back, While Jesse hung a picture on a wall.”
On April 3, 1882, Robert “Bob” Ford shot Jesse James in the back, thus ensuring both men would be immortalized in one of the great American folk songs. The song “Jesse James,” with the lyrics quoted above, referred to the outlaw Jesse Woodson James by his famous real name and by the alias he was using at the time of his death, Thomas Howard. The song has been covered by singers such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, and Van Morrison.
Singer-songwriter Nick Cave performed a version of the song in the excellent 2007 movie, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, with Brad Pitt as Jesse James and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. This scene from the movie shows how Ford laid poor Jesse in his grave. Note that these clips contain spoilers from the movie.
Here is Nick Cave’s appearance in the movie, singing “Jesse James” in a saloon to Robert Ford (Affleck).
As for the aftermath of Jesse’s death, Ford and his brother Charles Ford had been promised a large reward by Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden, but they only received a small portion of what was promised. And they were surprised at the hostility they received for killing James.
Both brothers met tragic ends. In 1884, the terminally ill Charles killed himself. Robert Ford, like James, would later be assassinated. A little more than ten years after Jesse’s death, on June 8, 1892 Edward O’Kelley surprised Ford by calling his name in Ford’s Colorado tent saloon, shooting Ford dead as he turned. Robert Ford’s tragic end is captured in this beautiful ending sequence from The Assassination of Jesse James.
Robert Ford and Jesse James are forever linked, although Jesse’s family understandably did not appreciate the association. Ford’s tombstone reads, “The man who shot Jesse James.” By contrast, Jesse James’s tombstone would read: “Jesse W. James, Died April 3, 1882, Aged 34 years, 6 months, 28 days, Murdered by a traitor and a coward whose name is not worthy to appear here.”
Photo of Robert Ford via public domain.
What is your favorite story of an outlaw’s death? Leave your two cents in the comments.
French video series La Blogothèque has released a video of three performers covering tracks off of the upcoming Johnny Cash release, Out Among The Stars. As we previously reported, the new album puts together tracks that Cash recorded in 1981 and 1984, including one song that David Allan Coe had a hit with in 1985. This new video features Brandon Flowers (of the Killers), Father John Misty, and Local Natives each covering one song from the CD, performing isolated in the desert.
First, Flowers performs “I Came to Believe.” Father John Misty plays “Baby Ride Easy,” which is a duet by Cash and June Carter Cash on the album. Finally, Local Natives gives their take on the title song from the album, “Out Among the Stars.” Check it out.
If you want to hear a little more from the actual Johnny Cash album, here is another track that appears on the album. Johnny Cash joins Waylon Jennings singing the Hank Snow song, “I’m Movin’ On.”
Out Among the Stars hits stores Tuesday, April 1. For those excited about the new album from Johnny Cash, there are more unreleased Cash recordings in the vaults.
Will you get the new Johnny Cash album? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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