Talk about one of the deepest interviews ever conducted.
We’re talking about Johnny Cash’s final interview with Kurt Loder on August 20th, 2003, shortly before his passing due to respiratory failure from complications with diabetes.
In the interview, you can feel that he knows his life is nearing the end, and he even admits it.
Of course, he was 71-years-old, had just lost his wife June Carter, and continued to etch his name in country music history forever with “Hurt,” a song originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails, but made famous by Cash.
Throughout his final interview, he talks about marriage, his record deal, personal battles, and his music career in general.
It’s no secret that Cash constantly battled himself, knowing that a part of him was an incredible person, and the other was what he believed to be “evil.”
He said it best by saying:
“Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.”
Nevertheless, those two personalities molded him into one of the greatest singers, songwriters, and performers the country music world had ever seen.
He discusses working with Rick Rubin on American Recordings, stating that it was some of his best work to date.
As he continues to open up to Loder, he delivers a strong word of advice on independence to everybody, no matter who you are:
“You can’t let people delegate to you what you should do.
When it’s coming from way in here, you know?
I wouldn’t let anybody influence me into thinking I was doing the wrong thing by singing about death, hell, and drugs.”
Throughout the interview, you can see that Cash is at peace with himself, even though his deep cut of “Hurt” may have speculated otherwise.
He also added his secret to a happy marriage:
“Separate bathrooms.”
Check it out, this is a must see:
And of course, the draw dropping video to “Hurt:”
