Immerse Blog
Still Going Deeper With Rustin Smith’s: St. Johnny
by Aaron Babyar on October 10th, 2011 -- filed under Arts and Culture
Artistry in music inspires me, but country music doesn’t typically thrill me. In 2003, CMT proclaimed Johnny Cash the “greatest man in country music,” and I honestly didn’t notice. Then something surprising happened.
On a gorgeous afternoon, while I was driving with all my windows rolled down, I stumbled upon a cover version of Nine Inch Nail’s song “Hurt” playing on a local alternative station. The song was raw. It was beautiful. It was Johnny Cash. And I loved it.
Long before he received the nickname “the man in black,” Johnny Cash was born and raised in the same state where my wife and I are raising our four children. Arkansas is both beautiful and rugged, much like his final recordings. This is exemplified in the fantastic music video he shot for the cover of “Hurt,” not long before his death.
In “Saint Johnny and the Artist’s Pilgrimage,” Rustin Smith essentially says that a main reason Johnny Cash had a musical career comeback at the end of his life was that Rick Rubin first helped him get back in touch with who he was as an artist. Johnny had to strip down to the basics and spend time recreating there.
I believe there is great need for Rick Rubins to coach pastors who have lost their way. I’ve known many ministers who started out in ministry with a bang of enthusiasm and lofty yet loosely defined goals for making disciples for Jesus. They may have even experienced some early…
Continue Reading ▶
