Hey, You: Wanna Win Something Cool?
Not that I’m into velvet rope culture, but I was lucky enough to stroll the black carpet at the Beacon Theater premiere of the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line last November. The stars arrived and the girls dialed girlfriends to deliver reports on celebrity style. I left the theater that night admiring the acting’s obvious superiority over a somewhat mediocre script, but I still couldn’t shake the notion that nobody could truly nail the Man in Black.
I was a bit of a Cash late-bloomer. Sure, I’d always known the hits, but not until the summer in the year of our lord 2000 did Johnny ever provide the musical backdrop for such a protracted period of time for me. All summer long Cash’s ruggedly pained vocals serenaded our perpetual season of darts. He’d shout “Hey, Porter” when I’d hit double 20 or lament the time he took a shot of cocaine and shot his woman down after a just-missed-19 single three.
But the first time I heard his live performance at San Quentin, I got pretty geeked up. Part of me wanted to take a double shot of the manliest, dirtiest whiskey in the bar, smash a glass bottle on the table and stab the guy yappin’ at my lady right in the groin. Then I remembered I was a sheltered weakling from Lawn Gisland and my sudden confidence turned to envy of this man’s complete coolness.
I mention all this nonsense as a quasi-preface to this particular bit of town crying: A new, remastered two-CD, one-DVD Johnny Cash: At San Quentin set will be released to the masses later this month, and we’re offering a free copy to one lucky reader of this post. That’s right, one of youse can win the three-disc package as part of our first ever Everybody Wins When I Plug Something And In Return They Offer Me Free Shit To Give Away contest.
Some blogs pick winners at random and some like to throw out trivia, but I’d like to subjectively choose a commenter that deserves it based on their response to this question: If you were locked away in a pound-me-in-the-ass state prison for the rest of your living days, what individual musician or band would you least want swinging by the clink to provide a glimmer of hope to you and your fellow inmates? And like we’re back in grade school, explain your reasoning and show your work.
Respond early, respond often — the contest ends at midnight next Sunday evening, and a winner will be announced Monday, November 13th at a signing ceremony in the White House Roosevelt Room with oversized balloons and a bunch of fancy pens. Remember to leave an e-mail address at the bottom of your comment, and make sure to check back and see if you win the fuckin’ thing.
Read on after the jump for some samples from the release and a full track and band listing from this legendary follow-up to At Folsom Prison…
Stream the title track and one of Johnny’s classics:
JOHNNY CASH – AT SAN QUENTIN: LEGACY EDITION
(recorded Feb. 24, 1969; originally issued June 1969)
Disc One:
Carl Perkins
1. * Blue Suede Shoes
The Statler Brothers
2. * Flowers On The Wall
The Carter Family
3. * The Last Thing On My Mind
June Carter Cash
4. * June Carter Cash talks to the audience
5. * Wildwood Flower
Johnny Cash
6. # Big River
7. # I Still Miss Someone
8. Wreck Of The Old 97
9. I Walk The Line
10. * Medley: The Long Black Veil/Give My Love To Rose
11. Folsom Prison Blues
12. * Orange Blossom Special
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
13. * Jackson
14. Darlin’ Companion
The Carter Family
15. * Break My Mind
Johnny Cash
16. # I Don’t Know Where I’m Bound
17. Starkville City Jail
Disc Two:
Johnny Cash
1. San Quentin
2. San Quentin
3. Wanted Man
Carl Perkins
4. * Restless
Johnny Cash
5. A Boy Named Sue
6. * Blistered
7. (There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley
Carl Perkins
8. * The Outside Looking In
The Statler Brothers
9. * Less Of Me
Johnny Cash with the Carter Family
10. # Ring Of Fire
Johnny Cash with the Carter Family, the Statler Brothers, and Carl Perkins
11. # He Turned The Water Into Wine
12. # Daddy Sang Bass
13. # The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago
14. # Closing medley: Folsom Prison Blues/I Walk The Line/Ring of Fire/The Rebel-Johnny Yuma
# indicates track restored on 2000 expanded edition.
* indicates previously unissued track.
Disc Three (DVD): Johnny Cash – In San Quentin
- Original 1969 documentary produced by Granada TV in the U.K. Running time: approx. 60 minutes. Produced for reissue by Michael B. Borofsky.
Musicians:
Johnny Cash – vocal, guitar
June Carter Cash – vocal
Marshall Grant – bass
W.S. Holland – drums
Carl Perkins – electric guitar, vocal
Bob Wootton – electric guitar
The Carter Family (Mother Maybelle, Helen and Anita) – vocals, guitars
The Statler Brothers (Harold Reid, Don Reed, Phil Balsley, Lew Dewitt) – vocals
Leave your comment below…
Worst idea ever: Having Jessica Simpson perform in a federal prison. Her horrible music will make inmates disgruntled … and her extreme sex appeal will make them wildly horny. Chances of being “assualted,” then beaten in the shower will go WAY up.
mmmm gotta love the johnny cash. just got the new two-disc set “personal file” which is fantastic
The Police
^^SSIA
thanks for the cntest.
This was a great package for them to put together, cant wait to see and hear it all! Boy named Sue is a classic!
The man in Black.
As for your question, i think i would want to see Willie Nelson if i was in the clink. 1. His music is nice and slow so it wouldnt get the inmates all riled up. 2. Good tunes like Whiskey River would remind me of when i used to be able to get drunk. 3. On the Road agian would give me hope for when i get out. 4. And maybe he could sneek in some cheeba for all us inmates :)
If I was locked up I would want Merle Haggard there to play “Sing Me Back Home”. No one has written a better song about being in prison.
Nice, Baltimoe.ron…unfortunately it’s who you’d LEAST want to see in prison. Fortunately for you, you can have another go…
paris hilton… becuase those people keep a movin and thats what tortures me… she fucks everything with two legs, gets caught withdrugs and since she has the wealth to free herself from her troubles shes free and clear… how many shots of cocaine does it take to keep you that skinny on an in and out burger diet… id hate to hear her sing me her songs of contrite self illusionment while i see my days slide by as stick of melting butter…
The Village People. Not only do they inspire my fellow inmates to drop more soap, they have a cop in the band.
least…least…wtf kind of question is that? Your blog sux :) j/k
Ok least is easy. I would least want to see NWA. The simple reason is that i am not sure i would survive the riot that would ensue following a pumped up version of F*** the Police.
Jessica Simpson is a tough one to beat… but I wouldn’t want to see any woman perform. You would get way too excited to see a woman and most of them are terrible. It should be some good ole acoustic music from a guy that you can relate to. Johnny Cash was perfect… also dig garcia/kahn from oregon in 1982.
Well, I love the man in Black and NO we are not talking about Richard Lewis who it seems cannot get a job anywhere these days. Anyway, Love the Cashman cause he braught it every night.
The band I would least like to have perform given the described circumstances would be Chicago.
The reasons are two fold.
First, I cant stand there music and would have no way to avoid it based on my incarceration.
Secondly, many people, with taste far different than mine, find the music of Chicago intoxicating and romantic.
I would put much of the prison population in this group.
The sexy results of this situation would be painful and dire for me!
LOL Darren, those are also good reasons to not want Steely Dan there as well
this looks great. can’t wait to hear and listen.
Loverboy would be horrendous to see if I was in prison. You know all the prisoners would be waiting for them to play Workin’ For The Weekend, and we would have to wait until the encore and sit through some tunes off the new album first. Plus, it might lead to an increase in headband wearing among the inmates which would make each day highly unbearable. There would be no way that dude in red leather pants would be able to escape from a jail alive. Finally, can you work for the weekend in prison?
LOL @ girardin
The Police!
HA!
Barry Manilow ‘unplugged’……..
j
[...] And, if you haven’t done so, add your own entry into our Johnny Cash: At San Quentin contest for a free copy of the new three-disc set soon to hit the street… [...]
Englebert Humperdink.
People with names anything like “humper” and “dink” should not be allowed anywhere near a prison. Add to it the lovely lesbian seagull song:
To sound her mating call
And soon her mate responds by singing
Caw Caw Caw
Come with me
Lesbian Seagull
Settle down and rest with me
Fly with me lesbian seagull
And you have the recipe for a riot.. right after half of the inmates have been brutally loved by the rest of the depressed denizens of the cells.
LOL at Girardin Laughing out loud at himself :)
can’t wait for this to hit the stores ! should be an amazing watch. thanks for the heads up Ace.
I’m going to have to go with Andrea Bocelli for several reasons. His operatic romance-inside-you songs are just about the last thing I would want to hear in a pound-me-in-the-ass prison, and I’d have to think my fellow inmates would agree. Secondly, the guy sings primarily in Italian. How many life-sentenced criminals do you know who speak Italian? So as if the music wasn’t bad enough, we wouldn’t be able to understand what he was saying either. There’s also the fact that he’s a middle-aged guy which we all see enough of on a daily basis. And lastly, the guy is blind, so all of the energy we exert giving him the finger would go for naught.
I am going with Kevin Federline. That guys sucks. At everything. He sucks so badly he made Britney Spears WORSE. That is some all time heavy duty suck-age. He’s an embarrassment to the United States. He should be sent to Guantanamo Bay for crimes against the U.S. pr strategy. I’ll celebrate the day somebody picks him off from a clock tower. That’s not a threat, that’s a wish.
I’d have to say Yoko Ono. That screeching that she considers singing would make anybody want the electric chair.
If I were in a “pound me up the ass” prison (hahahoohohaha!) I’d LEAST like to have Culture Club play, especially if anyone thought it was at my suggestion. “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” has a whole new meaning at PMUTA prison… and I don’t want to see anyone’s Karma Chameleon. Rahway State is for pussies - fuck Hurricane Carter. Wang Chung would be a bad choice as would any band singing anything about tube steaks. Taylor ham rules!
[...] Lastly, remember to enter the Johnny Cash: At San Quentin contest, which we’re closing on Sunday night…last chance to dance trance [...]
Taylor Ham does in fact rule. Good point.
[...] An Overdue Congratulations We’d like to thank you all for entering the Johnny Cash: At San Quentin contest, and we wish to give you all free DVDs. But we can’t, and now that we think about it, we probably wouldn’t, because you’re all are bastard people. [...]
if I was on time it would have been Spandau Ballet. reasoning is pure ‘one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other’.
Johnny Rules…I sweet talked a record store employee into selling me a three foot by three foot cardoard of THe Legend of Volume II Sunday afternoon for $2. I’m gifting it to an even bigger fan.
Damn I missed the Johnny Cash CD.. Mother Fucker.. Oh well.. I would have said.. Vanilla Ice.. Rock the mic like a vandal.. ICE ICE baby.. TOO COLD.. !!