Every year, a lot of celebrities pass away. For some, I’ll marvel that they were still alive after so long, for others that they passed at such a young age. But every once in a while, the passing will affect me emotionally. Such was the case when Charlton Heston died in 2008. More recently, it was the passing of Kris Kristofferson.
He wasn’t a favorite singer—his voice was more a croak. Nor was he a favorite actor of mine, although he acted quite well. It was his song writing that I loved. The lyrics were rich and emotionally charge, the phrasing unusual.
It is often said that writers should show not tell. Kristofferson was a master at that. As an example, I’ll use my favorite of his songs—Sunday Morning coming down.
Kristofferson tries to describe a loser waking up lonely on a Sunday with a hangover and more regrets about the past than hope for the future. But he doesn’t say that. Instead, he says…
I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes to find my cleanest dirty shirt.
Hangover and drinking problem are never stated, but he gets the point across dramatically. Likewise loser. The rest of the song is much the same, with wistful notice taken of everyday experiences such as laughing children, church bells ringing, and the nostalgic smell of frying chicken. Things that he’d lost somewhere somehow along the way. I wish that I could write emotions that well.
Rest in peace Mr. K.
PS. I recently had an enjoyable chat with my friend Andrew Stamper of Stamper Cinema. We discussed a favorite film—Michael Mann’s Manhunter. You can checkout our discussion here.