Kris Kristofferson, a lost Tom Petty film and rock stars and the curse of the selfie

We aimed the airgun of enquiry at this week’s rock and roll side-stall and dislodged the following coconuts …  

… sports star, Rhodes scholar, bohemian: why Kris Kristofferson was a whole new breed of American hero.  

… the letter his parents wrote disowning him.

… how he invented the crossover hit.

… echoes of his life in Five Easy Pieces.

… Fellini’s La Strada and the story of ‘Me And Bobby McGee’.

…. ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ and other songs written to order.

… why the past is the age before mobile phones.

… Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Leonard Cohen, Carly Simon: the kiss and tell school of songwriting.

… why Tracey Thorn misses the age of the autograph.

… who’d be famous in the 21st Century?

… “What do you think about when you’re playing the drums?” Cameron Crowe’s lost 1983 time capsule.

… in a lift with Ken Barlow.

Plus birthday guest Paul Cook and the furthest you’ve ever travelled for a gig.

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