Finally Understanding Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire

Tonight, while looking at this month's National Geographic magazine's cover story: "Indonesia's Ring of Fire — Volcano Gods" I made a sudden realization about Ring of Fire, by June Carter and so famously performed by Johnny Cash. June wrote the song about Johnny... She was writing about his emotional depth. About his burning love and hate... His burning conflict within. She fell into it. And was trapped by it. She wanted to be free, but had found herself falling "down down down, and the flames went higher"...

She gave that song to Johnny while he was trying desperately to get her back into his life, and to get his life back. Johnny had himself fallen into his own "ring of fire". He had fallen into himself, into the depths of a depression only made worse by his craft, the plumbing of his heart for exploitation. He was an artist. And he suffered for his art. He was loved, and those who loved him, suffered for his suffering.

When Johnny read the poem that June had written about him, my guess is that he quickly understood its meaning. It was about him. It was about his problems, and his passion for life, and his emotional depth. It was about the black hole that a star can become when it has done as Neil Young so famously recommended, yet refused to try: "It's better to burn out than to fade away"

But what Johnny Cash has shown us is that, though we may all come from stars, and the destiny of the powerful star is a black hole, that we humans are not necessarily destined for the same destructive fate. Johnny Cash, like the phoenix, rose from his own ashes. When June wrote about the end of the passionate life of a star that had sucked her in, she evoked the strongest of human magic: resurrection. Johnny Cash almost literally came back from the dead, and some of the greatest moments of his career followed.

What I realize from this lesson is one of those strangely moralistic lessons that only Johnny Cash could teach me. I have long resisted the power of his "Christian Messages", and the "Christian Message" in general. I cannot help but conclude from not only his works but from his life, that we can all be Lazarus. We all have the power to raise the dead, especially ourselves.

This is a message that resonates strongly in me. On a personal level I have experienced resurrection every day of my life. Particularly on those days when I thought I was completely out of energy at 6 PM but still somehow stayed up until 3 AM. I have collapsed in on myself and come back from the dead doubtlessly more times than I could be aware of. Johnny Cash came back from his own personal long-time death. He came back kicking and screaming, and went right for the tank. And he walked out of Folsom Prison a hero.

Brian Wilson recently re-awoke, with a little help from his friends and loved ones. We all can re-awake from the nightmares we have been living in, the near death experiences we have accepted as reality. We can take our country back, take our planet back, and take our lives back, for the good of all. And then we can dance.

• Alarm clock with nature sounds and aroma therapy. I'd also like it to project the time onto a wall
• A weather sensor that can tell me how I should dress.
• "Stuff for my Bike" (See other list)
• A messenger-style backpack (I'd love a serious NY messenger bag) that is comfortable for bike rides.
• Cordless power screwdriver that has good torque, a Black & Decker  or other trusted home brand...

Stuff for Jeremy Cooper

Books:

• Young Bucks by Troy Dunn: About how to raise children to be philanthropist millionaires
  

Books I'd like

• On the stars and the night sky. In fact I particularly would love a calendar that indicates what stars I can expect to see in the night sky.  I wish there was some sort of "Become an Astronomist in 365 Days" astronomy study calendar 
• On design, graphic and print.  I like historical stuff on the subject of design as well as books about the cutting edge of web and design, Flash+        
• On maps, particularly on the usefulness of maps, appreciating the aesthetics of maps for their scientific usefulness and data comparison features.  Stuff on the present and future of map making (I love old maps but the stuff I'm asking for are things that could help me with my thesis and my personal academic passions)

Stuff for my bike

I have a Jamis Nova cyclocross tour bike that could use a few things...

• A cancer-safe comfortable bike seat, preferably made by an all-natural fabrics company.  I've become a little concerned about the flame retardants many companies use with their sitting products...
• Bike pump
• Bike repair kit that attaches to my bike
• Cool sports bottle (black / pumpkin orange)
• Front/back black or pumpkin orange tire flaps
• I have an adequate mid grade Shimano derailer.  I'd love to upgrade it to a seriously reliable and smooth derailer
• Some kind of compass, elevation thing data display unit... a little GPS would be really cool... especially if it was designed to work well for bike or car!

Music Related Stuff I'd Like

• Electric drum set that will plug directly into a Mac or PC and allow me to create and record my own rhythms from a number of pads.
• Small 2-octave synthesizer that plugs directly into Mac or PC
• Good recording mics
• A small personal recorder that I can use to record my ideas, spontaneous songs, and found sounds.  Exceptional recording quality and ability to use cards (I like to use SD cards, like for digital cameras) are the features I'm most looking for.  I like to record sounds like kithen clatter, baseball games, airports and bus terminals, insects making noises, etc.  Something that works for a birder-watcher would probably be good for me.

Bands to Check out:

• June Madrona
• Cowbird

Stuff for Kaleb

• Digital Camera
• Parrot
• Cool Lights & lighting devices
• A new little lazer beam