Number 49: When Cash was 5 years old, his dad shot his dog for eating the table scraps meant for the hogs.

March 29, 2010 4:33 PM

In honor of what would have been the Man in Black's 78th birthday last Friday, Flavorwire presents 78 Things You [Probably —Ed.] Didn't Know About Johnny Cash. Number 14: During his act in the 1950s, Cash flaunted a killer Elvis impersonation. Number 36: An ostrich attack in 1983 left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding.

Perhaps the attack was about Cash's response to being sued for (Number 32) a forest fire he started in Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge, which (Number 33) killed all but 9 of the endangered condors at the refuge. When questioned about the birds at the deposition, Cash replied: “I don’t give a damn about your yellow buzzards.”

Some of the items on the list aren't terribly surprising or new, but the few that are are worth it. (Number 64, for example.)

posted by ocherdraco (22 comments total)

#79: Cash's tune Beans For Breakfast is almost certainly the only country song to include the word "histoplasmosis."
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:51 PM on March 29, 2010

#45. He wrote, produced, and narrated Gospel Road, a movie about Jesus’ life, which featured June Carter Cash as Mary Magdalene.

I saw that in some church youth group 30-something years ago. I completely forgot about it, I wonder what piece of valuable information got shoved out of my brain so I could recall that.
posted by marxchivist at 5:58 PM on March 29, 2010

#80: He recorded songs other than "Folsom Prison Blues" and "A Boy Named Sue."*

*for dive-bar DJs and jukebox operators only
posted by drjimmy11 at 6:03 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

#81: He recorded songs other than "Hurt".*

*For those kids who briefly thought it was cool to say he was the best musician ever despite never having heard anything he recorded pre-Rick Rubin.
posted by DecemberBoy at 6:05 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I particularly like this:
"Cash’s advice on living life on the road: “Back in 1957, there was no Extra Crispy. Other than that, it’s the same.”"

There were also no Econoline vans, which would be the only other crucial difference.
posted by DecemberBoy at 6:31 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Johnny Cash's birthday is February 26, not March 26 like the post suggests. . . same as mine! I need him to counter balance the icky-ness of sharing the day with Robert Novak.
posted by flamk at 6:58 PM on March 29, 2010

I loved the Elvis impersonation, I've never seen Cash so goofy before.
posted by octothorpe at 7:23 PM on March 29, 2010

71. While checked into the Betty Ford Clinic in the 1980s, Cash met and befriended Ozzy Osbourne.

Hmm, probably good that they met there, rather than when they were drinking...
posted by 445supermag at 7:24 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

44. In the 1985 miniseries North and South, Cash played the abolitionist John Brown.

Wow. I'll have to watch this.

As an aside, Cash covered Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." Personally, I feel that Cash missed the point of the song, but it is an interesting listen, nonetheless.
posted by Morrigan at 7:27 PM on March 29, 2010

I didn't see anything about it here but didn't Johnny Cash get fined a ridiculous amount of money for barbecuing in a national park or some stuff like that?
posted by Kattullus at 7:45 PM on March 29, 2010

Oh yeah, and here's a great Johnny Cash story, he claims that he was the first American to learn of Stalin's death.
posted by Kattullus at 7:46 PM on March 29, 2010

Oh, never mind, it was in there... number 32-3:

After an oil leak from Jesse James set the Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge on fire, Cash became the only person ever successfully sued by the U.S. for starting a forest fire.

The blaze Cash’s camper started killed all but 9 of the endangered condors at the refuge. When questioned about the birds at the deposition, Cash replied: “I don’t give a damn about your yellow buzzards.”

posted by Kattullus at 7:50 PM on March 29, 2010

It's also in the [more inside], Kattullus.
posted by GeckoDundee at 8:23 PM on March 29, 2010

*ahem* Read the whole post, Kattullus *ahem*
posted by ocherdraco at 8:23 PM on March 29, 2010

#65: He used to carry around a jar of instant coffee and ladle spoonfuls of it into the coffee he ordered in restaurants.

Hardcore!
posted by kirkaracha at 8:44 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Yah, I'm packing so my brain isn't at it's best.

I also share birthdays with Johnny Cash. Him and Victor Hugo, so that's pretty good right there.
posted by Kattullus at 8:51 PM on March 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I can find no documentation in the history of californian condor conservation that #33 ever happened. It appears to be a urban legend.
posted by diekhans at 9:22 PM on March 29, 2010

diekhans: I can find no documentation in the history of californian condor conservation that #33 ever happened. It appears to be a urban legend.

In his autobiography he mentions starting the forest fire, and how devastating it was. I don't remember anything about condors, specifically, but I do remember that he glossed over all his drug related adventures a good bit.
posted by paisley henosis at 10:30 PM on March 29, 2010

79. His infamous finger (NSFW) ad was good enough for Billboard, but not for the top 78.
posted by cenoxo at 5:22 AM on March 30, 2010

64. In 1984, when Cash felt that his record label was ignoring him, he released an intentionally awful album called Chicken in Black, with a title song about Cash’s brain being transplanted into the body of a chicken.

Hilarious. Also, basically the same plot as Cold Souls.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:24 AM on March 30, 2010

82. Johnny Cash's stepdaughter, Carlene Carter, was married to Nick Lowe.
posted by rocket88 at 7:47 AM on March 30, 2010

(Number 32) a forest fire he started in Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge, which (Number 33) killed all but 9 of the endangered condors at the refuge

...just to watch 'em die.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:31 AM on March 30, 2010 [2 favorites]