Johnny Cash seemed like the stuff of legend when he was alive, and
even more so as he achieved something close to sainthood in death. The
interviews collected here bring us closer to the actual man: brilliant,
falliable, introspective, and longing for redemption.
Mythmaker, philosopher, sinner, and saint, Johnny Cash is perhaps the
quintessential American icon. Though often rebellious and unruly, he
rarely spoke without intention, sincerity, and a bit of poetry. Together
with an introduction by music critic Peter Guralnick, the interviews
here spotlight that inimitable rhetorical style, and the fascinating
diversity of subjects that made him as relatable as he was mysterious.
From a hopped up early interview with Pete Seeger, to a meditation on
sobriety, to the last interview in which he stares calmly into the face
of death, this collection brings together decades of insight as deeply
profound as the unforgettable baritone of The Man in Black himself.