YeeHaw!

Okay, let me get this straight… Merle Haggard life was turned around/influenced by Johnny Cash??? Was Merle portrayed in “Walk the Line”? So, Mr. Haggard is sitting his ass in San Quentin because of a burglary rap and in struts Mr. Cash who supposedly flips off the guards and does all these things that the inmates wished they could do and suddenly Merle’s life is changed forever. C’mon! I’m not sure I can believe that, then again I’ve never been in San Quentin or prison, county jail or any other kind of lock up you could think of, at least not yet anyway. Seems to simple, Merle’s mom sends him to jail as an eleven year old because she can’t handle him, he ends up in jail three more times before the age of eighteen (escaped once, must have watched the “Great Escape” at some point or was it “Bird Man from Alcatraz) then at the age of eighteen Merle is sentence to 15 years in San Quentin for his burglary rap (no, he didn’t do a rap song about burglary, he stole something). This, my friends, is where Johnny Cash influenced Merle’s outlaw career, I mean outlaw country music career. Oh, my bad, Merle is an Okie from Muskogee, or at the very least an Okie and supposedly if you’re an Okie you have an undying love for stealing things and country music. Not just any country music...nooo… loud and obnoxious country music that plays all night long (wait, I think he may be my next door neighbor, but he isn’t an Okie???)  I’ve always be under the impression that country songs consisted of … someone getting out of jail, a dog getting run over, and a divorce. Let see how Merle did... he spent time in jail (check), not sure if he had a dog but if he did it would be dead by now (check), Divorced (uhhmm three times, definitely a check) Well, have to give him credit he has a lot of experience and all of the credentials to be a country star. Here’s another thing, if you are currently sitting in jail, become a country star, hit number one on the charts (if you have to re-record Merle’s first number one hit “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”, don’t escape first though) and then have the Guvna of California pardon you for all of your past crimes. Arnold will do it. Ronald Reagan did it for Merle in 1972 why wouldn’t Arnold do for you… Just tell him Ron did it cause he wouldn’t want Ron to one up him. I must admit though, Merle did alright for himself 38 number one hits  and a whole bunch of country music awards ain’t all bad for a “Lonesome Fugitive”.