Subject: RE: John Denver - 60's Folk Singer
From:
Lizzie Cornish
Date: 11 Dec 05 - 03:48 PM
Haven't a clue if he was a republican or not Tim, not that it matters or that anyone will ever know how John Denver voted. What is important is the music and the man.
John sold more records than The Beatles, ever go to China.... he did a vast amount for charities, for the hungry and the environment. He was also deeply loved by many, many people, some of whom still carry on his beloved Windstar Foundation for him:
http://www.wstar.org/
He put in a huge amount of work and I believe, his own money, to ensure it would remain the way it was supposed to...free and wild...and to educate children and adults too, in what we're doing to our planet. If you read up about him, you'll find that he felt very guilty that his fame 'put Colorado on the map' and opened the door for the builders and the planners to move in....that it became some sort of Mecca, because of his songs. He was often happiest out in the mountains entirely on his own.
Yes he had problems in his life, mainly drink, which led him into some truly ghastly places...but he had the courage to admit it...and in the end he and Annie became friends again. It sent him to hell and back. I remember seeing him on TV over here in England a year or two before he died and he was talking about his problems...he made no excuses for himself at all. The happy-go-lucky YeeHa! John had gone....and in his place there was a deep-thinking man, quietly talking about his failings, his family and his hopes for the future.
His music played a very important part in my early life. I loved the gentleness in his songs. I loved the way he sang about nature...I loved the way he teamed up with Jacques Cousteau and The Calypso team. I was lucky enough to see him live twice, once at The London Palladium and once at Wembley, along with many thousands of other people. He let me soar with eagles, he let me stand upon 'cathedral mountains' he took me out into The Rocky Mountains...to Montana...he made me feel sad, happy, angry, inquisitive.....all the things that a great songwriter is able to make someone feel.
Leaving On A Jet Plane must mean a HUGE amount to many performers...who feel this urgent need to take their music to as many people as possible, whilst knowing they have to leave their families behind them. Annie was desperate for him to stay...he knew he had to go and it tore them apart. But if he hadn't done it...none of the messages on this board would probably ever have been written. In fact, you could almost say that we were all part of the reason that John Denver took to drinking in the first place. Now there's a new way of looking at things!
Love him or hate him....John Denver had a huge impact on very many people. I was deeply saddened by the personal things that befell him and his family, but at least things had become bearable again at the end. A man who knew much sadness in his life, whilst bringing much happiness to hundreds of thousands too. What a dilemma for anyone to face....A voice which tells you to 'stay' and a voice which tells you to 'go'......
Read his words in 'Goodbye Again' and it's easy to see why things started to go so wrong for him:
Do you choose to remember a man for his faults? Or for his achievements? Perhaps reading this may help:
http://www.wstar.org/Windstar/Org/JD/john.htm
I'm very glad that I was lucky enough to grow up with his music. I wish he were still here, along with Harry Chapin, who was mentioned above:
http://harrychapinmusic.com/chapin_site2/home/chapinhp_frm.html
.....We so need people who care about others and about our world..
Lizzie :0)
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