1:51 p.m.
Today is a 10 year anniversary of something that makes me very sad. The number two person on my list of people I would want to meet passed away 10 years ago to this day. Poet, singer, song writer, actor, producer, writer and activist, John Denver will live on... through the trees he planted and the words that touch my soul.
John was born in Roswell, New Mexico where all of the aliens are. Seriously, have you ever been to Roswell? This is one creepy place. People there really believe in all of the UFO nonsense. They have aliens painted everywhere. It's an obsession. I stopped and got new windshield wipers and a radar detector once. My radar detected that Roswell is a freaky place. Anyway, John was born there and hopefully wasn't abducted or probed.
You may not know this, or maybe you do if you're like super smart and obsessed with John Denver, but his last name is not Denver. It's Deutschendorf. He got tired of so many people calling him John Douche-endorf, so he changed his name to Denver. Actually, he adopted the surname 'Denver', for the capital of his and my favorite state, after someone suggested 'Deutschendorf' wouldn't fit comfortably on a marquee.
Johnny dropped out of school and moved to LA to pursue his singing career. His first three albums weren't really big sellers. However, his fourth album was a breakthrough for him, containing "Take Me Home, Country Roads." He scored his first top ten album wit Rocky Mountain High (I know what that's all about), which featured the title track, "Sunshine on my Shoulders" and "Annie's Song."
Because of John's charm and hotness - long blond hair, western shirts, granny glasses - his manager wanted the world to see him.
While appearing on the Tonight Show, John said the phrase "Far out" over 19 times, thus creating a catch phrase that will forever be associated with him.
This is now going to be my new favorite saying.
"Hey Jen. What do you think of this weather?"
"Far out."
"Do you want to go out for sushi tonight?"
"Far out."
"Where do ships sail in the ocean?"
"Far out."
"What's the opposite of really in?"
"Far out."
Throughout John's musical career, he managed to win 2 Grammys, 2 American Music Awards, 2 Country Music Association Awards, and 1 Emmy. He also won the Albert Schweitzer Music Award, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and had "Rocky Mountain High" declared state song of Colorado.
Music wasn't the only thing John was passionate about. He was also very outspoken in politics. He founded the charitable Windstar Foundation in 1976 to promote sustainable living. His outrage at the conservative politics of the 1980s was famously expressed in his folk rock ballad Let Us Begin (What Are We Making Weapons For.) And later in his life, he worked extensively on conservation projects and helped to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Because he tied in such a tragic manner, I will not discuss the event. I will, however, give you a few trivia facts:
- Denver was recognized as Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977
- In South Park episode 406 Kenny rides the John Denver Experience theme park ride which crashes planes into the ground. That is just all kinds of wrong.
- John Denver is mentioned in the movie, "Dumb and Dumber." While en route to Aspen they see the great plains and Harry says, "I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this." To which Lloyd responds, "I was thinking the same thing ... that John Denver's full of shit, man."
- Denver was missing 2 toes on his right foot.He lost them at eighteen yrs of age in a lawn mower accident.
Source: Wikipedia
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