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His work was so closely intertwined in creation and reception that it was obvious how they fed each other.
These were men who had dirt on their hands and booze on their breath.
They got beaten or killed or made mistakes that marked them as pariahs forever.
But he wasnt a stereotypical jock.
Kristoffersons parents hated the Hemingway-wannabe road their son was on and pushed him to enlist in the Army.
Though he completed Ranger School and became a helicopter pilot, he eventually quit to continue chasing his dream.
He moved to Nashville with Beer and struggled to pay for treatment for their sons esophageal problems.
One was Johnny Cash, who ignored him until Kristofferson got drunk and landed a helicopter on his lawn.
(Kristofferson latertold Cashs sonit was actually a different song that wasnt any good.)
Cash not only went on to record multiple Kristofferson tracks but advised him on his craft.
Yet even Cashs magic touch couldnt transform him into a star.
But he couldnt get any traction as a performer.
Then stardom finally happened, all at once and sort of by accident.
In all his years of struggle, Kristofferson never gave much thought to acting.
It wasnt where his interest lay.
Kristofferson said yes, despite not having any formal acting training.
It became the second-highest-grossing movie released that year, exceeded only by the originalRocky.
From that moment on, Kris Kristofferson was always with us.
In the 70s, Kristofferson kinda looked like a young Brando and was a double-threat music-and-movie star like Elvis.
He held the same standards for music.
Thats why you never caught him in the equivalent of a bubblegum Elvis timekiller likeBlue HawaiiorChange of Habit.
