Not gonna lie, that was one of the more bizarre headlines I’ve ever written.
If you were around back in 1981, you probably remember where you were or what you were doing when you first heard the news that President Ronald Reagan had been shot.
The would-be assassin was a man named John Hinckley Jr., and it would later be revealed that Hinckley shot Reagan in an attempt to win the love of actress Jodie Foster. It didn’t work…
Hinckley was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and transferred to a psychiatric hospital for treatment, where he was to remain until the courts found that he no longer posed a danger to himself or others.
Well over the past few years the court has gradually been lifting its restrictions over Hinckley, allowing him to move in with his mother as his mental health was restored. And on September 21 of this year he was granted a full unconditional release, starting in June of next year.
So what does the man who attempted to assassinate a US President intend to do with his newfound freedom?
Well apparently he’s really into country music – and he’s now releasing his own songs on YouTube and Spotify.
Hinckley started his YouTube channel late last year, and he has several videos of himself playing both covers and originals on there.
There’s a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” as well as covers of songs by Elvis, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell.
And then of course some of his originals…
Hinckley has racked up over 20,000 followers on his YouTube channel so far, no doubt due to his notoriety and just how…bizarre the whole “presidential assassin-turned-YouTube singer” thing is.
And the comments on his YouTube page are pure gold.
