Love is deaf

I've just watched "Walk the Line", a film about the life of Johnny Cash. It details his growing up in Arkansas, dealing with the death of his brother, his drug addiction and his second marriage with June Carter. It climaxes with his famous concert at Folsom state prison. Being a life-long Cash fan, the film stirred some thoughts. Here they are.

Cash was prominent in my childhood. His record label painted a convincing picture of an intimidating and powerful figure in black. There was much to fear. The film, on the other hand, portrays a man broken with guilt. He resented being bench marked against his dead brother and turned to drugs because he couldn't meet this unrealistic expectation. This leads me to my first point: in my experience, people who make an impact generally have a chip on their shoulder. It provides a handle that intices you out of your comfort zone where you will achieve something remarkable.

My second point is to do with the vocal clash between Johnny and his wife, June. Johnny's voice is deep and basal and June's is weak and throaty. Yeouch - what a mismatch. It doesn't sound so good to me but I'm guessing that, to Johnny, it was perfect. We don't choose who we fall in love with, and a good match on paper doesn't mean very much in the mating game - a very irrational sport.