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Interview With Brad Paisley

Aired September 12, 2003 - 13:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Johnny Cash. His name synonymous with country music, his death being felt throughout the music industry. Cash died today of complications from diabetes. His prolific career earned him fans across all genres of music and really spanned several generations.
Joining us once again on our program, this time to talk about Johnny Cash, is country music star Brad Paisley.

BRAD PAISLEY, ENTERTAINER: Hi, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Good to see you. Out with his own album "Mud on the Tires," right now. And taking a little downtime in L.A. to remember a great. Do you remember the first time you heard a Johnny Cash song, Brad?

PAISLEY: Yes, I think I would have been 3 or 4-years-old. My grandfather had several of the big records. I think he had "Live at Folsom Prison." Those kind of records just leave an impact on you no matter what age you are, I think.

O'BRIEN: You know what's interesting about Johnny Cash is that he really broke out of the country niche. The walls were little higher between country and western and popular music.

PAISLEY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: But he managed to jump those walls. How do you think he pulled that off?

PAISLEY: Well you know I think it's because -- it's funny. Most people don't realize it, but I think he wanted to be a gospel singer more than anything. And he ended up in Memphis and he started cutting these records that were rock 'n' roll records because that's all they'd let him record.

And still, his heart was in gospel music. And the next thing you know, he's singing country music and still didn't get around to gospel. When he finally signed with Columbia Records, I think it was in the '60s, he got to cut his first gospel record.

But country is, I think, where everybody thinks of Johnny Cash. But it's going to be interesting because I think you've got all these different formats of music who are going to be fighting over who he belongs with.

And the interesting thing for me is is watching the way that he spanned all these different types of music and made it his own. And in the end, it's just Johnny Cash music.

O'BRIEN: You know, and there's nothing -- not only is he hard to pigeon-hole, there's nothing cookie cutter about him.

PAISLEY: No.

O'BRIEN: Really, the term unique, which is overused, it really does apply to Johnny Cash, doesn't it?

PAISLEY: Oh it does. They'll never be anybody like him again. I mean when he was a kid and he was singing, he took some voice lessons. I think his mother got him four voice lessons.

And by the third lesson, the teacher was smart enough to say, You know, I can't -- I can't really help him in the sense of what he does because he's not an opera singer and he doesn't need to change what he's doing.

And thank God for that that he didn't try to sing like everybody else. He sounds like no one that anyone has ever heard.

O'BRIEN: And I don't think -- he said to Larry King, I heard him say this when he was on his program, that he was never really comfortable with his own voice.

PAISLEY: Yes, I bet that's true. That's probably the case for a lot of singers. You don't like your own music but you like everybody else's.

And in the case of Johnny, I don't know anybody who doesn't like Johnny Cash. It's one of those -- he's one of the rare people you can say that about.

O'BRIEN: Now you -- I know you didn't get a chance to meet him because of his ill health. But you had a chance to meet June. What do you remember about her? And is there any stories you remember about him, as you think about him today?

PAISLEY: You know, the thing about June -- she was just warmth. She was responsible -- like a lot of our country music entertainers, a good woman ends up saving their life. The same with George Jones and people like that.

And in the case of Johnny, he had gotten a divorce and was down and out and I think he and Waylon Jennings had what they called "the weekend that lasted a year." And they ended up in this really dark period where he was on these drugs. And she ended up getting religion back into his life and saving him.

And she was the type of lady, when you met her that felt like everybody's grandmother. I just remember feeling warm feeling from her from the minute I met her. And she didn't know who I was.

O'BRIEN: For somebody like you, he's an example of what to do and what not to do, all in one, isn't he?

PAISLEY: Yes, he definitely was. You could learn so much from both sides of how he lived.

O'BRIEN: Quickly, before we get away, do you have a favorite Johnny Cash song?

PAISLEY: Yes, "I Walk the Line." No doubt about it.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, I'm "A Boy Named Sue" guy. I just remember that one when I was about 10. I love that one.

PAISLEY: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Not one of his more serious ones, but a good one, nevertheless.

Brad Paisley, thanks for sharing some memories and thoughts on Johnny Cash on this day of his passing. And if you want to see a good tribute to Johnny Cash, you can go to Brad Paisley's Web site, BradPaisley.com and check that out as well. There's a lot on the Web being said about the great Johnny Cash today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 12, 2003 - 13:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Johnny Cash. His name synonymous with country music, his death being felt throughout the music industry. Cash died today of complications from diabetes. His prolific career earned him fans across all genres of music and really spanned several generations.
Joining us once again on our program, this time to talk about Johnny Cash, is country music star Brad Paisley.

BRAD PAISLEY, ENTERTAINER: Hi, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Good to see you. Out with his own album "Mud on the Tires," right now. And taking a little downtime in L.A. to remember a great. Do you remember the first time you heard a Johnny Cash song, Brad?

PAISLEY: Yes, I think I would have been 3 or 4-years-old. My grandfather had several of the big records. I think he had "Live at Folsom Prison." Those kind of records just leave an impact on you no matter what age you are, I think.

O'BRIEN: You know what's interesting about Johnny Cash is that he really broke out of the country niche. The walls were little higher between country and western and popular music.

PAISLEY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: But he managed to jump those walls. How do you think he pulled that off?

PAISLEY: Well you know I think it's because -- it's funny. Most people don't realize it, but I think he wanted to be a gospel singer more than anything. And he ended up in Memphis and he started cutting these records that were rock 'n' roll records because that's all they'd let him record.

And still, his heart was in gospel music. And the next thing you know, he's singing country music and still didn't get around to gospel. When he finally signed with Columbia Records, I think it was in the '60s, he got to cut his first gospel record.

But country is, I think, where everybody thinks of Johnny Cash. But it's going to be interesting because I think you've got all these different formats of music who are going to be fighting over who he belongs with.

And the interesting thing for me is is watching the way that he spanned all these different types of music and made it his own. And in the end, it's just Johnny Cash music.

O'BRIEN: You know, and there's nothing -- not only is he hard to pigeon-hole, there's nothing cookie cutter about him.

PAISLEY: No.

O'BRIEN: Really, the term unique, which is overused, it really does apply to Johnny Cash, doesn't it?

PAISLEY: Oh it does. They'll never be anybody like him again. I mean when he was a kid and he was singing, he took some voice lessons. I think his mother got him four voice lessons.

And by the third lesson, the teacher was smart enough to say, You know, I can't -- I can't really help him in the sense of what he does because he's not an opera singer and he doesn't need to change what he's doing.

And thank God for that that he didn't try to sing like everybody else. He sounds like no one that anyone has ever heard.

O'BRIEN: And I don't think -- he said to Larry King, I heard him say this when he was on his program, that he was never really comfortable with his own voice.

PAISLEY: Yes, I bet that's true. That's probably the case for a lot of singers. You don't like your own music but you like everybody else's.

And in the case of Johnny, I don't know anybody who doesn't like Johnny Cash. It's one of those -- he's one of the rare people you can say that about.

O'BRIEN: Now you -- I know you didn't get a chance to meet him because of his ill health. But you had a chance to meet June. What do you remember about her? And is there any stories you remember about him, as you think about him today?

PAISLEY: You know, the thing about June -- she was just warmth. She was responsible -- like a lot of our country music entertainers, a good woman ends up saving their life. The same with George Jones and people like that.

And in the case of Johnny, he had gotten a divorce and was down and out and I think he and Waylon Jennings had what they called "the weekend that lasted a year." And they ended up in this really dark period where he was on these drugs. And she ended up getting religion back into his life and saving him.

And she was the type of lady, when you met her that felt like everybody's grandmother. I just remember feeling warm feeling from her from the minute I met her. And she didn't know who I was.

O'BRIEN: For somebody like you, he's an example of what to do and what not to do, all in one, isn't he?

PAISLEY: Yes, he definitely was. You could learn so much from both sides of how he lived.

O'BRIEN: Quickly, before we get away, do you have a favorite Johnny Cash song?

PAISLEY: Yes, "I Walk the Line." No doubt about it.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, I'm "A Boy Named Sue" guy. I just remember that one when I was about 10. I love that one.

PAISLEY: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Not one of his more serious ones, but a good one, nevertheless.

Brad Paisley, thanks for sharing some memories and thoughts on Johnny Cash on this day of his passing. And if you want to see a good tribute to Johnny Cash, you can go to Brad Paisley's Web site, BradPaisley.com and check that out as well. There's a lot on the Web being said about the great Johnny Cash today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com