"He's a Poet, He's a Picker, He's a Prophet, He's a Pusher, He's a Pilgrim and a Preacher and a Problem when He's Stoned...

...He's a Walking Contradiction, Partly Truth and Partly Fiction, Takin' Every Wrong Direction on His Lonely Way Back Home." That's a great song. That's a Kris Kristofferson song. And it's a little bit Kris being described while he described so many people he wanted to be like. A kind of self-fulfilling prophecy song.

Today is Kris' 73rd birthday and this is a guy who has always wrapped himself up in doing what was worth doing. Kris' father was a US Air Force Major General and wanted his boy to follow in his footsteps and indeed his families footsteps and make the military a career. I'm sure like all kids, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, so he went through the paces to see where he'd end up. He was an aspiring writer, so he majored in literature at Pomona College earning the Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University (heckuva jump from Claremont Colleges to being a Merton boy) and graduation with a Bachelor of Philosophy in Literature. A physical guy he made a good name for himself in the Pomona Rugby Team and earned his Blue in Boxing at Oxford.

I actually don't care for it when folks ramble on about Kristofferson's academic achievements, because it's kind of done as if to say, "Yeah, he's a songwriter now, but he could have been ANYTHING."

Horse-shit attitude.

Songwriting is the high pedestal. Would it have been more important or more respectful if he'd become a librarian? A book editor? A closet "reader" while he paid the bills being an accountant?

While serving in the military Kris knew what he wanted. His daddy wanted him to be another General Pershing or Admiral Doolittle, He wanted to be another Hank Williams. And he got it right. That was the thing that was worth doing, and he's been doing it better than most for 40+ years.

There's lots of great anecdotes about how Kris made it big and all, but his songs actually speak a better story. We'll talk more about Kris in the future. For now, he can tell us more.

Kris at a rainy outdoor concert...that's what it's all about...

He may smoke too much...

Kris and Johnny Cash - "Sunday Morning Comin' Down"

"That Silver Tongued Devil and I" and his 6 year old sons' critique...

Kris and Norah Jones and Elvis Costello and Rosanne Cash and John Mellencamp and "Me and Bobby McGee"

"And there's a lot of wrong directions on that lonesome way back home. "





It's also would be Paul Frees' 89th birthday. I purposely haven't put his face here because you know him best as...

Ludwig Von Drake...

Boris Badenov, Inspector Fenwick...

The Poppenfresh Doughboy...

Toucan Sam, Boo-Berry...

Freddie Fresh-Up...







Little Green Sprout and about a jillian other characters...or at least their voices. He was about ALL the villains in those Rankin-Bass Holiday specials, from the Burgermeister Meisterburger to Eon the Vulture.

You've also heard him all over Disneyland at The Haunted Mansion, The Enchanted Tiki Room and more.

Remember, "Freedom's just another word for 'nothin'-left-to-loose'" and "Nothin' ain't worth nothin'...but it's free."