Inflammable Material - First Records That Impressed Me Much # 9

It was back in 1972 when I watched a movie in German Television very late at night. I had nothing to do and wasn't tired enough to go to sleep so I decided to try out this movie. 'Cisco Pike' was the first movie Kris Kristofferson was the main actor. The drama stars him as a musician fallen on hard luck who turns into dealing marijuana as a means of income. This film was not a widely embraced by audience on its initial release but has become a cult movie because of the appearance of Kris Kristofferson and his soundtrack. But it also carries a cult status because of it takes on the subject of drugs, dealers and the lifestyle they lead. For me I was fascinated in the story and the music he played. I couldn't get his voice and his songs out of my mind so I went to my local record shop to get me his first records.

This records could be a best of compilation of his early works and many songs were covered by other artist in the upcoming years or became standards in the country music scene. Me I was impressed how he could sing in his deep dark voice about all the drop-outs, hanging around in bars searching for the things they have lost in their life. If his first record is great his second is marvelous. On his first record he gave us classic songs like 'Sunday Morning Coming Down', 'For The Good Times' and 'Help Me Make It Trough The Night' to give us with his second one his completest one. No song is a filler and I should post them all. It's one of those records that accompanied me during the last 40 years and I listened to it hundreds of times.

Kris Kristofferson - Help me make it through the night
Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee
Kris Kristofferson - Blame it on the stones
Kris Kristofferson - The silver tongued devil and I
Kris Kristofferson - Jodie and the kid
Kris Kristofferson - Billy Dee
Kris Kristofferson - The Taker
Kris Kristofferson - The Pilgrim - Chapter 33

A few years later a phrase of 'The Pilgrim' appeared on the movie 'Taxi Driver' when Betsy compares Travis as a ' a prophet and a pusher, a walking contradiction, partly true and partly fiction'.

And a song from Cisco Pike which is not on the record.

In the late 1970s a German singer/songwriter covered Kris' second album an sung it in my native language. It was not too bad and transported the meanings of the songs absolutely correct.

Taxi Driver

A few days ago I watched Martin Scorsese's movie Taxi Driver once again. Watched this movie first back in 1976 and was impressed about Robert De Niro playing Travis Bickle, an honorably discharged U.S. Marine, living as a lonely and depressive man in Manhattan, NY who becomes a taxi driver in order to cope with chronic insomnia, driving passengers every night around the boroughs of New York City. It was also a story about helping a 12-year-old prostitute to get rid of her pimp and sending her back to her parents and also about a little love affair to a volunteer for one who is running to be the next president. There a two remarkable scenes in this movie.

First is when he buys  an album for his volunteer after she describes him, quoting a phrase form 'The Pilgrim, Chapter 33' by Kris Kristofferson: 'He's a prophet, he's a pusher, partly truth and partly fiction, a walking contradiction'.

Second is the dialog when he trains his body looking into the mirror speaking: 'Yeah. Huh? Huh? Huh? You fucking son of a bitch. I saw you comin', fuck you. I'm standing here- You make the move. It's your move. Don't try it, you fuck. You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Listen you fuckers, you screwheads. Here's a man who would not take it anymore. A man who stood up against the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filts, the shit. Here is ... You're dead'.

I think they don't make movies like this any more.

Kris Kristofferson - The Pilgrim, Chapter 33