Are You Lonesome Tonight? Do you miss me tonight?
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We're recording. Welcome to significant lovers.
A true love podcast where we break down each week.
A A new famous couple in pop culture or in history.
And just talk about their relationship from the beginning
to the end and Zoo, how they met, how they fell apart.
Then they meant, I'm Mel, I'm Kelvin or two cousins, first
cousins, and we're happy to have you.
Thanks for listening. I was just laughing about how
when we first started the fog guys we were nervous like okay
we don't want people didn't think that where the signal you
can feel like we're significant lovers right now we're talking
about lovers. I was gonna keep joking about it
but yeah, today's Sewed is about oh I don't know what accent I
like it. I like it about Cupid country
folks from back in the 60s and 70s.
Johnny and June, Johnny Cash and June Carter.
I am so excited. I this has been on the list in
my mind since the beginning. This is an iconic cover.
They are really known in history, as being like this
great love story and I feel like even like in songs, nowadays, do
you think that does that make? - putting in headphones.
Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry.
So sounds a lot better now lives with her twin brother.
My cousin, I do not know. Hmm, and I'm walking a thin line
because what he was in love with being together.
I love it though. Sean, if you're listening, I
love living together. Yeah.
Oh, since I last recorded, I now have a job.
Yeah, Mel. Got a job.
Hmm. So thank you, everybody for your
prayers and wishes. No, that was really short lived
actually. Yeah, I don't think so.
Came out yet where you're saying, That you need you don't
have a job and I don't think so. Yeah, I think that was the
Johnny Winona one the week that this episode comes out.
It will be my first week on the job really.
So it's funny how life comes. When I start my job.
Yeah, I started not next week but the week after and after two
weeks off just do nothing. I'm so jealous.
It's really kind of time of my life right now.
I'm obviously nervous to start a new job.
It's scary. When you start a new job when
you don't really know what to do.
I just bought in the news a lot of new clothes and oh, really?
Yeah, because I don't have like, work clothes.
I'm going to go into an office and exciting.
Work, work work. Anyways anyway, this is my job.
I was kidding. It's not my only job.
You have a day job. Hey guys listening?
Yeah. Maybe not.
People are less fascinated with this one than the Twilight one.
I know, I feel like people even still think I do the Twilight
known because I think the toilet because guys music host another
bite Twilight. I think that was just a easier
thing to make fun of me with or tease me with.
Yeah, this one is like a little more norville's.
Oh yeah, I know when I left my last job, I feel like couple
people make comments like, oh, like if I, you know, whenever I
do something with vampires, I think of you or something.
Not only would that be? Yeah.
Yeah, this one. It's just, it's more and more
normal or socially acceptable. Yeah.
But the last one another, but of Twilight, people are still
listening to it. Yeah.
That means a whole lot. Yeah, thank you guys.
Gonna have to do some Twilight. These stuff here, pretty soon.
And if you guys time I was into it actually are so additional
and Ben Gibbard, episode randomly had a lot of toilet
room. Yeah.
Well, I mean a lot he was on one of the sound.
Yeah, he's from Washington, I am.
I drawing a blank on which one. I don't know why you are.
That's crazy Mel, which one is Young?
Oh my God, meet me on the Equinox.
Jack. We're talking about different
positions today to together. Yes.
So like I said, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and yeah, they
had a very long marriage and just went down in history.
I think as soul mates, but were they really soulmates was their
marriage? I think so.
I think, I don't know, we'll get into it.
So I mean, they were committed to each other for years decades
and That's so rare when it comes to famous couples but their
marriage like, wasn't this amazing love story which is like
disappointing. I feel like that's one thing
that I like I hate on covering as I do research like but it was
still a good love story. They stayed together though
right? Yeah, they did.
And so yeah, I feel like this episode like the questions that
I have are like really, you know, like what does it mean to
be like a soul mate? Like it's obviously Not without
problems. But like at what point does it
cross a line I guess? And look at what point can
someone not be like forgiving or don't you think when they were
older though? I mean and I don't I have to
hear the whole story but I'm guessing in private that it was
very nice. It was they did really deeply
love each other. I guess I have to hear because
Mel did all the research And she's going to tell a story guy.
Yeah. So I'm just listening.
Yeah, yeah, well, I'll get into it.
So, we got my three words. I would use to describe this
couple would be unhealthy. The first one, but then
unwavering forgiving would be my three words and Ice.
Yeah. So June Carter, she was born.
June 23rd. 1929 and Macy's spring.
Virginia. And she was born to a really
well-known musical. Family, The Carter family, her
mom, Mabley and Ezra. Carter, were country music
singers, and they had a band with Mabel's cousin.
So Mabel is June's, mom, her cousin Her Mabel's cousin, Sarah
was married to azra June's dad's brother.
So it's like two cousins married to Brothers.
Basically. Yeah.
So they're like, related on both sides and so her aunt and uncle.
Yeah. So her aunt and uncle were AP
Carter and Sarah Carter. And they formed this band called
The Carter family with Mabel and Ezra and they're just all
country music singers. And they were Really known for
popularizing what's called like Appalachian music.
They're from like mountains, in Virginia, actually think they're
called the card a group, maybe. And when Mabel and her sisters,
if she's two sisters older sister Helen and a younger
sister Anita, when they were coming of age, they also went on
tour with their family and they just all sang like everywhere,
like, they were really well known, like, in country music.
Hmm. So she lived her life, like, on
the road. A lot and her cousins.
Yeah. Yeah.
June And and her cousins also were in the band and they all
just recorded and toured together.
Wow. Yeah.
I mean in my line which is all I really know.
Yeah. It seems like it at least in the
movie that Johnny listen to them when he was little.
Yeah, he did. Yeah, yeah.
So he knew like of her family. Wow, June.
And she said this in the movies. You like you know, you had just
mentioned it earlier. She wasn't the best singer in
the group, so she usually known for her personality more so, and
so like she would do these, like little bits on stage if she had
a character called Polly that she did on stage and she was
really just like a clown, kind of, which is cute.
And later when she's a teenager June, and her mom, and her
sister has formed a quartet called The Carter sisters after
her aunt and uncle AP and Sarah, got divorced.
Ji and Le fun. Fact.
She's distantly distantly cousins with Jimmy Carter,
really? The president didn't know that.
I didn't even listen. Amy, yeah.
I don't when they say distance, like how Justin, you know, but
it must be kind of close if same last name.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's really interesting.
I guess he acknowledged it ones like, in a speech.
But okay, that I'm going to go back to June.
But so then we have Johnny Cash. He was born in Kingsland
Arkansas on February 26th, 1932 as JR.
Cash just Jr. Because his mom wanted to name
him John and his dad wanted to Um, him Ray, and they couldn't
decide. So, they compromised and just
did JR. So those are just his name Jr.
His mom was named Carrie. I don't know what she really
did. I think they are all just were
farmers. His dad was named Ray.
He was a farmer and a sharecropper, and a World War,
One veteran, and I feel like iMovie Walk the Line.
They made it seem like his dad was like really hard on him.
Yeah, I don't know if that's like, actually how he was.
So why? Why he might have been I just
don't see anything to like indicate that I mean he might
have been like specially the time period but later on when
he's a family with June, his mom and dad like live across the
street, like it doesn't seem like they're really like but but
maybe they, you know, worked on their relationship and stuff.
Maybe Man Rober one that we just watched All Quiet on the Western
Front. Yeah.
Things into perspective. That's so true.
Oh my God. Yeah he probably was kind of
grumpy because that is traumatizing.
It's like these things. Boiled kids.
Yeah. Well they really weren't spoiled
though. No.
I know. But yeah probably not but that's
just how parents. Yeah, exactly.
I mean I guess compared to like being in the trenches.
Yeah, Germany doesn't seem that bad.
Bad. But so when John or when Jr, was
three years old, the Cache Valley moved to dicey's.
But I always felt dicey's Arkansas at as part of the New
Deal, different families, poor families had the chance to work
on land that they would later own.
And so his family was really poor.
He was also the middle child of seven kids, he had three sisters
and three brothers and they worked on this field.
Just singing gospel music together, and his family was
really close. It and he learned to play guitar
from his mom who was into music and then as depicted in the
movie, when Jr. Worked on the, when he's 12
years old, his older brother Jack was nearly cut in half by a
table, saw at work and then he died a week later from his
injuries, which affected him a lot.
So sad, he was really close with his brother Jack.
Hmm in the movie they made it seem like he died like right
away but But he died like a week later and also in the movie, The
dad says to j.r. Johnny, like, where were you?
I don't think that's that happened.
But I guess like, apparently Johnny had like, a bad ominous
feeling about the day when he woke up that morning.
Mmm, and so did his mom. And so they both had a lot of
guilt about that. Hmm, that's so sad.
I didn't know he It's a, where were you?
We might of, I just don't know it.
They like him and Jim like we're a little bit involved in the
movie, in the casting, the very beginning.
But I like the movie was filmed like after they had died.
So I don't know. Really get the story from.
Do you know how there's like something I probably shouldn't?
No, that's okay. But yeah.
So in high school, his voice dropped and he started singing
on the local radio station and he was inspired by traditional
gospel, music and Irish music. Eric actually, and actually
during his senior year of high school, is school took a trip to
the Grand Ole Opry where he first saw June perform on stage
with her family. Wow, that's crazy.
And as a very deep voice. Yeah.
Hey, my head, then in 1950 at age 18, He enlisted in the Air
Force and he wasn't allowed to register using his initials.
So that's He started going by John our cash.
So changed his name and while in training camp in San Antonio
Texas, he met his first wife, Vivian Liberto at a rolling
skate Ray. Yeah, really cute.
And they did it for three weeks before he was deployed to West
Germany. And then for three years, they
just wrote thousands of letters back and forth to each other and
now So she really waited around for him.
He did. That's nice, that's good.
I was thinking that during All Quiet on the Western Front, get
back to that. When I was like, man cause I
mean, they went through, utter hell.
Yeah. One of the guys was married and
I was just thinking to myself like imagine if she like moved
on while he's gone like that would be so terrible you know
really risky but also it's like a happened.
I know it did happen but also it's like I feel like the
chances that he might come back are kind of slim after watching.
Movie is like and then he didn't, yeah boiler, so sad that
movie really. Like, put a lot into
perspective, it did very sad movie anyway, anyways.
So yeah, John, he worked as a morse code, operator,
intercepting Soviet Union or Soviet Union Army transmissions
and we'll while overseas, he also formed his first band
called The Landsberg barbarians with other soldiers.
Hers. And in 1954, after four years in
the Air Force, he was honorably discharged and a month later, he
and Vivian got married and they moved to Memphis Tennessee
together where John's old appliances and studied to be a
radio announcer and Johnny worked up the courage.
One day to then audition for the sun which is a recording studio
where he eventually went over the producer by singing in his
rockabilly style. And Received a record deal.
Wow! And I really wanted to watch, I
didn't end up doing it this documentary that is about his
first wife, because in my research, and after watching the
movie, Walk the Line, it sounds like her kids who she has with
Johnny. They didn't really like, the way
she was depicted. Mmm.
And the movie like she was like nagging all the time.
Yeah. And I do, it's like we'll get
more into like their marriage. Yeah.
As the story progresses but I do think like they didn't really
paint her in a bad light and I know a woman who waited around
for three years for this guy, I know true.
And then like of course, she's going to be nagging him because
he's like cheating on her. I know they did also make her
seem really not impressed with his music to, which is like my
dad has a job for you. I think we always do that in
movies. Like the wife's dad has a job
lined up and he refuses to say, Guys know, I don't think that
really happened. Either they, I mean, when I was
watching Walk the Line I did know.
I did think he was being really bad and I was obsessed with
Johnny, but I also was like, oh my God like he should just leave
her. Yeah, she was really annoying.
And that is what's her name? She's the actress.
Who's like she's actually she's dead woman.
Who's in? What's that, show, that Caitlin
what everyone's fun Once Upon Time.
Goodwin. Yeah, she can be kind of
annoying and so like I feel like that was very deliberate
casting. Yeah, I'm sure that was not
fair. No.
But like she was pleasant sometimes.
Probably. Yeah.
And his wife really was treated very harshly by the Press
because she actually a lot of people thought that she was
black at the time period. She was very Italian, but She
just had they cast Jennifer good.
I don't know. That's I was gonna be surprised
by that too, and I feel like it's a pale his purse.
Yeah, I know. I know, I know that's a prize
me, I mean, but she did claim, she was white and very Italian.
But like to this day I feel like people still speculate that she
might have actually been black and it's like the KKK was like
really on her case and stuff. Like people were like really
racist towards her and like I don't know if she actually was,
I think she might have actually just been Italian but people
really Really like sent a lot of like vitriol her.
Why? That sucks.
Hmm. And like she wasn't like, she
was just a normal person. Like, I feel like he had an
easier time with June, probably because she was, like,
broadened. Like she'd always been a part of
like, Fame in a way. Yeah, but poor Vivian like I
know, hopefully she Got a good amount of money and was able to
enjoy. I really don't miss a real life
that sucks. I what we were saying the other
day in the Johnny Depp episode because he had an ex-wife who's
forgotten to. Yeah, that would suck Johnny
Cash or Johnny Depp. It's like hey I was married to
him. I know you remember three years,
they wrote letters back and forth like that's a big deal.
I know she really waited for him.
Tragic. I know.
But so do, you know, had some? She had some ex-spouses as well.
Oh yeah, tracking a little bit and 1952 at age 23, she married
her first husband, another country.
Singer named Carl Smith, who was one of the actually most
successful singers during that time, period 1950s.
I've never heard his name before but I'm sure some people have
no, he was like a big deal to Tanya and in 1955 Joon gave
birth to To their baby. Rebecca, Carlene Smith, who
actually just goes by Carlene, Carter.
A few months. After Carl had actually broken
up with her. So, like really did.
It's horrible? Yeah.
Didn't last long, I guess. Apparently, he just wanted her
to be a stay-at-home mom in June.
Obviously, like wasn't going to do that.
Like she was a singer and yeah, lived on the road a lot.
So, after their marriage fell apart, She was really devastated
and she moved to New York City with baby Carlene to attend
acting school, Carlene Carling. And then around this time,
Johnny also began starting a family with Vivian there s.
Their first daughter was in was born in 1955, followed by their
second daughter, Kathy, a year later and Johnny was also
growing in popularity in music and he had his number one, hit
walk the A line, which he actually wrote for Vivian.
I keep a close. Watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my eyes wide open. All the I keep bins out for the
closet by because your mind, I Walk the Line, he wrote of her
Vivian. If she was really scared that as
he became more and more famous, all these women were like,
throwing themselves at him that he cheated on her.
So, he walked, he wrote that song to appease her worries and
tell her that he was faithful. Even though he was, she like the
movie made it seem like He wrote it for June, no he didn't.
So then in 1956 or yeah. 1956 June.
And Johnny first actually met like face-to-face backstage at
the Grand old Opry and even though he was married at the
time, he apparently said to her, that he would marry her someday.
Wow. You know I that always happen.
That's really weird actually in real life.
There's someone just said to you like out of someone who's in a
relationship. Yeah, I'm gonna You some dilute
that would be weird. Actually someone did say that to
me, really? Yeah.
That's why I didn't tell you about that.
I don't know. Is it recently?
It's about like a year ago. Someone who I went to college
with messaged me and said that, I don't know.
I don't know that. That's crazy.
Yeah, very bold. Yeah, that's what I said.
It's kind of a lot like, for someone to say and but
apparently, June wasn't that face and she just said, good, I
can't wait. And in later years, June talks
about the first time they met on the Johnny Carson show and I'll
play a little clothes. She's really long-winded in her
stories though, but I was like, John.
I was in the meantime working with Elvis Presley now and then
and that was kept dragging me into these little places to
listen to No. Do your husband have?
Got it all wrong. Who is that?
And he said, that's Johnny Cash. So he kept, we kept working
these tours. And I kept listening to this
man, Johnny Cash, and I remember one night I had come home to the
Grand Ole Opry to work. I'm going to go on stage and
just all kind of slim guy walks up to me.
It was just nice little grin and he said, oh, I'm you only care
that my God, I bet the man and I'm not eating them, but you see
Life Changes a lot. At that time, I was really
married to somebody else and he was too only.
We were, I mean, I was separated only I was living in New York
on. He wasn't separated and then it
was a mess. I know those problems.
We got him again for a long time.
I just saw him kind of passing through.
I don't know why we didn't work together.
There's probably a lucky thing. Yeah.
But we didn't. He kept going his way and I kept
going my way, and I'd worked show dates over here.
And Johnny Cash would work show dates over here, but I always
thought he was kind of nice. You.
Yeah, she's so cute. I love her.
Boy, isn't she? I can't force you to just hang
out with Elvis? Yeah, and so crazy.
Yeah. She did a lot of touring with
Elvis and in his book, her son with Johnny Cash, John Carter
Cash, theorizes that June actually had an affair with
Thelma away. He doesn't know, for sure what
he's like, I would believe it. May be interesting.
Whoa, yeah. So yeah, Elvis really hung out
with both of them. So he was like a Common Thread
for them. So then in 1957 June married,
her second husband Edwin, rip Knicks, who was a police officer
a race car driver and a former football player.
So really not in the country music scene at all, what a
renaissance man. Yeah, and yeah, in the movie
Walk, the Line like John Zack, you got married.
Like he's so then the next year 1958, they had a daughter
Roseanna Lee, who just goes Bye Rosie.
And during this time, June would often go on tour with Johnny
Cash and the girls would stay home with rip.
Like rip jeans kids. Yeah.
And even though they were both married Johnny and June, both
feel like they openly just had feelings for each other.
Hmm. Like I think they're just like a
very attracted to each other like instantly.
Hmm. There's no hiding it.
Yeah, it was really palpable just a lot of chemistry and they
had a lot of chemistry like on stage to like fans love when
they perform together. There's this journalist who
wrote this book called Johnny Cash, the life which is a
biography. Oh Robert Hilburn and he said
that he'll burn, they would frequently fight and yell at
each other. Like you got divorced.
No, you get divorced. Like Like they're really open.
My god. Really liked each other their
problems obviously in that they're both married.
Yeah, and then June later told Rolling Stone in 2000.
I never talked much about how I fell in love with John.
It was not convenient time for me to fall in love with him and
I wasn't and it wasn't a convenient time for him to fall
in love with me. I was frightened of his way of
life. I thought I can't love fall in
love with this man, but it's just like a ring of fire.
Fire. So it's believed that June, then
wrote the song Ring of Fire about their relationship, but
it's really debated if that's true because she actually
originally gave the song to her sister Anita, but it wasn't
really a big hit, so then Johnny had popularized it when he sang
it. So, people are like, does she do
that? Why did she do it?
When did she give it to her sister in the 1950s?
Like the mid-1950s? Hmm.
But I shoulda known Johnny, but like it's like So it doesn't
match the timeline and you say no does.
But also another thing is Johnny's first wife.
Vivian had told reporters that he said that he actually wrote
the song Ring of Fire and that just he decided to give June
credit because he wanted to help her out financially.
What? I don't think that's true though
because then why would she give it to her sister?
But truth? I'm not sure.
I don't know if it was like necessarily really written about
her relationship with Johnny, but like once he sing it, like I
feel like it became the song. I like represented.
Their relationship. Love is a burning thing and it
makes a fiery ring. Bound by wild desire.
I fell into a ring of fire. I fell into a burning Ring of
Fire. I went down, down down and the
Flames went higher, and It Burns.
Burns Burns the ring of fire. And then, in 1959, Vivian, John
My wife gave birth to their third daughter and Cindy so
their families growing mmm. Despite him spending more and
more time with June man and then in 1961 June became a regular on
the Johnny Cash show which was this variety show that Johnny
had hosted throughout the actually no sorry that comes up
later so I'm okay. She became a regular on the
Johnny Cash show which we think was a tour and the two of them
were very popular. We are together on stage as I
said, but John had a really bad substance abuse issues.
He was really becoming more well known for his drug addiction and
reputation to be a live wire, which is obviously depicted.
And the film, however, he proposed to pay her a monthly
salary to tour that included a closet.
If she couldn't make a show, she would still get paid.
And as a single mom of two, that was really appealing for her, so
she decided to go on tour with him.
Hmm. And also that year, Vivian gave
birth to her fourth daughter with Johnny, I'm a daughter
named Tara, however, things were really bad for him and Vivian,
she wasn't. Yeah, she was really catching on
to his affair with June and she found receipts that John had,
you know, bought June very expensive gifts and some of his
bandmates were tipping her off as well.
Well, so it was becoming really obvious and his daughter Cindy
with Vivian gave an interview once.
And she said, once June came along, she relentlessly while
she wanted dad and she was going to get him.
And she did she made herself very available to where to where
he pursued her back. Sorry, maybe we should just
wait. All right intermission.
Hmm. Wow, this is the first
relationship we have that starts from an affair.
No. I think John Lennon and Yoko
straight into your right. Actually got I was reminding me
of this. Hmm I'm so glad she's not a
movie there. A movie about their love story.
I don't think so. Hmm could be wrong but I don't
think so she's still alive so maybe she just didn't room
hasn't approved that or something maybe when she does.
That's the crazy thing about Walk.
The Line the movie is that came out like 2005.
Like they both died in 2003. So it's like, very way.
Yeah. Like remain over, like, people
were thinking about them. And this movie came out, it was
like the perfect time. How about can you finish a very
good job? Yeah, he was really good in it,
he won the Oscar, right? I don't think so.
I don't think he wanted to Joker, right?
Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah.
Was he nominated? Probably because you're mine and
I Walk the Line. Let me see under wood burning
when your farm the flame gonna hire.
Only one for Joker. Joker.
Not the Joker. I always make that mistake.
Okay, hey so yeah, his drug use was really bad.
Oh no, is really drugs Mel amphetamines?
Mainly? I think later he did like
opioids and narcotics as well just like in like alcohol.
Yeah, pills. Yeah, pills pills pills pills
pills in 1965. He was arrested crossing the
Mexican border with Over 1000 tablets of amphetamines and this
is really bad in. 1965 he accidentally set fire to a
campsite in Los Padres National Forest which led to thousands of
Acres of forest burning down. And he killed many of the
endangered, Condor birds in the area and he was the first person
to be sued by the US government for starting a fire.
Oh my God, pay like thousands of dollars for that and like he
said it was an accident but I think Was like drunk or
something. So, oh, really bad.
He was didn't mean to. Yeah, it's really bad.
I think of and what I got from the movie again, like, it's just
a movie but like he, it seems like he just had a really bad
impulse control, especially when.
Oh, yeah came to like when he was drunk like he just would
smash things. Yeah.
And like that, like led to him cheating on his wife to like, he
just had No inhibitions damn. Hold him back from whatever he
wanted to do. Yeah I mean I know I noticed was
the movie but when he like ripped the sink Off the Wall.
Yeah. Johnny Depp, we just covered.
Yeah, I know. He is also known for trashing
hotel rooms, I guess. The oh my God Johnny's.
I know I'm down. Anyway, yeah.
So his wife Vivian Take it anymore.
So she filed for divorce in 1966 from Johnny and they finalized
their divorce in 1967. She was forced to.
She had to make a choice, and I think she was sad about it.
Want to think she really, really loved him.
But she felt abandoned by him in many ways and he wasn't there
for her, wasn't there for the kids.
He was really just preoccupied with June.
Like he was really obsessed with June and around that same time,
June got divorced from her. Ben rip and apparently, she was
really a shame to be divorced twice like everybody was judging
her. And I had to say, like they're
both very christian-like. They're both like, very
religious. That must have been really hard.
Yeah, I would feel really ashamed myself to be honest.
Yeah. And back then I know kids are
two different. Yeah, guys.
To door says she probably did believe it was wrong.
So she's like what the fuck? I can get this together.
Yeah she just like like her feelings for John Johnny were
also really strong but she was really reluctant to like really
be in a committed relationship with him because of his drug
problems, but he had good. Yeah.
I mean that seems pretty healthy on her part.
Yeah. He likes to be it.
Reluctant. Well, could you two kids, too?
So she was like I'm like I don't want to get my kids like messed
up into this. Everything.
So yeah, she was pretty horrified by all that but so
John moved to an apartment close to her in order to pursue their
relationship further, like once they both were single like, he
just like wanted to be together. Yeah.
And in his autobiography, he writes about that time saying, I
was canceling shows recording dates and when I did manage to
show up, I couldn't sing because my throat was too dried out from
the pills. I was in and out of jail,
hospital and car wrecks. I was a walking vision of death,
and that's exactly how I I felt damn great time and in 1967,
Johnny was a guest suicidal and he entered into this cave on the
Tennessee, River called Nick, a jack cave, where he intended to
end his life and he crawled for three hours until his flashlight
went out. This is like a well-known story
with him. God, apparently, in that cave,
Johnny literally had a Resurgence of faith.
And he said, they're in Nikka Jack cave.
I became conscious of a very clear simple idea.
I was not in charge of my destiny.
I was not in charge of my own death.
I was going to die at God's time, not mine.
I hadn't prayed over my decision to seek death in the cave, but
that hadn't stopped God from intervening.
And this experience, made him develop a closer relationship
with God, which brought him closer to June, who was very
Christian. And so then I started going to
church together and he got sober and they like really fell in
love. Wow, Mmm.
Yeah, although that same journalist I mentioned before
Robert Hill born, he kind of undermines the story in his
biography by saying that at that time for whatever reason that
cave like would have been flooded.
I don't know how he knows that. What?
I don't, I don't think he's lying.
Yeah. Like maybe he was crawling in a
puddle exactly. Yeah.
I'm gonna believe Johnny that
that really happened. Yeah.
And why, does he really have to crawl for three hours for it to
be meaningful? Exactly.
Yeah, you know, I think it was a huge case are scary.
Yeah. Oh my gosh.
Well, now I'm now on a lighter, note, Johnny and June's do have
a song Jackson like we're gonna Jackson.
Yeah. That that year won.
The Grammy award for best country performance.
When I went to Jackson Wyoming with carry on, I know it's not
the right Jackson but I kept playing that song.
They couldn't stop some. Yeah, it's really catchy.
I'm gonna Jackson Jackson. Look out, Jackson town.
Jackson, I'm gonna snowballs Jackson
Kuwait. Were they married by that time?
No, they weren't. But then on February 22nd.
My friend Hannah's birthday. 1968, Johnny proposed on staged,
June. And she also talked about this
on the Johnny Carson show, so I'll share it, let's hear it.
Anyway, after all these trials and tribulations, he finally
well then let's get married. Yeah, Johnny Cash straighten
himself up really and and he proposed to me on stage in front
of about 7,000 people in London, Ontario, Canada, really?
Yes, that's really romantic. I couldn't say anything.
I didn't know what to say and he just stood there and looked at
me and grinned until I said something.
You said yes. I said yes.
Yeah, good, good. Cute to see, Johnny smile.
I don't know. It's so funny.
Like when you watch the movie Walk the Line to like so serious
when he like proposed. Yeah, he was like, he was really
in love with her. Like I feel like that's pretty
obvious. They got married, just three
days later. Like, they were going to wait
until the end of the school year, so that they would have to
gank her kids out of school. But the her daughter Has were
really excited about it and they were like, they made all these
plans, like, they got music. You Ikea.
I think and it's just three days later they got married.
On March 1st. 1968. He was 36.
She was 39. He's got it.
Yeah, but like, I love that, like, especially, they went down
history of this, like, amazing love story, like they were in
their late 30s. That's beautiful.
That's really beautiful. Like, people feel like I'm, you
know, I'm turning 30, I haven't met my soul mate, like they
Yeah, they're almost 40 and that's when they got together
made for years like yeah that's beautiful.
Despite it being her third marriage, this was the first
time that June had changed her stage name so now she was going
by June Carter Cash, but I mean, he's more famous and more famous
than her. But yeah.
Like it rings. Yeah doing by June.
Carter Nix. Yeah, June Carter Smith.
This one have been the same. Yeah, King Carter Cash, sounds
good, Mmm. Yeah, that's a nice ring and
their son, John Carter Cash writes in his book that
apparently, his older sisters, you know, June's daughters.
They had said that before, they lived with, Johnny June was,
really strict was really strict about neatness and chores, but
then once they became a family, all those chores went away and
they were really spoiled like they'd never had a single chore,
they had a lot of help. Help.
They had like chefs and housekeepers and like they just
lived a life of luxury. Oh my God.
What my sons, having a lot of money but it was weird.
She just gave up on being strict, though.
I know. Yeah, she sure didn't care
anymore. Then in 1961, the Johnny Cash
show, premiered. Which was a variety show on ABC,
featuring Johnny and often June along with other musicians and
especially the Carter sisters were on their lock and the show
aired until 1971. So I think that means some kind
of like a household, like, I mean, they're obviously Super
Famous like they came into your house.
Yeah, they were in your living room so they combined had six
total daughters together. Wow for from Johnny and to from
June so many daughters. But they really wanted a son so
they tried for a year and a half to get pregnant and they finally
welcomes their only son. And only child together a baby
boy named John Carter Cash on March 7th, 1970, John, Carter
Cash and that night Johnny opened a show for the Johnny
Cash show by saying, hello. I'm Johnny, Carter Cash.
His daddy. Oh, it's cute.
And it's cute. Hmm, and most of my information
that I have for this episode, I got from a book written by John
Carter Cash, which is interesting because it's like
Adjusting to see a child's perspective.
Yeah, it's called Anchored In Love.
And he really wrote it about his mom.
But obviously it's like a big part of that is his mom's
relationship with his dad. Yeah.
And so it's really cool to see his perception like of his
parents. Marriage is a picture of June on
the cover. Mmm.
Yeah. And there's a lot of pictures in
the book as well of her Them together like it's a picture of
him as a baby. And I could tar case.
Guys, you can't see. I know so and then he said in
the book about those early years, he says their
relationship at that point was as good as it had ever been in
their careers were soaring. The world was their stage.
It was in this life that I was born.
The seemingly perfect life. When the story of John and June,
Carter Cash have been told in brief.
This is the happy ending. They have they have this is the
happy ending, they had a son and they all lived happily ever
after. That seems to be the unspoken
message of the film walk. The line, of course, that's not
true. In fact, it's far from true.
But through all the years ahead, the successes and failures,
triumphs and heartache, their love lasted.
Hmm. So those first like seven years
of John Carter Cash is life. There were really idyllic like
they were on the road a lot. They were really close knit
family even slept in his parents bedroom with them everywhere
that they went I did. Okay I read a rumor online that
Johnny allegedly had an affair during this time with June
sister Anita and that like Anita got pregnant with his baby but I
don't think that's true at all. Like it's crazy.
People would know more. About that.
Where'd you read that? That journalists.
Are you talking about? Yeah, I feel like that's like
too crazy. And like, it was on the inquire
but like nothing. That's I think people would talk
about that about is true. That's very scandalous.
Yeah, I know doing the Sims 4 shine.
Oh yeah, I don't think that's true.
So yeah, June and John were both Big.
Spenders are a little Materialistic.
John Carter Cash. Remembered in the book a time
when June had picked up a purse at a store that looking at the
price tag and then the cashier said that will be twelve
thousand dollars in June didn't even blink.
She just said I'll be paying with my American Express like
they just kind of bought whatever they wanted, they both
had some the 70s Mmm. Yeah twelve thousand dollars on
a purse. I mean that's insane today.
I don't think they worried about money whatsoever.
They owned a lot of property. They had a house in Port Richey,
Florida. A lake house in Henderson
Hendersonville Tennessee. Hmm, an apartment in New York
City, an apartment in Ashbury Park, New Jersey, a farm in bond
Aqua Tennessee and an estate in Jamaica called Cinnamon Hill,
which they spent a lot of time. Is it Hendersonville Tennessee?
Or is it is that Virginia actually just happen?
Or is it North Korea and maybe North Carolina.
Actually I'm not really too sure.
It's okay. It's Hennessy.
Yeah, I think they also had a house in Virginia, though.
So, I wouldn't even listen to that.
Wow, that's a lot. Mmm.
But so, then things started to sour in about 1977 Johnny.
Relapsed into his drug addiction know which apparently led to him
cheating a lot. But I couldn't find anything
specific about like who he really cheated with?
I think he just had like a lot of one-night stand.
No Johnny no, uh-huh. And Little John.
John said in the book that was mostly sober for the first seven
years of my life. And when he was sober, he was a
faithful devoted husband and a creative and inspiring father,
but the addiction was not something that I would ever be
not in this life. And when his addiction was in
control of him, he became a different person entirely And
yeah, I really liked that self-control and little John
says, parents would fight a lot like all the time and he lived
in constant fear that they would get divorced and said that he
would often run into the middle of the room when they were
fighting with each other and that he would burst into tears
to get them to stop. He said that like Johnny never
laid a hand on June but like one time he did like like he raised
his fist as if he was going to but He never did.
I don't know why I'm laughing because Mel just at, yeah, but
he was like he was like the one thing I know for sure.
Like, you never did hit her but like it would seem like he
would, but still. Well, that's good.
I mean, John Carter Cash probably would know.
Yeah. Anybody.
Yeah. But yeah, he was really scared
that his parents who get divorced, which is a common
thing for little. Yeah, here and in 1979 June
actually really did consider leaving Johnny Me and spent time
away in London with her daughter Carlene, while she tried to come
up with a plan to leave him. Yeah, I'm not your Johnny.
And June went on vacation with little John to their home in
Jamaica, for spring break. And during that time, they were
arguing a lot to the point where Johnny actually asked Littlejohn
to leave the room. Hmm.
Little John was so scared. He's like this is that like my
parents are gonna get divorced like this is like when it's
going to happen. Then and then they call them
back into the room and they told him that they were going to get
remarried. Wow, either vows, and he was
like, what he said. I never knew what my father
said. Some my mother that day that
brought her back to him. So utterly and steadfastly.
But it was as if they had just fallen in love for the first
time whatever. He said, and did it was pure
enchantment. Mom had forgiven him without
reservation and their love. For each other became stronger.
Than ever. Wow, I do think around this
time, Johnny went to rehab. So that's probably what made
him. Mmm.
When her back. Hmm.
And got clean again, just nice. And then in 1981, Johnny and
June Littlejohn along with some of their friends like his good
friend, Little John's like school friend.
I think they're like 12 years old at the time, they all went
on vacation to Jamaica for Christmas and they usually hired
security. Ready for their home when they
were down there, but they just skipped out on it this time,
they're like, oh, we're fine. Like, they had this like, very
like false sense of security, which wasn't good, because, as
they were praying at the dinner table, this voice broke out and
said, someone is going to die here tonight.
What? Uh-huh, and they looked at the
door and there were three men with ski masks on standing in
the doorway. Oh my God, one had a hatchet.
Get another one. Had a dagger.
And another one had a pistol. Oh my God!
And the one with the pistol was like, raising it and the air.
Yeah. And like they're all just having
this like Christmas dinner. Like, it was really scary and
they grabbed Little John's friend named Doug.
Doug is his 12 year old boy and this was the those men grabbed.
Yeah. Yeah.
The men grabbed him and they put the gun to his head.
What Doug's poor Doug and said Ed tell him, tell them if we do
not get 3 million dollars within the next hour we were going to
kill you. That's so scary.
Yeah. And Johnny at told them that
they would give them anything that they wanted but they didn't
have three million dollars on them and then they grabbed a
little John their son and kept threatening them even more
saying like you have to give us some money right now.
Yeah, I feel like that was like damn what happened.
So then each person in the house one by one around the whole
house to make them, give them anything that they had and John
Carter Cash rates as we cook Lea obeyed.
I caught my father's. I never before had.
I seen such fear and helplessness from him.
I was trying to be strong, but the look on his face toward deep
into my heart. I could tell Dad feared, we
would not make it through this hellish night.
He said, I do not remember who went first, but Dad later Told
me that he had never been so afraid as when they took Mom, he
was terrified while she was gone.
But eventually she was returned seemingly unscathed and after
four hours of these left with 5 thousand dollars in cash and all
the jewelry in the house and they locked everybody in the
basement with food. Oh my God.
That's not. Yeah, I know.
I can't believe that happened the one time.
They didn't have security, I know, seriously.
I feel like they never didn't have security.
Ever again and they broke out of the basement.
By slamming, a large coat rack through the door and the three
men who had robbed them. They were actually all killed
upon resisting arrest. Wow.
And John Carter said that he had felt really sad about that since
the men just clearly were like struggling and like poor and but
he was like obviously that shouldn't have.
Yeah, they sent a weapons on them.
Yeah. Yeah, they could have really
killed them. Mmm, but he said that, after
that, ordeal, he noticed that his mom was wearing these
diamond earrings that her mom had given to her.
And he said, like, Mom, like they might have killed you,
like, why didn't you just give them to them?
And she said, some things are worth my life.
I guess what she refused to give them her earrings.
I don't get this. I know.
But that just like shows like the spunkiness of like her
character. Yeah, she would have died for
those. Geez that happened.
I was shocked by that. It's interesting in that book
that part like occurs and then it's like broken up by like fun.
Pictures. Look like I've had that's not
smart place today. This weird put a gun to my head
and then and then traveler pictures.
We need a minute. Poor dog.
He was just there with his leg friends family name.
Wow, they're really lucky turned out.
Okay, I know seriously that's one of those things.
It's like no. You're when you're in a moment
of Crisis. Mmm.
Like it will pass. And might I mean, that could
have gone a lot worse. But like they won't have my had
a bat in my apartment. And that whenever I'm having a
stressful moment I'm like, well I'm not still stuck in the
apartment with a bat, you know what I mean?
Like he's they're not still stuck in the basement with like
Burglars upstairs. So I can't believe you come here
to murder her. Well, you never know.
That's can kill people. Hmm, I can't they have rabies
No, but it's obviously this is a lot of theory but that's not
scary as well anyway. So yeah throughout the 80s their
marriage was really Rocky, John Enos still struggling with his
addiction and on the road they usually book separate hotel
rooms just in case they needed their space from each other.
Sometimes he would share bad, but usually sup separately and
little John, he would sometimes share a room with his dad and he
would just like, Watch over him and like count his breathing and
sometimes he would stop breathing and he definitely go
get his mom. Like it was really stressful.
Why would they have him? Be with Johnny?
I don't get that. I think.
Usually he shared a room with his mom but like I think, I
don't know. I feel like they may be wanted
him to like well, he's older at this point I guess like a
teenager. Yeah, yeah.
Probably didn't want to be with his mom.
Hmm. And he describes his dad as
being Really emotionally absent during that time he says bright
and clear back then, Mom knew what she wanted.
Most of all she wanted a clean man in her life, a husband who
could be counted on her love for him would never change.
But the truth was dad was slipping away.
It also says as though, it was as though he was asleep but
somehow still functioning just barely just sad and also during
this time period Besides Johnny, all three of John's children
were also struggling with addiction Carlene Rosie, and
then eventually in the late 80s, early 90s Little, John's started
experimenting with drugs and alcohol to actually started.
When he's 14, started drinking. No, and they all were alcoholics
and drug addicts. Oh my gosh.
So, June was constantly looking out for all three of her kids
and her husband, and she was really worried about everybody
around. Found her and the sucks.
Yeah. Like it was awful and like the
stress made her physically sick and she even ended up in the
hospital at one point because she was really struggling with
depression from just worrying so much.
Little John said, mom was the most forgiving person I had ever
known but her repeated and unconditional forgiveness
allowed those. She loved the most to hurt her.
The deepest mom, gave her whole heart and soul to her family.
And in some way, she enabled them in their addiction and the
family is Increasingly concerned about Johnny, who is just
seriously like barely functioning, and they're worried
that he'll die if he doesn't get help.
So June stages, an intervention for him and says that she will
leave him if he doesn't get clean.
And so he goes to rehab in California and he does get clean
and he stays that way for a few years, then he begins using
drugs again. No, and his son Little John goes
to that seem rehab to get clean as well.
Damn, Man. Yeah that's upsetting.
Mmm. Yeah it was really like a rough
time and then in the 90s little John says in his book that he
began to notice unfortunately that his mom started to use
drugs to June, she had been so strong for so long and was
really looking out for everybody.
But now at this point, she's like in her 60s and she's
starting to have more chronic pain.
She's prescribed narcotics. So she begins taking those to
cope with her pain, but then she starts taking them to cope with
the mental pain. To, I know, it's really tough,
but he says earlier in the book that like he remembers like in
those early years of his life, like being on the road, they
would have a pill for everything.
Like if you have headache, here's a pill here.
If you have allergies like his mom, I had this like pill book
and like, it wasn't like an addiction thing.
But he's like, I feel like her drug addiction came from that
like mindset, which like was passed down from I'm her mom
that like there's a pill for everything so when she was
older, she started taking pills for pain.
She just started taking them for emotional.
Okay? Nana Sadness he says for so long
mom had obsessed over the addiction of her husband, her
daughters and her son. Next, she moved into tonight to
denial then came the time I believe when she had simply had
enough when the struggle with addicts in her life, overcame
her strength and resolve with no better way of describing it.
I think the cumulative mental physical and emotional pain.
Combined, in such a way that drug youths eventually seemed
okay to her. Wow.
And so, like, that was kind of her like, Giving in like she
stopped like really fighting. John's drug addiction Johnny's,
a drug addiction and like just kind of gave up in a way which
is sad understandable though. Hmm.
Which is why I feel like their marriage was a little bit easier
in the end because like that wasn't as much of a conflict
because they both were no using. Little John said, I know he
loved my mom. Oh, so Little John.
Staged an intervention for tune with the help of her closest
friends, but she actually, she was in too much Niall and she
refused help. She was like, I can quit anytime
I want and like, I guess she did for a little bit, but she kept
using drugs until her death. And she was just a lot more
emotionally absent and faded. And it was just sad.
I mean, that's kind of the way it often is for people towards
the end of their life. Sometimes, especially as they
get older, like he just wasn't really the same.
Yeah, she had been before yeah even even if you're not on
drugs, I feel like that just kind of happens sometimes
because of illness or yeah, I mean yeah a lot of people are on
some kind of drug because they do have illnesses.
Yeah. Like she would just wasn't him.
She wasn't a quick anymore. The way she had once been yeah
he said I know so little John didn't invite his father.
Johnny to the intervention for his mom and he said, I knew he
loved my mom more than anything. Thing in the world, he cherished
her and she him, they were business partners and lovers and
encouragers in the past, when Mom was weak, the other had been
strong, but sadly as the years passed, they became each other's
Alibi for addiction. So yeah.
He didn't include Johnny and the intervention, but it was kind of
fruitless like, nothing really came of it.
You never really got help. Sadly, I feel like I got it.
Like, she didn't really see herself the same way that she
saw a like, her kids and her husband.
It's pretty simple sad. You know like she had been
taking care of them for so long. I feel like she just didn't
really think that she could succumb to like the same
problems. Yeah.
Beate very common thing to. I feel like for older people
like get prescribed, these really strong medications for
like arthritis and everything and become addicted.
But in the late 90s, 1997 Johnny had been diagnosed with
something called shy-drager syndrome, which is a
neurodegenerative disease that causes atrophy and he was
starting to be wheelchair-bound. Bound and he was also struggling
a lot with type 2 diabetes and he was losing his eyesight.
So he gave up performing and touring all together.
But during this time, Juna spent more time in the recording
studio with her son, John as well as Johnny as well and a few
other collaborators and she worked on her second album which
I didn't know. She only had three albums, one
came out after her death like three solo albums.
This is her this album was called press on.
I think it was later now. Needed for a Grammy and want a
Grammy but it's really sweet and includes this duet between her
and Johnny, which this is, you know, later in their life,
Johnny sings, I believe my steps are grown weary, your each day
still, I've got another Journey on my mind.
There is of this old world that sees to make me want to stay in.
My one, regret is leaving you behind, then she sings.
But if it proves to be his will that I am first to go and
somehow I'm a feeling, it will. Be when it comes to your time to
travel likewise don't feel lost. Or I will be the first one that
you'll see. Oh my God, they sing together.
And I'll be waiting on the far side banks of Jordan, and I'll
be sitting drawing pictures on the sand, and when I see you
coming, I will rise up with the shout and come running through
the shallow Waters, reaching for your hand.
That is beautiful. Really sweet and in 1999, June
toward that album, she did about 15 shows that was her last time,
really performing and touring her and Johnny were becoming a
lot weaker. They both just had a lot of
health problems as people sent, you know, do at that age, they
were in their 70s. Now little John says that they
were both in and out of the hospital at all times.
Both taking care of each other. When mom was sick, the other one
was healthy. And while one was weak, the
other one was strong. They were always just like
bringing each other like, to the hospital.
They have their own sweet. They're actually at the top of
the hospital and in June 2002, they were able to have this big
family gathering together for a week.
However, things still weren't really great in the family.
At this point. June was very strained from her
daughter estranged from her daughter, Carlene who still
struggling with drugs, And her daughter Rosie and Rose.
You is a deeply struggling like she had a lot of like anger
issues to like lash out a lot. She's sad and his book.
Little John says I keep calling him Little John because I think
it's really confusing. I don't even think Golem that he
says that his parents were more in love, during this time than
they ever had been before. He said, although their love
never died during the decades together.
There had been many times when they had nearly given up on
their marriage now. However, their relationship was
as unbreakable as hardened steel, the fires that they had
been through. Strengthened them it to the
point that they were true. As one as much a single being as
any to can be most of all. And those last few months
together, they were the greatest of friends, they did sleep in
separate bedrooms but because June preferred to watch TV and
Johnny preferred to sleep without TV.
So, they spent pretty much every waking hour together.
The only time that they were a part was when they went to
sleep. I don't think Really means
anything. I mean, I don't think so either.
I'm a wicked light sleeper, and I've always said that if I
married someone that snort, I would have a different bedroom.
I think it's like, healthy. Yeah, little distractions.
I can really interfere with your sleep.
And, yeah, it's a big one, if one person.
So just like to keep the TV on all night.
Yeah, that would drive me crazy. Yeah, I mean, my parents
definitely have like sleep issues as well.
Like my dad goes to bed. Super super early like 9:00 at
night. Night.
But my mom likes to stay up and just like, watch the news until
like midnight. So yes, often an issue for them.
Yeah. Or like be on her phone late at
night, isn't like that and I feel like my dad stays up leader
way later than my mom. Mmm.
Yeah. And they also have health
problems. So like they would get up to the
bathroom, a lot at night and like that would just, you know,
wake the other one up. So, but Jim was still in the
Threw a lot at this time. Recording.
What would be her? Third album, but Johnny wasn't.
He was in the recording studio to like you.
We often help her with her album, or like vice versa.
They did a lot of like recording like a lot of their recordings.
At this time, I think were re-recording old songs or songs
from like other people and they just, they had their own.
They didn't like this cabin and they had this, like, recording
studio in the cabin, but her doctors became really concerned
with With her heart, she was having heart failure.
Little John said, in his book that she was like eating like a
really high fat diet. And actually we had like 200
pounds really the end of her life.
I don't like then I saw pictures of her eyes like she doesn't
look like she is but like I guess if she was like not really
taking care of herself. Yeah she had heart problems and
so they recommended that she have this surgery to replace a
valve in her heart in the surgery went well but
Unfortunately she then went into cardiac arrest and she needed
CPR for about 15 minutes and then she was put on life support
for about a day or two and Johnny was beside himself.
He he like really believe that she would wake up like she would
blink or something and he's like no she's waking up but like that
was just like involuntary movement and according to
Littlejohn he leaned over her in the hospital bed.
Ed and he started crying. He said, baby, baby June, I love
you, you're going to be fine. I love you baby.
That's so cute and no runs me of Edward.
Breaking dawn know, it's sad, though, it's really sad.
That's bad for me like to farad to bring down, but that's what
it was. Yeah, there was little John
says, there's such a sadness on Dad's face such desperation in
his eyes as he begged her. Need to come back to him.
It was the hardest thing he had experienced.
Since his brothers jacked up Jack's death in 1944, he rocked
gently back and forth talking to her in fervent tones.
However, the doctors declared that she was brain dead and
recommended that, they take her off of life support both.
So crazy is after they took her off, life support.
She continued to live for four days.
Wow. So, they were just like at the
hospital for four days straight, like waiting for her final.
Moments and like, just like my goodness each day kept passing,
but then she finally passed on May 15 2003 at age 73 and John
Johnny insisted that they have a big public funeral for her and I
guess she loved flowers so much that in the obituary they wrote
in lieu, of donations, sunflowers, kind of funny.
And yeah, he was beside himself Johnny, but Just a few days
later, he went back into the recording studio to really not
distract him. But like to cope like you said
that this was like music was the only way that he could process
the loss of her death and he gave an interview about 3 months
later. All right, for more than 30
years, what's the secret to that?
How do people stay together? We were together 40 years, we
worked on the road together since 1963 and we got married in
68 and the suited for a happy marriage separate bathrooms.
That's it, I think so. When Jim passed on, did she have
any advice for you to keep going?
Keep making music? Isaac.
Oh, she always said that she, she was my great encourager.
She was my biggest critic to none.
If she didn't, like, stuff in the that I did, she told me
about it in a hot minute. I imagine it must be the to be
married so long and to lose someone it, cemented people
would sometimes just want to stop and say the spouses
sometimes just follow each other but you're still going ready to
go. Where do we where do you get
the? The energy machine told me in
the hospital. So go to work.
I said, what are you talking about?
She said, don't worry about me, go to work.
And at the funeral I could almost hear.
Send go to work three days after the funeral.
Everybody said you're crazy but three days after the funeral, I
was in the studio really well and our students, do you know,
for two weeks and it was great therapy for me and I think I
accomplished more than that couple of weeks than Most of the
other year combined. Wow.
Oh, that's cute total work. Yeah, it's kind of sad though
that the inner. I don't know the guys name.
I should know. But like he was like, you know?
Spouses usually follow each other?
Yeah. But I could tell he felt awkward
about that and Johnny was distraught though like that was
a good escape to him but he was really growing weaker and
weaker. For of when they get married
like that 1960-something now over 30 years.
Mmm, so he got was just really sad.
And then just four months later in September he was hospitalized
due to complications from his diabetes and he died on
September 12 2003 less than four months after June had died so he
did follow her. Her weave like yeah the fact
that he died. So soon after is like one thing
that like people really. Yeah you know like a tribute to
them being soul mates. Is that because they died like
really close together. That's supposedly a real thing
and apparently happens more often with men.
Yes die kind of a broken heart. Yeah I know to lose your spouse
would really raise your stress levels and you know, wreck.
Body and if you already have health issues and kind of makes
sense that you would literally die from it.
Yeah. Especially since they're both
taking care of each other. Yeah.
Longer had her to lean on also I've heard that women have an
easier not easier time but like they are not stronger.
I don't know what's the word like they are better at coping
after the loss of a husband. Then men are at that age.
Yeah. When a man loses his wife, there
could be many reasons why. I mean, women in general live
longer, Anyway, yeah, usually not in this case, but I feel
like when my grandfather died, I never like I regret thinking
like I never stopped to think like that so hard for my
grandmother. Like, at the time, like it just
seems like this is like a new normal.
Not like now my grandmother is just like the grandparent that
we have. Like I never thought like that
must have been really hard, you know.
Yeah. I mean.
For my, when did that happen 2006?
Yeah, I was like, yeah, you know, I mean I think I was young
when my grandparents lost their spouses so I probably didn't
think about it much too. Yeah, this is really sad.
It's devastating. Yeah II just figured him out.
I still think it's a great love story.
I know there was like a lot of Drugs and there was infidelity
and stuff, but the fact that they stuck together and came
through it all and we're still super in love in the last years
of their life and we're still each other's best friends.
I mean that's a true beautiful. Yeah I mean he could have been
just like out both of them could just been floating from one
person to the next like blah blah blah.
Yeah that they they stuck together and That's nice.
And I think that matters. Yeah.
I think so too. No, I think things like that's
the thing like they genuinely really loved each other.
I think I think like I was getting struggling with is like
it's just sad that like that love wasn't like as consistent
or like it just as much as they love each other.
They couldn't really be happy for as long as they were
together, you know, like for so much of that.
It was like turmoil. Yeah.
And it's really sweet that they had in each other in the end and
like that, that endured and and they had a friendship but you
know, like I I feel like if you were Like one of June's friends
or something. You'd like leave the sky.
Like this is, you know, awful. So, like she had to be very,
very forgiving, mhm. And not a lot of people could
be, I know, it's, I think it's beautiful.
Like, it's a really, I think it's a beautiful love story that
like, they hate each other. But I think, I mean, I think
that's a reality for like love though.
Is that like it does often have sacrifices?
And like, like not perfect. Like you're gonna have to be
perfect. Yeah, you can't.
I mean, I think it is really hard.
I think all of couples fight when they're married and
probably, everybody thinks at least once about ending it and
think it's really hard. Yeah.
And I also think that something like drug addiction or
depression or whatever was the root issue of all that.
Yeah, exactly really expect that I love is going to be so amazing
that it Cures that for you? Yeah, no.
Yeah, that's true. It is sad that she had to go
through all of that. I think.
Like, for me, it's like, what would be really hard?
Is like the infidelity? Yeah.
Like because I feel like that would I would think that maybe
that would be a deal breaker, but at the same time like I feel
like the infidelity was a symptom of his drug addiction
which was a symptom of his depression.
So it's like she really saw him like for who he was and like
just accepted him. I mean she knew from the very
beginning, he was a cheater. Yeah, exactly.
He's cheating on his wife of her.
Yeah, exactly. But it's like, but it's so
interesting because like just the fact that he cheated on
June, like I don't think he was it like loved her, any less.
Yeah. But it's like hard to it's like
so much more nuanced and like someone keeps their bad, you
know. I know I mean I don't know what
happened between them, maybe he was deeply.
Sorry, and professed his love for her and I don't know.
We don't know what happened. I do believe that people can
change. I hope they can change and it is
disappointing. I hate eating, but yeah, he's
cheating. I wouldn't do that.
No, it's terrible but I don't know.
We don't know what happened? No, no, I really don't know the
specifics of like his infidelity.
I think what's just sad, too. Is like the healthiest years in
the relationship. We're probably the years when
they were like least healthy and like their physical bodies.
Like, I mean, I think they were still both like, doing drugs
like at the very end, but in a medicinal way where they were
like, both just like very sick and so like, obviously he wasn't
like cheating on her and going out and like doing all these
crazy wild things at that point in their life.
So like that's really when they were like closes when they were
both like elderly and like at home and just like what happened
7 years. Of Little John's.
Oh yeah that's right. Oh yeah I first got married and
that's true. Yeah.
They did. You cheating during that know he
was faithful. So they did have that kind to
together. Yeah.
If you just it was like, made me sad, like they didn't really get
to experience like that much time together that like wasn't
plagued by that. But it's sweet how like enduring
their love was and that is sweet.
The last thing I really have is in 2011, John Carter.
Cash published love letters that Johnny had written to June
during their marriage and this is a really sweet one from 1994.
Johnny wrote it to June for her birthday.
He says happy birthday. Princess we got old and get used
to each other. We think alike, we read each
other's minds. We know that what the other
wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other
a little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other
for granted, but once in a while like today, I meditate on it and
realize how lucky See, I am to share life with the greatest
woman. I ever met, you still fascinate.
Me and inspire me, you influence me for the better.
You're the object of my desire. The number one, Earthly reason
for my existence. I love you very much.
Happy birthday princess. Yeah.
It's really sweet. That is he says, Hey June.
This is Hey June. Hey June, this is really nice
June. You've got a way with words and
I away with them as well. This fire and excitement may be
gone. Now that we don't go out there
and sing them anymore but the ring of fire still Burns around
you and keep Keeping your love hotter than a pepper Sprout.
Love Jonica. I'm having trouble reading his
handwriting but I think that's what it says.
Another one June Valentine's is fine but you being mine is more
fine. Thanks, John, February 14th,
1987 that's cute. Mmm.
It does remind me of the John Lennon Yoko one that you know,
John Lennon did cheat on Yoko and it was a lot of fucked-up
stuff, but then it doesn't like they still love each other.
More than anyone and we're together in their last days.
And yeah they like I have no doubt that these two like really
loved each other. It's just it's just sad because
it's like is it possible to have a love story where Dot Like, you
don't have to like go through like that kind of hell that they
went through together because I feel like a lot.
I mean, I don't I don't think everyone goes through that kind
of like drug addiction. But I do think all relationships
probably do have hard times. Yeah, I do.
I mean that's what everybody says.
Yeah marriage that's treatment is.
What's more important to you? Do you want to save someone?
Ever or in tough through it or do you want to break up?
You know, that this isn't people off to make.
Yeah, really sad thing to is a month after Johnny passed away.
Actually June's daughter Rosie, her middle daughter or middle
child had passed away from an accidental carbon monoxide
poisoning, what do you think her?
And her boyfriend were like in a bus but and it's crazy.
See ya and they had died from like the exhaustion of bus.
Yeah. I like it was a school bus that
like what they were in other people on it?
No, it's there. Just the two of them.
She was like, found dead. Just like Chad.
So the three of them were all buried together in a garden and
Hendersonville and see. Yeah yeah that is that is I
don't know in a weird way. Very sweet to me that they died,
not the daughter but that Johnny and June died.
So close together. Yeah, I know, they really to
have to be a part for that long, but yeah, that's the story of
Johnny and June. Wow, thank you Mel for telling
your stories way. I can't believe it was like that
gonna turn our, and okay, it's pretty, nor some bad things to
cut out. Yeah, that's true.
Yeah, I probably will be less odds if they get back together.
I think the heaven 100% together and have them.
Yeah. And oh my gosh.
That interview that was like his last interview.
He literally said my time on Earth is ending.
Yeah. Like knew he was gonna die and
he said that that he just hopes that he goes to heaven and yeah,
they were really big. Yeah.
Believers and Faith Like that's something that they really
shared together which I didn't even realize how big that was to
them but so I hope they are in heaven together.
Yeah, I guess you didn't go on that like another wife.
I'm sure that. No, that would be tough.
So that didn't happen this time. Yeah.
Well should we queue up tears next week?
Oh yeah. Next week's.
If you guys guess it let us know relationship.
What is next week couple, it's about a famous.
Guy. And his name is Guy, famous guy,
and probably has no, as being smart, like it's someone who
like what those professions scientific scientist who's like
a genius scientist. Okay.
Like that's obvious musically his love life.
Little bit incest in there. What?
Incest? I don't even know what you just
said. Should we cut that?
What do you say, incised with some incest?
In their cousin cousin? It's about a smart scientist
that you guys know in history and it's about his love life,
his marriage. And yeah, people like don't talk
about this guy like he people talking about in this way.
And this way people talk about him as, you know, being smart
and theories, they don't talk about him, just Kind of being a
little fuck-boy. So wow.
Wow, it could be several. People could be many people.
Yeah, because one obvious guy every week, we do a little
question on our Instagram asking people to guess what the next
couple is. Yeah, and if you guys have an
inkling, you think, you know who this is, go, guess it?
We usually ask every Monday night.
Yeah. Your Monday during the day at
some point I have to make the one for this one is.
Yeah. I don't know if anyone's gonna
get it. Done it.
Oh well, this isn't the future. So I was like it's for the Zoe
and Benoit. Yeah.
I'm always impressed by people who do get it.
I know. All right and Eminem won.
Everybody got that shocked. I couldn't believe it and then
nobody. I feel like only one person
guest who was before that At Mila and Ashton.
Oh, yeah. I was so small tires and guess
that one isn't that weird? Yeah.
Wow. Sometimes they are kind of hard.
They are tricky. Yeah I love I love the guessing.
Hmm, I wish that we could give people prizes for guessing hers
but guys um maybe if this podcast becomes bigger, we can
give out prizes, maybe we can register.
What do you think about it? We can't do that now.
But yeah right if you like this podcast tell your cousin or
whoever That you like the podcast.
Thanks for listening.