Kris Kristofferson Became What Elvis Wanted to Be

As I delve into the remarkable journey of Kris Kristofferson, a man who defied conventions and broke barriers with his raw talent, I find myself utterly captivated by his multifaceted persona. From his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise in the realms of music and film, he embodies the spirit of an artist who dared to dream big and never settled for less.

In the film “Taxi Driver,” Betsy, a campaign worker, goes on a lunch date with Travis Bickle, a troubled Vietnam veteran who drives a cab. She remarks that he resembles the character in the song “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33” by Kris Kristofferson, describing him as both a prophet and a manipulator, part truth and part fiction – a paradoxical individual. Travis replies that he is not a manipulator, but nonetheless purchases the album, titled “The Silver Tongued Devil and I.” As the clerk hands over the record, Scorsese highlights the cover art: Kristofferson, shown from his hips up, with his thumbs hooked into the waistband of his jeans. By the mid-’70s, Kris Kristofferson was already that cool – so cool, in fact, that he even appeared on a product commercial within a Martin Scorsese movie.

Kristofferson, who sadly passed away at 88 on Sunday in Maui, once expressed that his song “The Silver Tongued Devil and I” mirrored the “undulations of ascents and descents, bouts with walking pneumonia and common insanity, tinged with guilt, pride, and a vague feeling of desolation.” Throughout his career as both a singer and actor, he composed numerous melodies and starred in many films that encapsulated those feelings, such as the popular songs “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and “Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again),” as well as iconic movies like “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid“, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore“, and the 1976 adaptation of “A Star Is Born“.

Remarkably diverse and top-notch is his body of work spanning decades as a musician and actor. Among those shining stars active on vinyl and film at the same time, he stood out for his harmoniously balanced career – an artist who consistently delivered skill and authenticity in both fields. He never seemed to view acting as merely a means to boost his music career, or vice versa. Neither craft overshadowed the other, unlike with David Bowie, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra, exceptional musicians whose acting abilities were often admired, but they weren’t considered equally dedicated to both arts.

Kristofferson’s identity significantly influenced his work, creating a symbiotic relationship where one seemed to fuel the other. His song characters and movie personas were essentially reflections of him, distorted mirrors tainted by grit and authenticity, allowing for plausible deniability while incorporating elements of critique or over-exaggeration. These were men who bore the marks of labor and the scent of alcohol, often suffering physical harm, meeting untimely ends, or making mistakes that branded them as outcasts for life.

Growing up in Brownsville, Texas, as part of a military family, I, Kris Kristofferson, established my credibility early on as a genuine blend of sensitivity and toughness. During my high school years, I held down blue-collar jobs and excelled in sports such as football and rugby, which even earned me recognition in Sports Illustrated. However, I was not your typical jock. My affection for words was unparalleled, second only to my fascination with women who, as numerous biographers attest, seemed drawn to me once puberty struck. I’ve been married three times – to Fran Beer, singer Rita Coolidge, and Lisa Meyers, a former law student.

Kristofferson’s parents strongly disapproved of their son’s Hemingway-esque path in life and encouraged him to join the military instead. Despite completing Ranger School and becoming a helicopter pilot, he ultimately left to persist with his aspirations. His parents cut off contact with him after expressing their disappointment through a letter written by his mother: “Nobody over 14 years old listens to such music, and if they did, they wouldn’t be the kind of people we would associate with.

For over a dozen years following, Kris Kristofferson maintained a low profile and remained true to himself – the rugged, poetic man with deep-set eyes, a worn-out charm, and a voice reminiscent of a cello’s croak. He moved to Nashville with his beer and battled financially to cover their son’s esophageal health issues. Despite being employed as a janitor at Columbia Records, he defied the rules by trying to present his songs to artists he admired. One such artist was Johnny Cash, who initially disregarded him until Kristofferson, under the influence of alcohol, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn. When an angry Cash emerged from his house to confront the long-haired janitor sitting in the cockpit of the helicopter, Kristofferson allegedly played charts for what would become one of Cash’s iconic songs, “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down.” (Kristofferson later confessed to Cash’s son that it was actually “a different song that wasn’t any good.”)

Cash not only went on to record multiple Kristofferson tracks but advised him on his craft. Yet even Cash’s magic touch couldn’t transform him into a star. Throughout the ’60s, Kristofferson remained known within the industry as a pipeline for fresh material and not much more. His first notable songwriting credit was “Viet Nam Blues,” covered by Dave Dudley in 1966; it was just big enough of a success to get him signed to Epic Records, where he recorded a single (“Golden Idol”) that made no particular impression. His subsequent songs were recorded by the likes of Roy Drusky (“Jody and the Kid”), Ray Stevens (“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”) Jerry Lee Lewis (“Once More with Feeling”), and Waylon Jennings (“The Taker”). But he couldn’t get any traction as a performer.

Eventually, stardom came about unexpectedly for Kristofferson, after years of hard work with little expectation in acting. His initial film appearance was in Dennis Hopper’s experimental anti-western movie, The Last Movie, which he undertook as a whim, given their friendship and Hopper’s successful directorial debut with Easy Rider. Interestingly, casting director Fred Roos spotted Kristofferson performing at the Troubadour, and on an impulse, asked him to try out for a role in one of his projects. This opportunity was Two-Lane Blacktop, a philosophical road tale by Monte Hellman, despite Kristofferson’s indifference towards it at the time. Amusingly enough, he showed up drunk for the audition and left before reading any lines!

Although he missed out on a significant chance, there was growing excitement about Kristofferson as an emerging talent in the ’70s, due to his counterculture appeal that was becoming essential for movie stardom. Moreover, Columbia Pictures, impressed by Roos’ fondness for him, offered Kristofferson, who lacked formal acting training, a lead role in a film. He accepted this opportunity and it marked his Hollywood debut, with the film featuring a soundtrack dominated by Kristofferson’s original compositions, later released as The Silver Tongued Devil and I. By the time the movie was released in 1972, Kristofferson’s former lover, Janis Joplin, had tragically passed away but experienced a posthumous hit with “Me and Bobby McGee”.

Kris Kristofferson Became What Elvis Wanted to Be

By then, Kristofferson had become highly sought-after, leading him to collaborate with prominent directors such as Lewis John Carlino (on “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea”), Martin Scorsese (“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”), Paul Mazursky (“Blume in Love”), and Sam Peckinpah (“Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”, “Convoy”). However, it was his role in Barbra Streisand’s 1976 version of “A Star Is Born” that truly catapulted him to stardom. This film ranked as the second-highest-grossing movie of that year, trailing only behind the original “Rocky”. From this point forward, Kris Kristofferson was an ever-present figure in music, movies, and television, consistently leaving a lasting impression as his talent gradually revealed itself.

In live performances and recordings, Kristofferson was consistently popular as a solo artist or group member, and an excellent partner for anyone with a touch of country style. His most successful musical phase commercially began in the 1980s, when he joined The Highwaymen – a band consisting of himself, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson – who were all trailblazers in the “outlaw country” subgenre. Additionally, Kristofferson often used his stage as a platform to advocate for progressive issues such as Native American rights, civil liberties, Palestinian dignity, environmental conservation, feminism, and anti-war sentiments, including protests against U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Latin America, and Iraq.

In the ’70s and ’80s, this actor was recognized as an unconventional leading man with a chiseled, almost wooden facial expression. His name wasn’t widely known for guaranteeing box office success, but it carried a unique appeal that combined artistic merit and popular appeal in a way that intriguingly made films more fundable. Even when the movies he appeared in didn’t explicitly showcase Art (such as “A Star Is Born” or the “Blade” series), they possessed artistic qualities, and he was capable of delivering good – sometimes exceptional – performances within them.

Initially, the character of the troubled rock star John Norman Howard in “A Star Is Born” was intended for Elvis Presley. However, Elvis’ manager Tom Parker requested top billing and half of the soundtrack, which prevented the film from happening with Elvis. Instead, it was Kris Kristofferson who took on the role, despite his dislike for the movie and production process. It was fitting that Kristofferson replaced Presley as he shared similarities with both Presley and Marlon Brando, whom Presley admired greatly. Unlike Presley, Kristofferson refused to compromise on quality in either film or music, which is why he never appeared in movies like “Blue Hawaii” or “Change of Habit.” Even in his less successful films such as “Heaven’s Gate” and “Rollover,” there were glimpses of the talent that initially drew him to the projects. By the time Elvis had left the music industry, Kristofferson had assumed the role that Elvis had always aspired for: a respected music star who was also taken seriously as an actor on the big screen.

2024-10-01 23:54

Kris Kristofferson Became What Elvis Wanted to Be

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